Not using a suit....

[pw1981]

Am I the only one here who hates wetsuits? I loate diving with one on. Its not that they are uncomfortable if you have one that fits correctly, I just like the feelin of the water and such.

I do not get cold. Ever. I sweat like a hog when its 60 degrees outside sometimes. That siad, I don;t have much occasion to go diving in climate-affected water in the winter since its too cold for a non-drysuit dive in the ocean and gulf in winter. Springs at 72 degrees are fine for me.

I wear a wetsuit in winter times at the springs more for when I get out than actually being in the water. Now that its over 75 outside, I have no need for a wetsiut anywhere. I did a spring dive a few days ago (72 degree water) for over an hour and was not cold at all.

I am wondering if there is a legitimate functional reason to wear a thin suit diving even in instances where I do not need it for comfort reasons? I am considering getting a 1mm full suit because I found a good deal on it but its not something I will buy unless I can come up with a reason other than "good deal"...

 

[jonnythan]

I do not get cold. Ever.

Come for a visit, we'll see about that..

 

[NINman]

I 2nd that, but in all seriousness, exposure protection is used for more then just warmth. It is also used as protection against scrapes, stings, etc. In regards to not being cold, you could still suffer from hypothermia so some warmth is still needed. Given your post though, the 1mil might just be what you need.

 

[ba_hiker]

Come for a visit, we'll see about that..

Beter still we will come visit you!

 

[darylm74]

The big thing is keeping your core warm, as I posed the same question to an instructor. I did a dive back home in TN a month ago and it was 94 air 62 surface and 49 bottom and I was using a 3 mil suit. I know when you drop to the cold temps on the bottom you really need a drysuit but I was perfectly fine after being used to the Pittsburgh PA winters. I asked an instructor about why I wasn't cold and she said I was probably fine comfort wise but that I still had to worry about my internal temp. You can get hypothermia even if you really aren't that cold on the outside. For that reason I guess I will play it safe from now on, even if I am comfortable in a lesser suit.

 

[gfisher4792]

I am wondering if there is a legitimate functional reason to wear a thin suit diving even in instances where I do not need it for comfort reasons? I am considering getting a 1mm full suit because I found a good deal on it but its not something I will buy unless I can come up with a reason other than "good deal"...

I agree with NINman that there are other things that wetsuit can protect you from, other than low temps. I, too, am a warm body, so I feel your pain (though, I live in a colder state than you do). When I was in Hawaii, my knee bumped up against a hard coral head (was wearing only a pair of shorts and shirt), and my wound didn't heal for a couple of weeks, and I still have a scar (from 2 years ago). Remember, it's called an "exposure suit," and when diving, you're exposed to more than just cold water (I wish I had taken a pic of my bare arm after it was hit by a couple of jellyfish tentacles; full suit good!)

 

[CuriousMe]

Well the other answer could be to not bump into stuff.

If I know there a a lot of Jellies in the water (generally, that's a seasonal thing) I wear a Lycra skin....but if I'm just doing a two tank dive (ie not a dive vacation with multiple days of 4 dives a day) then I just wear my swimsuit and a pair a swim shorts.

I generally dive in very warm water (generally right around 80 degrees)....since I now effectively live in the Caribbean, I have no tolerance for cold anymore.....but I'm still comfortable diving without a suit. If I'm doing more than a two tank dive that day or diving over multiple days....then I have a full 3 mil that I might wear...just to be sure I'm not lowering my core temp over the week.

I haven't been diving very long....I have about 200 dives all over the Caribbean (including a lot in Coz) and some in southern California...but I've never had a problem with getting cut/hurt on coral....if you stay away from it, it's not a problem.

I learned this lesson early on....we certified in shorty suits and the place was covered in fire coral (we were well warned about this ahead of time as well as during each briefing and shown what the stuff looked like at the beginning of the first dive)....a couple of my classmates had some nasty interactions with the stuff....I learned respect for it early on. I also figure if it happened that I wasn't paying enough attention and did get hurt by some coral....any injury would be consequences for my actions.

Like all other dive equipment....if you don't need it, don't take it.

Peace,
Cathie

 

[The Kraken]

PW,
Keep in mind that when you are "comfortable", that is your feel cool in the water, it is because your body is giving off more heat than it is manufacturing. While you may feel comfortable you are constantly reducing the core temperature of your body.
Hypothermia is an insidious enemy!!! Be very, very careful of cool water!!!
Usually on July 4th weekend here in Atlanta I will take my kayak to Chattahoochee River to a place called "diving rock". All of the young people come down the river on rafts, innertubes, etc. comsuming their favorite adult beverages.
The party goers will pull out of the river on the west bank to socialize for a while. Inevitably some young stud will attempt to swim across the river to the east side of the river to the diving rock. He gets about half way across the 80-100 yard swim and starts to slow down and, sometimes, starts to sink.
The temperature of the water, combined with having to swim against a pretty stout current, saps the strength from these young fellows in an instant.
At that point, I paddle out in my kayak, throw the victim a ring buoy that is attached to the stern carry loop of my kayak by a rope, and tow him back to shore.
When we get there the guy is shaking like leaf, purple lips, etc.
Hypothermia just sneaks up on ya and grabs ya!