Pinnacle?

[SwimsWithSharks]

I have a new Pinnacle Polar hanging in my closet right now. I am very impressed with the Pinnacle suits. I recently replaced my booties and found the new Pinnacle Merino ones to be very toasty and comfortable. The polar is a 7/5 with an attached hood. The extreme is an 8/6 with an attached hood, dry suit zipper. People here in Southern California who tend towards being cold love the Extreme. People who don't run cold have tended towards the Polar. Some have even said the Pinnacle keeps them warmer than their dry suit. I plan to use my Polar with core heater when its cold.

All that being said, I tend to agree on the dry suit idea. 2 hours doing deco is long time to be stationary and losing body heat.

 

[aaen]

hmm,

I never factored in the 90 minutes of deco time, I would still think I would be fine doing nothing in that temperature, but again this is me and I love cold water/weather, heck I sleep with my window open in the middle of the winter(canadain) cause I am always hot.

So that beign said maybe you would be better off with a dry suit, but like you said you have a few months to warm up to that temperature range so give it a try in a wetsuit, i can't say enough good things about pinnacle, if you ask me they are far superior to any other wetsuit I have owned or tried on.

Well whatever you decide to go with, just becareful and most importantly have fun.


Cheers

Steve

 

[Miami_Diver]

I would go dry. for safety, hypothermia comes without feeling cold. to stay mentally sharp and confortable I would go dry.

 

[joe rock]

I have a Pinnacle Extreme(8/6) semi-dry. I've done multiple dives in 40 F water. Stayed very comfortable. Never did a 90 minute deco though. That could be another story.

I love the wetsuit.

 

[martini_effect]

joe rock
thanks for the info
how long were your dives?

 

[Mark Vlahos]

I've got to agree with biscuit7, with run times like you are talking about dry is probably your best option. For recreational dives in the temperature range you are talking about the wet suit would be fine, but the longer run time of the decompression dive will make a big difference.

With the right undergarment you will be warmer at depth, this may decrease your "workload" since your body will not need to work as hard to maintain your core temperature. This may result in a lower breathing rate and some feel a decreased risk of DCS. While the water gets warmer as you will be ascending long hangs with a compromised core temperature may be extremely unplesant. If you are too cold on your decompression stops you may even start to shiver, this will further disrupt your breathing, increasing your SAC rate.

Since you indicate that this will be your first time in this colder environment you may not be able to predict your tolerance to cold water, I would suggest that you play it safe and dive dry. I learned to dive in warm water and when I started diving in the colder water I was amazed at how much of a difference it made. Some of the concerns are about the water temperature, that first plunge into the water is shocking, mask removal is bracing. Other things come into play like the decreased mobility of thicker wet or dry suits, hoods, and somthing as simple as thick gloves can have a large effect on how you deal with your gear.

If you are looking at only one dive in this environment you might tough it out in the wet suit, but more likely there will be a series of dives, if this is the case go dry my friend.

Mark Vlahos

 

[NJMike]

So how did the suit turn out, m. effect?

I am currently deciding between the Pinnacle Elite and Arctic. They look the same except the Arctic has the Merino throughout the suit and Elite only has it in the torso. They're both 7/5.

 

[victor]

I would go with the dry suit.
No activity for long periods and you are going to feel the cold.
One of the more experience deco divers on this board is even considering going dry for tropical dives where he has long deco stops.
I cannot think of any realistic way of checking in advance if you would be warm enough without doing the dive.

 

[PerroneFord]

Whoops.. didn't see this was an old thread. Wonder if he's done the dives yet. Is it summer in Thailand yet?