Question regarding pool dives from a complete newbie

[Neilwood]

Is it worth investing in a rashguard or light weight shorty for doing the pool dives on an OW course? The pool is heated if that makes a difference. For the OW ssection, the centre is providing the suit.

Reason for asking is that when I did a very short tester session a few years ago we were advised to wear a thsirt under the BCD. My thinking is that it would be a good idea (esp if it is pretty cheap) and will give me a little more comfort.

I should probably say that I am quite a big unit (6'3 and probably about 250lbs)

Any particular suggestions or things to look for?

 

[diversteve]

In a heated pool probably not. I did mine in a swimsuit and cotton t-shirt. Most pool rental gear is going to be cheap jacket BC's and they're generally padded and pretty comfortable.

Does "OW section" mean checkout dives in colder water? It will help there slightly plus make the suit easier to don. The ones made of lycra are best for that - not the 1mm suits since then you have neoprene on neoprene which doesn't slide well. They're also pretty affordable - like this: Neosport Unisex Lycra/Spandex Skin Suit

Plus you have something blocking you from touching where others have urinated. Off Scotland I suspect that's done for warmth.

 

[RJP]

Unless the water in the pool is close to 98.6F/37C... you WILL get cold at some point. Simple physics. This is especially true in scuba classes where you'll spend a fair bit of time NOT moving around a lot, so you won't be doing anything to keep yourself warm. The degree to which you become UNCOMFORTABLY cold is a personal matter.

Personally, I wear a full wetsuit in a heated 85F/29C pool.

A rashguard will do ZERO to keep you warm. A shorty... not much more.

Note: in some recent market research I conducted with ~700 divers, being cold during pool sessions was very highly correlated with low satisfaction with training overall, greater sense of being overwhelmed, and low sense of "being prepared" for OW dives. Interestingly, this was just as true for those people who said they experienced being cold but did NOT believe that being cold impeded their learning:

 

[Damselfish]

A lycra skin is inexpensive and has lots of uses. It doesn't really keep you warm but can blunt the feel of cooler water at first. It can help you slide into a heavy suit, and is a barrier between you and whatever the last person did in a rental suit. There's the rash guard angle - maybe you need it, maybe you don't, but it doesn't hurt. It can help prevent some of the scratches and dings you tend to wind up with while dealing with gear and stuff, espegially with soft wet skin. If you're diving someplace warm down the road it's all some people wear (especially if you have sufficient "bioprene",) and can help protect from stings in the water, scrapes on a boat, and sun. Also good for sun protection if snorkeling someplace warm.

There are other thin materials that provide some warmth. One is thin neoprene, which is more durable than lycra, but as said that's not as good an idea if you're mostly interested in putting on a heavy suit over ir. There are also composite layered fabrics such as Lavacore that are slippery that might be worth considering, but will be more expensive than lycra.

 

[KDAD]

I wear a long sleeve lycra shirt under my wetsuit as it helps to don / doff. I wore my 3mm in the pool so I can get used to don / doff it and diving in it. I don't know how much diving I will do without a suit on so I figured it would be a good idea to get used to it and the transition to ow is smooth although ow was in a 7mm.

 

[Sonnylynnvick75]

I bought a hurley Rash gaurd to wear during pool training basically because I didn't want to rub my nipples raw and I hate the feeling of a wet tshirt.

 

[Mikeguyver]

I'm also a larger diver (6'3" - 275) and I wore a 3mm wet suit vest in the pool. You don't want to buy something that you won't get use much use out of and the vest was an easy choice for me. If you decide to purchase a full suit down the road, look at/try on the super stretchy suits. You won't feel like you are stuffed in a sausage casing. Good luck, Mike

 

[Altamira]

Did OW in heated pool and LDS issued wetsuits for all students. As a side not, all of the instructors were also in full wetsuits. After a couple hours in the pool, without a wetsuit, you are likely to get cold unless you are very warm blooded. Also, I found it easier to work on buoyancy in the pool while wearing what I was going to wear in the open water sessions, especially if you are going to need a 5mm or higher suit for the OW dives.

 

[Neilwood]

I'm also a larger diver (6'3" - 275) and I wore a 3mm wet suit vest in the pool. You don't want to buy something that you won't get use much use out of and the vest was an easy choice for me. If you decide to purchase a full suit down the road, look at/try on the super stretchy suits. You won't feel like you are stuffed in a sausage casing. Good luck, Mike

Part of my thinking for the rash vest/shirt was it is pretty inexpensive and even if I don't ever dive again after qualifying, I can still use it as beachwear.

Definitely sounds like I am thinking the right way about having something between me and the BCD (+suit when doing the OW part)

Cheers for the help folks - definitely a very friendly forum esp for us newbs.

 

[RJP]

Definitely sounds like I am thinking the right way about having something between me and the BCD (+suit when doing the OW part)

Definitely sounds like you heard what you wanted to hear.