Roatan in January

[hbhobby]

I am heading to roatan in Janurary and need to know what to wear. 3mm full, 3mm shorty, that sexy speedo I just bought (not really) I just want to make sure I have what I need and not a bunch of extra stuff I will have to lug around.

 

[Doc]

Post a picture of the Speedo.

?

This question gets asked often about each and every dive destination.

A real question would be: What will the water temps be?

Answer: 78~82 degrees, somewhat higher (84 or so) in the shallows of the South side.

Only you can decide what that will mean to you, and with your high number of logged dives shown in your profile, the answer should be easy.

The relevance of me telling you that I do it in a Polarfleece is ZERO. Same with what anyone else might describe. It depends on the individual.

The part of the equation that you left out.... only you know how many dives you plan on making throughout the day. Where I go on Roatan, we do 5x a day including a night dive. Repetitive dive schedules will sap your core temperature. Many visitors do day-dive ops or are less frantic in their diving... they might do two or three maximum.

Understand this as well.... January in Roatan can also present you with some decidedly cooler Surface Interval temperatures if you are out on a boat waiting for your next dive. Smart travellers pack a Goretex parka that serves well as rain gear and an excellent wind break.

If it's colder than you prepared for, the better dive ops will have rental suits... but make sure you're first in line... especially if your an "odd shaped bottom dweller".

Only you can decide how your body will react to the available weather data.

 

[CajunDiva]

I am heading to roatan in Janurary and need to know what to wear. 3mm full, 3mm shorty, that sexy speedo I just bought (not really) I just want to make sure I have what I need and not a bunch of extra stuff I will have to lug around.

Hi -

We will be there the same time as you. I will be diving with either a 1mm full or a skin with a 3mm shorty over it. (I believe in exposure protection) If I get REALLY cold, I will consider putting the 3mm shorty over the 1mm full suit...but that would be drastic! We usually go in December and I am prepared to be cold but rarely wear anything but my skin. I can't imagine that January will be much different than December. It's better to be prepared though...

 

[simonds]

We've been there several times in January and the water temp is usually 76-78. For me that means a 3mm.

 

[Maggy]

I plan to bring my 5 mm, because that's the only one I've got. So far I haven't been too warm anywhere while wearing it. I do prefer to have a shortie, but I hope I can borrow one if the water is warm enough for me to wear one.

 

[tridacna]

I've been using a shorty for the past two years. Bring all other suits just in case. They make neat gifts to the DMs and even the barman. My old 3mm full got me a week of monkey lalalas!!! (And a lighter suitcase). Make sure to pack a few bottles of vitamins to give to the kids too.