Question Socorro in march wetsuit choice

[seba76]

I think you should anticipate 22-23 degrees celsius for the time of year you will be there. Give or take a degree. I was just there in early April. Everyone has a different tolerance. I dove the entire week in a 5mm Henderson aqua lock. It is a very warm and fairly new wetsuit. I brought along my Henderson 3/5mm hooded vest (3mm in the chest and 5mm hood) just in case, but I found that I never needed it and it just stayed in the bag all week. If you decide to stick with your Scubapro Everflex, I would definitely bring along a good 3/5 hooded vest to wear underneath, should you require it. My wife has the Scuba Pro Everflex 5mm and it is a quality wetsuit, assuming it is newer and doesn't have hundreds of dives and has lost some of its thickness.

Henderson Thermoprene Hooded Vest

There's no better way to boost warmth than to add a hooded vest to your exposure protection gear. Wear it with board shorts in tropical waters or layer it with any type of full-length suit for cold wat

www.scuba.com

Thank you. Did you use gloves, or it wasn't necessary?

 

[Trailboss123]

Thank you. Did you use gloves, or it wasn't necessary?

Did not use gloves and did not feel it was necessary. Good question though. We did have a dive or two where the currents were sporty and tricky and gloves might have come in potentially handy, but not to the point that I would go out of my way and bring them.

 

[ElJay]

I think you should anticipate 22-23 degrees celsius for the time of year you will be there. Give or take a degree. I was just there in early April. Everyone has a different tolerance. I dove the entire week in a 5mm Henderson aqua lock. It is a very warm and fairly new wetsuit. I brought along my Henderson 3/5mm hooded vest (3mm in the chest and 5mm hood) just in case, but I found that I never needed it and it just stayed in the bag all week. If you decide to stick with your Scubapro Everflex, I would definitely bring along a good 3/5 hooded vest to wear underneath, should you require it. My wife has the Scuba Pro Everflex 5mm and it is a quality wetsuit, assuming it is newer and doesn't have hundreds of dives and has lost some of its thickness.

Henderson Thermoprene Hooded Vest

There's no better way to boost warmth than to add a hooded vest to your exposure protection gear. Wear it with board shorts in tropical waters or layer it with any type of full-length suit for cold wat

www.scuba.com

Another thread about thermoprotection, sorry for that

My wife and I have booked a trip to Socorro for March 2024, and I'm very excited. However, we've never dived in cold water before (I heard that Socorro in March can be as cold as 20 degrees Celsius). In June, we were in Egypt doing BDE, and we had 25 degrees Celsius, which was the coldest water we've experienced. We both own 5mm Scubapro Everflex wetsuits, but nothing thicker so far. We've never tried drysuit diving, so that's not really an option for us.

I checked with the operator, and they offer 5mm or 7mm wetsuits for rent (they don't seem to have semi-dry suits). My local dealer also rents 7mm wetsuits, but they don't have semi-drysuits available. While we are not particularly sensitive to the cold (we've never felt cold before, but I attribute that to always having the right protection), I would hate to skip a dive in Socorro just because I'm cold.

I've read this forum and found people diving in shorties, while others say they would have frozen without a drysuit, so it's difficult to form a definite opinion. I'm seeking your recommendation:

1. Should we buy a 7/8 mm semi-dry suit (as it seems difficult to rent one)?

2. Should we rent a 7mm wetsuit?

3. Is it possible to use our Scubapro Everflex 5mm wetsuits and buy underlayers (if they exist)? I heard something about sharkskin, but I'm concerned it might make the wetsuit too tight.

Additionally, I have 5mm boots. Would they be enough? What are your recommendations for the hood and gloves?

Thank you so much for your precious advice. I really want to make the best of this trip without worrying about being cold.

Same question, different time of year.
Socorro in mid-November.
The existing quiver of wetsuits is:
3/2mm
5/4mm
7mm
The 7mm feels like overkill.
The plan is to bring the 3/2 and the 5/4.
Anyone been to Socorro in November, that can provide some insight?
To be honest, this is my first liveaboard and I would greatly appreciate knowlegeable insight. I am an experienced diver, but just dipping the proverbial toe into the liveaboard water.
Thank you in advace!

El Jay

 

[Manuel Sam]

November is about the warmest water temperature month of the Socorro liveaboard season. Expect 80 degrees, maybe more, this being an El Niño year. I will be there this November with my 3mm, but I always bring my 2mm hooded vests for the 3rd and 4th dives, just in case.

 

[scubaNYC16]

Same question, different time of year.
Socorro in mid-November.
The existing quiver of wetsuits is:
3/2mm
5/4mm
7mm
The 7mm feels like overkill.
The plan is to bring the 3/2 and the 5/4.
Anyone been to Socorro in November, that can provide some insight?
To be honest, this is my first liveaboard and I would greatly appreciate knowlegeable insight. I am an experienced diver, but just dipping the proverbial toe into the liveaboard water.
Thank you in advace!

El Jay

I’ve been there in December twice. November is supposed to be a little warmer. The water was 76-79 but mostly 77-78 range. I get cold under 82 and wore a 5mm with Lavacore hooded vest underneath and was fine.

 

[scubaNYC16]

Same question, different time of year.
Socorro in mid-November.
The existing quiver of wetsuits is:
3/2mm
5/4mm
7mm
The 7mm feels like overkill.
The plan is to bring the 3/2 and the 5/4.
Anyone been to Socorro in November, that can provide some insight?
To be honest, this is my first liveaboard and I would greatly appreciate knowlegeable insight. I am an experienced diver, but just dipping the proverbial toe into the liveaboard water.
Thank you in advace!

El Jay

Socorro is amazing -

 

[davehicks]

Same question, different time of year.
Socorro in mid-November.
The existing quiver of wetsuits is:
3/2mm
5/4mm
7mm
The 7mm feels like overkill.
The plan is to bring the 3/2 and the 5/4.
Anyone been to Socorro in November, that can provide some insight?
To be honest, this is my first liveaboard and I would greatly appreciate knowlegeable insight. I am an experienced diver, but just dipping the proverbial toe into the liveaboard water.
Thank you in advace!

El Jay

I didn't need a 7mm but my wife definitely did. Whatever suit you bring, also bring a hooded vest (like a LavaCore / Sharkskin) so that you can layer up as you get chilled towards the end of the day and end of the trip. Always dive with a hood or beanie, it makes a big difference.

 

[EdC]

Socorro is amazing -

Great video, thanks

 

[bluehaze]

Going to Socorro towards end March - beginning April 2024. Do you think a hooded long sleeve sharkskin (2-3mm) base layer will work under a 3mm wetsuit? I'm used to diving multiple dives in a day using a 3mm wetsuit in tropical waters (around 27 degrees). Also don't really want to purchase a brand new 5mm if I can avoid it.

 

[Manuel Sam]

3mm plus a hooded vest is what I use in November and in normal tropical waters (27-28C or 80-81F). But as has been said already, everyone's cold tolerance is different. That is why it is better to talk about water temperatures, and in a normal year, I would expect Socorros in late-March/early April to average low to mid 70's, with a low that can get to 69-71. This being an El Niño year, it could be that the water will be warmer than that. I suggest that you revisit this inquiry after November, once the season starts, to see if the water is indeed warmer this year.

One other factor when talking about each person's cold tolerance that may or may not apply to you but does apply to me, and that is seldom mentioned in this type of discussion is how cold tolerance might change as an individual ages. In the 2007-2011 timeframe when I was in my 50's, I dove Socorro in a Polartec with no additional layering and was fine. Now in my 60's, I can't do that anymore.