Thickness vs. water temp. chart??

[jbichsel]

Bath tub temp for most people is somewhere in the 102 to 108F terperature range.

Yeah, my wife is like that. You can cook lobster in her shower or bath. If I get much above 90, then it foils the purpose of getting clean since I start sweating.

A couple of months ago we went to Eleuthera, Bahamas for our 20th anniversary. I went diving in 82 degree water in just swim trunks and my dive gear. Did some shallow dives of 15-25 feet for 80-90 minutes and was still plenty warm.

But I also know people that start looking for a dry suit for anything under 70.

 

[rockinrebel]

Yep. it gets a lot warmer than 72 Hardhat. I was just in Islamorada, Fla. Keys last week. 87 degree water. THAT'S bathing suit and t-shirt diving. It was fantastic. Thanks for the info. everybody. Y'all dive safe and have fun.
Chuck

 

[RichLockyer]

It depends on your activity level and bodyfat content.
When I was 210 pounds, I was comfortable in pretty much anything, never cold, but would dress conservatively warm even in warm water.
Now, I'm at 183, and I was actually cold in 50 degree water in my drysuit. Not uncomfortably cold, but I could feel the temperature like never before.

Personally, I wear a 3/2mm fullsuit for tropical diving (78+)... never a shorty... in part for jellyfish protection, but also because after 8-10 dives I'll still get chilled. Wearing a warmer suit allows me to avoid having to skip a day.
If the water is colder than 78-80, I'm wearing my drysuit, which has kept me comfortable down to below 50.

You'll chill faster on a Cozumel drift dive than you will on a dive in the Bahamas where you swim from and return to the boat.

 

[rickyd]

It depends on your activity level and bodyfat content.
...If the water is colder than 78-80, I'm wearing my drysuit, which has kept me comfortable down to below 50.

Rich - I'm going on an 11 day trip in November to to Socorro's. Water temps in the 78 - 82 range. I'm planning on diving dry, but wonder, what do you where under the DS in that kind of temperature.

 

[RichLockyer]

Rich - I'm going on an 11 day trip in November to to Socorro's. Water temps in the 78 - 82 range. I'm planning on diving dry, but wonder, what do you where under the DS in that kind of temperature.

78+ I'd go with the 3mm... it's when the TOP of the range is 78 that I'd go dry, and then I'd stick with my Bare CT200.

Ya... uncomfortable on the surface, but I deal with that all the time here in California where I need the drysuit for the 50-55 bottom temps, but sit on the boat in 80 degree sunshine.

If I get uncomfortably warm before the dive, I'll hop in the water for a minute to cool the suit and my head before gearing up. After the dive, I'm cool enough so there's no real rush to get the suit open... in fact, last trip we got back to the main boat and my buddy's wife had hooked a BIG fish. She handed the pole to him and I piloted the little Whaler chasing this fish down just to keep from spooling the Squidder.

We fought that beast for 45 minutes before making the decision to recover as much line as possible and lock it down. Both of us were still in our suits, zipped up.

 

[rickyd]

I was pretty much think the same about the temps. My real concern was the 11 days of constant diving ( guess I can't complain about that! ), and maintain core body temp.

I like the idea of just jumping in to cool down, when it gets too hot on deck.

 

[RichLockyer]

I like the idea of just jumping in to cool down, when it gets too hot on deck.

Ya... works pretty well because I dive with my buddy from his boat, so I'm not inconveniencing anyone, nor asking that the "gate" be opened early for me. It's amazing how much of a difference it makes just to get my head under water without the hood.

Hmm... 11 days? I normally start to get chilled by the 4th day in Cozumel or the Bahamas wearing a 3/2 fullsuit.

Tough call for an 11 day trip.

 

[rcohn]

Rich - I'm going on an 11 day trip in November to to Socorro's. Water temps in the 78 - 82 range. I'm planning on diving dry, but wonder, what do you where under the DS in that kind of temperature.

Many of the dive a Socorro are deeper, so a thicker suit can be tolerated. Playing with the mantas at the Boilers is around 30 ft but much of the diving can be in the 80 to 120 ft range.

When I did a Feb Socorro trip (74-75) I wore a 2 piece 5 mm FJ suit and found I needed to add a shorty to stay warm after a few dives (I'm thin). For the Galapagos I took a 7 mm suit expecting the same water temps. However, the water shifted up to 79 degrees. I dove the 7 mm suit without a hood and it was fine for the dives, mostly 60 to 100 ft. It became too warm on the safety stops, so I just opened the zippers and it was fine. I find having layers available is the best solution to uncertain temps. Carry a hood, hooded vest, shorty and you can ajust the warmth to suit conditions and your internal temperature shifts.

Ralph

 

[Wristshot]

Rockinrebel,

Just another 2cents . . (pretty soon you will be able to afford more than one suit with all the two cents being added!)

I agree pretty closely with the chart ae3753 posted. That matches my personal experience pretty closely. Closer than the other things I have seen.

Of course, as with many things, it is dependent upon the individual. Think about how cold you got at different temps on previous dives, or any other water activities. Factor in the length and number of dives.

PS: 3dent, I have 5 different wetsuits, but I only use three of them for diving.


Wristshot