tips for keeping kids warm in OW

[Knfmkr]

My 13yo son is taking the OW classes with me in May. We'll be doing our OW dives the end of May/early June. Local water temps here in Arkansas are mid 60s-70 at that time. Which, for me, will be fine. But for my almost-no-body-fat 13yo son....well, it's the only thing about the OW classes he's actually nervous about. He's short and thin, so I'm concerned about adding "too much" bulk and weight. But, at the same time...I don't want the cold to sour him. He did swim team a few summers and even in the heat, he would be shivering a little by the end.

FYI/FWIW - I'm hoping to do some diving with family in June/July out of state....so we're motivated to get our classes done early. (vs waiting until the warmer August temps to do the OW dives).

I know he'll try to 'tough it out' the best he can....but if there are any tips for this new-to-scuba Dad to help his son stay warm...I'd appreciate it!

Dan

 

[T.C.]

Where in Ar-Kansas are you diving? (Sorry, couldn't resist, I lived in Kansas for 11 years). I dove alot at Beaver Lake when I was there.

I think the best thing would be to get a properly fitted 5mm to 7mm wetsuit. One that fits snuggly and doesn't allow water to circulate freely. That's the enemy of wetsuits. Your body warms that water, so you don't want a poor fit to flush it out and replace it with cold water you just have to rewarm.

Then, get a vest for him to wear under the wetsuit, preferably a hooded vest. Same thing, it should fit snuggly. If you can't get a vest, then a hood will help immensely. Add a set of gloves and you'll be good. If his feet get cold, sometimes a set of wool (never cotton) socks can help.

Have plenty of warm liquids around at the end of the dives. Hot chocolate for the son, Hot Coffee for you. Just remember the diuretic effects of caffeine. And a long hot shower at the end of the day feels real good, as well as helping to restore the core body temps.

Lastly, talk frankly about this to the instructor. Make sure he's aware of this, and ask what he has to help him stay warm. He should be happy to help.

Remember, this will change your weighting from the pool.

 

[mikeycanuk]

My soon to be 13 year old son is still only 85lbs and has been diving since he was 10.

Simple answer, 7mm wetsuit. And only diving in the summer here in ontario, we did use hoods even in the st Lawrence last July. He also takes a 5mm for Caribbean summer trips, the 7mm on winter Caribbean trips, as do we. Some make fun of us, but we are warm and don't have much body fat.




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[TMHeimer]

A general idea for anyone is to be really warm beforehand. This is not unique to kids. Obviously it is also important to be warm between the dives. When the day is done, as long as there is no (even mild) Hypothermia, it matters a lot less, as you can get dry and turn the car heater on. If I know it's going to be cold water on a cold air day I will have the car heater on pretty high when driving to the site even if it isn't needed. And I do very well with cold. The time you are exposed to it is the big factor for me. At some of our rather frigid OW courses we have a large cooler of hot water which will warm up feet, hoods, boots and gloves. At times our truck has an electric heater.

 

[Knfmkr]

The guys at the scuba shop were the ones to make me aware of it, thankfully.
My son is only 75lbs. and 4'-7"
Mikey- that's good to hear. My concern is that warmer=more gear=more buoyancy=more weights to offset. Michelin man effect.

---------- Post added April 2nd, 2014 at 08:46 PM ----------

TM- that's good advise...as we'll be outdoors in the evening after our first OW dives.

---------- Post added April 2nd, 2014 at 08:46 PM ----------

T.C. - I'm in Bentonville. We'll be diving Beaver for OW.

 

[T.C.]

Mikey- that's good to hear. My concern is that warmer=more gear=more buoyancy=more weights to offset. Michelin man effect.

Yes, there will be some additional weight. But it's only going to be a few pounds if the instructor weights him right. It's a small price to pay to be warm(er).

T.C. - I'm in Bentonville. We'll be diving Beaver for OW.

Awesome. If you're over by the dam, stop by and say hi to Jim Butler at C & J Sports.

 

[Redshift]

Choose a tight suit. For tall and thin people that will probably mean a compromise between being snug and being long enough. It happened to me as well. I think it's best to go for snug even it the suit doesn't go completely down to the ankles and wrists. At least the rest of the body will be warm.
Don't know what kind of suits are common there, but a 7mm suit should be ok. Are there 2-piece suits?

I know some people don't feel very well if they eat before diving, but I find that having eaten provides energy, not only for physical exercise but also for creating heat when needed.

What happens out of the water is also important. Try to be warm before and between dives. A wet wetsuit can get quite cold if the air is not warm or if there is wind. Get a cheap wind breaker and a beanie. Or change into dry clothes, depending on the situation.

 

[mikeycanuk]

When it comes to kids suits there are only 2 brands. Henderson and Bare. Bare makes a 5/4 and 7/6, the thinner being on the arms and legs. You won't need much weight. If memory serves I think he uses 6 or 8lbs in the 7mm size 12 suit in saltwater. A few weeks back he used no weight in a size 14 Bare 7/6 with a huge HP120 strapped to his back in Coz. Big tank but he burns air like crazy zipping around the reef.

He did get hypothermic, or close to once. We were going to do a Peak bouyancy course and were newbies with new gear. I made the mistake of trying to get a one-size fits all SeaSoft adjustable BCD. It's a heavy, loose straps everywhere, no good for nothing BCD. It was Thanksgiving here in Ontario (mid October) but that day was 27C (80F) but the water in the checkout "lake" (more like a pond- max depth 25') had been cooled over the previous weeks. Anyway we are all messing with weights and quickly discover my son's SeaSoft BCD leaked. I think 10-15mins might have gone by but my son's lips had turned blue and this had all been just from sitting in the water at the shore, we had not dove yet. So we got him dry and he sat in the car while we did a quick dive. Lesson learned.

Or not...We even got him a XXXS drysuit which was simply too much and uncomfortable (but we hadn't the thermal underwear at the time). I'm sit sitting on it, just have to get around to listing it.

I'm glad your LDS mentioned to you about this. I had to cancel our trip to Tobermory (thermoclines a few degrees above freezing), nobody said anything!

 

[diver 85]

7 mils & hooded with gloves???........

 

[DivemasterDennis]

I agree with T.C. your son should be fine in a 5 mil or 7 mil with a 3 mil hooded vest under the wet suit. I don't think her will need gloves. Also a 3 mil boot should be plenty. Proper weighting will require a weight check at the dive site. Be sure the wet suit is fully permeated with water before the final weighting ios set- that will take a couple of minutes. We have kids the size of your son in a local rervoir and similar tempaeratures and they do fine. Those without hoods do get cold though. Pay attention to air trapping in his hood- you want one with a vent hole.
DivemasterDennis