tips for staying warm while diving dry?

[pastorjared]

I'm diving regularly here in North Idaho where we still have a few lake that aren't frozen over! I love this time of year to dive, but looking for some ideas on how to safely keep warm while diving.

I have my drysuit and undergarments dialed in, but my feet and hands get pretty cold. My boots are attached , and my feet are numb when I I'm in the water and take a while to thaw after.
I've layered socks, but still cold.

Has anyone ever used those chemical foot warmers while diving the cold?

My hands are a different story. I use wet gloves for now, and dip my hands and gloves in the hot water after the dive to thaw them out. But during the dive it just gets plain cold.

Any tips?

 

[Hawkwood]

I used to have cold feet - layered sock and all. Then I got these, *Sport Diving - MK 3 Glacier Thermal Socks - Whites Diving, and have not had any issues. I think now that with all the layers I was probably compressing my feet and just affecting circulation.

As to the gloves, go simple - go dry.

 

[Mitchell Teeters]

Jared I would look at how tight the insulation is in the boots. Also as counter intuitive as it is, you can keep the feet warmer with air in there. As far as the hands, semi dry gloves are the answer. I have some bare gloves. While they unstitch like crazy and like pulling a calf to get on they do work. Keeping the gloves from flushing water is the key.

Mitch


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[ianr33]

I have my drysuit and undergarments dialed in, but my feet and hands get pretty cold.

Has anyone ever used those chemical foot warmers while diving the cold?

Be very careful using chemical warmers. If they use O2 to produce heat, the higher pO2 at depth could cause them to get way too hot and cause burns. (I read about that happening somewhere,no personal experience as I'm not crazy enough to dive water that cold! )

 

[Mitchell Teeters]

I would exhaust everything else before going the heater route. You might also try drinking some sweet hot cocoa before the dive. The sugar will help with keeping you warm.


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[DaleC]

I did try those chemical hand warmers once or twice but found they weren't really as effective as one might think. They kept my palms somewhat warmish but not my fingers. The heat did not migrate. Funny, but I don't seem to notice cold hands anymore (old age I guess).

 

[Storker]

For your feet, I'd echo what Hawkwood and TNRonin are saying: Don't stuff too much into your boots. You'll be colder with too much insulation. You need to be able to wiggle your toes, otherwise you'll cut off circulation and you'll be cold.

Also, I'd look into an extra undergarment and/or a little more weight to accommodate more air in your suit. If you start getting on the cold side, your hands and feet are the first parts your body will sacrifice. "If your feet are cold, put on a cap" is a very good advice topside, and the mechanism behind it is equally valid underwater. If the rest of your body is nice and warm - a lot warmer than "just not freezing" - your hands and feet will be a lot warmer as well.

 

[Peter_C]

First of all if you don't have an Otter Bay hood you need one. They are 12mm thick and will help keep your head much warmer.

Then dry gloves are the answer for your hands. A wet dry glove is still warmer than a wet glove. Semi dry is a fancy name for wet glove. Go dry, equalize with the suit and your hands will be plenty warm. I have grabbed many peoples hands after diving with all kinds of hands, and my hands are always warmer and I am cold blooded.

I find my feet enjoy a thick sock covered with a 400g thinsulate bootie. Anything less and I would be cold.

From what I understand the heat packs only overheat when using an enriched gas/nitrox mixture.

 

[Hollywoodivers]

Switch to Drygloves / attached glove system get a better sock. Fourth Element and a thing underlayer, make sure your fins are not too tight. Also if you can use an argon inflation system to inflate your hands and feet should benefit from that a little bit.

 

[FinnMom]

I do a lot of winter diving. It's important to keep only moisture-wicking garmets next to your skin. Get some XC-skiing long underwear and XC-skiers wool-mix socks too. I've noticed that the high-tech socks are warmer than just plain wool, thinner too. It is true that if your boots are packed full they will be colder than if you had a little room for air.
It will be even better if you don't have anything under your drysuit but moisture-wicking garmets so look around for a good cold water undersuit. Whites Fusion/4th Element suits are fabulous if you have the cash, a WeezlePlus/WeezleExtremePlus suits look like the Michelin man but they might be cheaper and they are really warm.
Dry gloves will help but 3-fingered gloves 5-9mm in thickness can be amazingly warm. My winter backup gloves are 7mm 3-finger wet gloves (or semi-dry if you're a salesman/optimist) from Waterproof
G1 7MM 3 FINGER SEMI-DRY | Waterproof Facing Reality
and I think they might even be as warm as my drygloves+inner gloves, and probably better for dexterity.