Too Cold???

[matt_unique]

Best deal - $500 for a brand new O'Neill Neo drysuit and about $150 for thermals. 47 is cold in a wetsuit. Once you go dry, you will never go back.

The first time I dove dry I wished I had not wasted $450 on a wetsuit.

--Matt

 

[spectrum]

Am I the only person that thinks diving wet in the 40s is beyond uncomfortable and actually in the range of dangerous?

e.a.e.

For a cold tolerant diver with a good well fit wetsuit the 40's are not the end of the world especially if the depth is modest, say less that 40 feet and it's a single cylinder dive. That said I have buddies with apparently good. propper gear who felt they were at their limit before breaking 50F. It's an individual thing.

If it's for one dive or there's a long propper surface interval. Changing out afterwards is likely to more traumatic.

I've never been down in the 30s and since I have gone dry this fall I may never unless my suit floods. I know many who have done first ice dives wet and they all lived to tell. They agreed, changing out was the worst, even with shelter.

Pete

 

[moneysavr]

The first time I dove dry I wished I had not wasted $450 on a wetsuit.

--Matt

But Matt,
A few month's or so each year if the wind gods are good -on our side of Lakemichigan the waters can warm in the mid to low 70's so some close to shore wrecks can be done wet.
and I love to dive wet on a hot day!
Some dive buds like Pastor Mike dive wet all YEAR!!
My Florida trips I dive wet,Its a Blast to pull thru the thermoclines.
could be the Zen thing but it puts me in the world,makes me as one with the dive!

YES I am a whimp now! as my bones get old and do not do well with the cold=20+ years on old bulldozers and other construction equipment with no heaters,snowplowing & fixing breakdowns.
A dry suit dose extend the range of dives, the dive season,and make dives last long and comfortable,I will still dive wet and keep the several wet suits I use on my different dives.
Brad

 

[Diver0001]

Sorry to ask such a silly question,
Last year I was diving at Lake Rawlings, Va. and the temp at depth was 47 F. I was wearing a 7mm Farmer john and was FFFFFFFFreezing. Everyone else seemed to handle it well. At our deco stop I could'nt stop shaking ( 70 F). When I got out I noticed I could'nt move my Jaw!? I dont think our instructors asked what the bottom temp was prior to entering or maybe they just felt like not wasting a three hour trip.
We were supposed to do skills on the bottom but got silted out by a few inexperienced students. My question is: Is my suit too old that it cant handle the temp?- it was a previous rental. Should I consider a new suit? Cant afford a Dry suit yet. Thanks - Joe

I haven't read the other responses so forgive me if I'm repeating.

I've been a cold water diver all my life and I can say for sure that 47F/8C is friggen cold. In water that cold I can't (and won't) dive wet.

Even if your wetsuit fits right the cold will go right through it and you'll be lucky to get a 40 minute dive in without showing the first signs of lowered body temperature.

I dive in cold water a lot, (local water temps range from zero to 18C) and in that temperature range I'm always in a drysuit. I used to dive wet i the summer here but I don't even do that any more. These days I'm not wet unless the water is well above 20C or my drysuit is in for service. 12C is the minimum temperature that I believe is do-able in a wetsuit.

Some people will probably call me a wimp for this but I have a lot of experience in cold water an once you eliminate all the macho B.S. these temperature ranges work.

Cold sucks and cold is optional. Get a drysuit.

R..