Too warm, or not warm enough?

[twistypencil]

I'm going to Cocos Island, on a liveaboard. End of July, average water temp is 85-75F (28-26C), I'll be going in about a week from now (August). There are cool thermoclines, and you often can do 3 dives per day. They recommend 3-5mm wetsuit. I know that after a week of diving that many times a day, I'm likely to get a bit cold. I have a full 3mm, a full 7mm, and a 7mm shorty with a hood. I think the right thing to have is a 5mm, but I don't have one. Should I bring the 7mm and just be hot on the pangeas, or the 3mm and likely be cold, or bring the hooded 7mm shorty and have a confused body (its not a farmer john, its a shorty)?

 

[Alekseolsen]

I'm going to Cocos Island, on a liveaboard. End of July, average water temp is 85-75F (28-26C), I'll be going in about a week from now (August). There are cool thermoclines, and you often can do 3 dives per day. They recommend 3-5mm wetsuit. I know that after a week of diving that many times a day, I'm likely to get a bit cold. I have a full 3mm, a full 7mm, and a 7mm shorty with a hood. I think the right thing to have is a 5mm, but I don't have one. Should I bring the 7mm and just be hot on the pangeas, or the 3mm and likely be cold, or bring the hooded 7mm shorty and have a confused body (its not a farmer john, its a shorty)?

As a wimp myself, that have never dived wet without freezing, but realising that doesn't apply to everyone: what would it cost to bring both? The Luxury of putting on a DRY wetsuit whenever you fill chilly for the next dive would be worth quite a bit of money to me. Avoiding ruined dives due to cold quite a bit more

 

[Still Kicking]

I'd rather be too warm than too cold (aka miserable) and you can always open the collar and cool down in the water, shower on the deck etc.​

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I didnt know anyone made a shorty 7mm. If it was cold enough for a 7mm in the torso, i wouldnt want my arms and legs exposed.​

 

[twistypencil]

As a wimp myself, that have never dived wet without freezing, but realising that doesn't apply to everyone: what would it cost to bring both? The Luxury of putting on a DRY wetsuit whenever you fill chilly for the next dive would be worth quite a bit of money to me. Avoiding ruined dives due to cold quite a bit more

The cost of bringing both is I have one where I'm too cold, and one where I'm too hot!

 

[Alekseolsen]

Ohh, that's easy, start with the 3mm, get too cold, use the 7mm for the rest of the trip. Swap back to 3mm if at any point to hot.

Now Red Sea with 25°C is far far into drysuit-land even for a single dive for my own liking

 

[rongoodman]

I was there last August during the height of the recent El Nino and a 3mm was fine, although I did shiver in a couple of the thermoclines. I assume things are reverting back to more normal temps by now, and I will be taking a 5mm in addition to to a hooded vest when I return in January. If it's cold enough to require a 7mm I'll be diving dry.

 

[twistypencil]

I was there last August during the height of the recent El Nino and a 3mm was fine, although I did shiver in a couple of the thermoclines. I assume things are reverting back to more normal temps by now, and I will be taking a 5mm in addition to to a hooded vest when I return in January. If it's cold enough to require a 7mm I'll be diving dry.

Thanks for your experience, but unfortunately that doesn't help me much... I think El Nino typically results in warmer water temps(?) so your 3mm was enough, but we aren't in an el nino now, so I might need more.

 

[rongoodman]

I thought that’s what I said.

 

[scubadada]

Hi @twistypencil

I think you have answered your own question. You don't own the best exposure protection for this trip. When I visited Cocos, water temperatures were 76-82 F. I wore a full 5 mm, generally with a 5/3 mm hooded vest. I was never overly warm, but I was often one of the few divers who was not cold. I hate the feeling of being cold and it increases my gas consumption.

This is a bucket list trip and not inexpensive. Personally, I would invest in a 5 mm wetsuit and a hooded vest. The hooded vest can be added to any base suit to extend the range a couple of degrees. I always have it in my dive bag in case it is a bit cooler than I planned on.

Have a great trip, let us know how it goes.

 

[johndiver999]

can you wear the 7 mm shorty over the 3 mm suit? That might be an excellent solution if you have a separate 3 mm hood you can wear if the water is too warm for the double layers.