Utila and Roatan Diving in Feb

[underthedeepblue]

I am popping down to the Bay Islands (Roatan and Utila) and last summer (July August) I didn't need a wetsuit it was 91degrees F air temp and I don't know what the water temp was but I was fine with shorts and thick T Shirt

Will I be OK with the same diving in February? I don't really feel the cold but I have never dove outside of last summers temps when I was training and the weather was verrryyy hot!

If I had to get a wetsuit could I buy one in Utila? I am 6"6" tall

Will be doing fun dives prolly with BICD - do they offer a westuit in the dive price - I'll buy 20 fun dives in one block

Thanks

 

[Doc]

The water temps that you might expect will be in the 77~82 degree range, depending within a few degrees on exactly where you will be diving.

I didn't need a wetsuit.... I don't know what the water temp was but I was fine with shorts and thick T Shirt

Therein lies the crux of the biscuit. Only with dedicated log-book entries... you yourself will begin the process of determining in advance what will work with you. No one else can answer this for you. Many attempts will now follow. Here's one....

It was likely 81~82 degree water temp during your previous trip in the Summer.

You were essentially diving naked, a "thick t-shirt" notwithstanding. I'm with you- a nylon sun shirt and a pair of shorts... good to go.

Most visitors would have worn a non-insulating a "rash guard" or a 3mil suit... just because they don't own a 2mil. Some would wear a PolarFleece.

Your going to want such things at some point in your dive career. You can't really go wrong in owning a 3mil, and that might be all you would need, considering our limited database of your past needs and situations.

If you were comfortable "last summer", I would wager that it wouldn't suffice during winter months. Not only will the water be colder, but those 91 degree and Sunny surface intervals will be a faint memory. Might be windy, overcast, and likely even rainy come this February.

If I had to get a wetsuit could I buy one in Utila? I am 6"6" tall

Sure you can buy a wetsuit on Utila. They may have one or two for sale on occasion, and you may get a choice of color, but it won't fit. I'm sure you're used to that.

You mention that "they include a wetsuit" with their dive packages. Might be worth dropping them a line and asking if they handle you NBA types

We "odd shaped bottom dwellers" must bring what we need- not much chance of rentals.

 

[ncchuck]

The water temp should be 81 to 83 at that time of year. I dove 3 to 4 times a day when I was there a few years ago and always wore a 1mm suit or 1mm suit with a 2/3 mil shorty. Actually this combination of suits has worked for me on all my dives over the last 4 years. The 1 mil is similar to a skin in comfort and fit and the shorty provides more warmth when needed but is still easy to get on and off. I have a full full 3 mil and a two piece 3 mil and haven't used either since discovering the 1 mil and 3 mil shorty combo. My wife dives a 1/2 mil along with a 3 mil shorty too. I think these 1/2 mil and 1 mil neoprene suits are much more versatile than a nylon skin and just as comfortable. They do take slightly longer to dry than a skin but not much more. Ours have also held up extremely well.

As suggested, I'd probably buy a wet suit at home because the selection on Utila can be limited though it's suppose to be much better now At 6' 6", I wouldn't take a chance at finding something that fits on any island though shorties tend to be more forgiving.

Obviously different divers have different levels of comfort in different diving conditions. I'd say most divers on Utila wore a 3 mil shorty provided by the dive shop (this is what BICD provided back then). One of my regular buddies used a t shirt and another used a 5 mil and was still cold. This is a very individual thing.