Warm water diving 3mm wetsuit or lycra

[Torontonian]

I'm going to Myrtle Beach in early July for some diving. Then in late Aug. will be going on a cruise and will dive in Cayman, Cozumel, Belize, and Costa Maya. I'm a warm water diver.

I'm thinking of buying a full wetsuit at least for protection (jellyfish, etc.). In those places would a full lycra skin be good enough, or should I go for 3mm?

Thanks.

 

[SteveAD]

you always want insulation, which lycra doesn't provide. go with the 3mm. I have never ended a dive because I was too warm. have ended several because I was too cold.

 

[H2Andy]

yeah, what stevead said

after a few dives, you'll be glad you have insulation. after a few days, you'll
be REALLY glad

 

[ScubaJW]

Yep, I agreed with stevead. Go for 3mm full wetsuit.

 

[jgmaroe]

I would say 3 mil, but I really don't know what I'm talking about, so basically am just reposting/reinforcing what everyone else said.

 

[bennedc]

I will disagree and say lycra skin. Just finished Blackbeards in Bahamas and dove with skin all week... wonderful! I would have DIED in a 3mm suit, but some of the Yankees wore suits. No, thank you! I guess they are used to colder water. A bathing suit was good enough, but I like to protect against critters and fire coral, etc. and banging my knees against rocks, etc. which happens when you least expect it. When I dove Coz, I dove in a shorty...wished I would have bought a skin earlier because I like it MUCH better. Save the suit for the winter. Unless you are very cold-natured, I don't think you'll need it in August!


My 2 cents...

 

[Damselfish]

Don't know about Myrtle beach, but any of those Carribean places I'd be in Lycra or 1mm skin. The only 3mm thing I wear is booties. It's a personal thing, but since you're from Toronto I'd guess you won't need 3mm, especially in August.

 

[Charlie99]

You can always let a little water flush through to cool down a wetsuit, but if you are cold in a lycra skin there isn't much you can do.

Even divers that say "I don't get cold" are losing body heat and burning up more energy. This is true even in 90F water.

I use a 3/2 full wetsuit, with a beanie, even in 86F or 88F water. The thinner 2mm on the arms and legs reduces the buoyancy without losing much insulation capacity.

As you get more comfortable in the water and don't have any excess motion, you will need more wetsuit than a beginning diver that is thrashing about. This is even more true on a drift dive where you are just hanging motionless.

 

[BSea]

I don't know about Myrtle Beach, but I went to Cozumel, and wore only a shorty, and never got cold. But there were people wearing everything from 3 mil to nothing. Water was about 85. That was august also. I didn't make any night dives, and that might make a difference.

I just got back from the keys (10 dives), and again dove mostly a shorty. I made a few dives with an old polar fleese(about like a 2 mil), but went back to the shorty the last day so the fleese suit would dry out before packing to come home. I never got cold, but it was a bit cool on the deeper dives.

 

[DTB1981]

I dive a 3/2 if I know I am going deep or on doubles. And trunks with a .5mil top the rest of the time. The water here is about 78 now. I don’t like have the 3/2 mil for shore dives that have a bit of a walk to the water.