weather to expect end of may and first of June.....what size exposure suit?

[ScubaLykinsDad]

doing a live aboard....should we pack 5 mil or heavier?? core warm? our first group went in Feb and with 4-5 dives a day got chilled....water in low 70s and very windy....what kind of sea temp/conditions should we expect? thanks!!

 

[Solly]

When is your trip?
are you going north or south?
normally you should expect 1-2 degrees rise in water temp now compared to February and it is a lot warmer when you are out of water.

 

[Crowley]

In the South Sinai area, I think you can expect water temperatures at the end of May this year to be around 25 degrees Centigrade, plus or minus. At the moment it's 23 in the Sharm area and rising slowly after a cold winter, so it might remain under the yearly average for the time of your visit. Air temperatures you can expect to be around 40 degrees C or more during the day. The Northern Red Sea is more windy than calm at any time of year, and hot desert + cool sea = windy.

I would suggest a 5mm wet suit would be adequate, and if you're doing a 4-dive per day safari then a hood is probably a good idea. I would not laugh at somebody who brought along a semi-dry at that time of year because that's what I will be wearing, and you will only be uncomfortable if you are standing in the sun waiting to jumo. Having said that, a 5mm shorty won't cause you to freeze to death, but I expect you'd be feeling the cold half way through the safari and wind chill can make those night dive exits a bit unpleasant, especially if you are out at sea.

The South will be a little bit warmer, but my knowledge of the area is limited, so I will leave that to others.

Cheers

C.

 

[ScubaLykinsDad]

we are diving on the Emperor Superior....going with a group......dont really know what part of the red she goes to.....North or South? I think the North end?

 

[supergaijin]

It really depends on your susceptibility to the cold.

After working in the south of NZ where temps were around 14 degrees, I was fine in a tatty old 3mm when I arrived in April. Towards the end of the year when I had adjusted, I was getting cold in the wind between dives. Luckily I had a woolly hat and that was the first thing to put on after the dive.

If it was me now, I'd pack a 3mm long but have a 1mm vest- less baggage and vests are incredible for keeping the 'engine room' warm. I dive now in the Maldives and haven't seen it below 28 for a long time. I dive with shorts and a heavy weave shirt made by IST- it probably doesn't have much in the way of thermal protection but it's a skin tight fit so stops a little water movement I imagine.

Vests are excellent value for their money (they're usually surprisingly expensive) but they're worth it in the end as they work with different wetsuits and extend the life of old ones that have a few holes here and there. If they ever turn up in the bargain bin, I buy them for me or friends to use.