Wet or dry in Hawaii in May

[asha]

For me, it's all about the air temperature and the number of repetitive dives. If it's 85 degrees on the surface and 74 at depth, I can probably wear a 3mm reasonably comfortably. If it's 65 degrees on the surface, or if I'm doing five dives a day or some number of longer decompression dives, I'll be miserably cold in a 3mm. Only you know your cold tolerances, but keep in mind your dive plans and the terrestrial forecast. Given what you said, I think you'll be more than warm enough with the 7mm wetsuit.

Personally, I don't own a 5mm or 7mm (just the 3mm and the drysuit), so I tend to want to go dry if the water is below about 75. I usually do 4+ hours of diving per day on trips, however.

 

[ligersandtions]

I dived Hawaii a few years back....water temp was 78-80 depending on location and depth. I dived in a 7mm wetsuit. I didn't particularly love diving Hawaii and I think it has much to do with the fact that I was cold the whole time.

You may be able to get away with it if you're only doing a couple dives a day, but we were doing 3-4 dives a day (at least an hour per dive -- often more) for about a week. Once your core temperature drops, it's really hard to get it back up.

Just because you're diving dry doesn't mean you have to wear thick undergarments. I've been plenty comfortable in a drysuit (with very light fleece undergarments) in water temps up to 86F.

 

[Nwcid]

The theory for me on dry was less undergarment = less warm then 7mm suit. I am not really worried about being cold as we have done hr dives in 42*f water. I also like how my buoyancy in dry was too.

I listed the number of dives because we will not be doing tons of diving. This was not planned as a dive trip, it was a trip then we became divers so trying to fit some in.

Good point about looking at the weather too.

 

[TSandM]

I love diving dry in Maui. We just did a week there in 73 degree water, and I was diving a 5 mil suit and 7 mil wetsuit hood, and I was cold all the time.

I've done 86 degrees in the Red Sea in a dry suit and base layer. I was definitely hot gearing up, but not unbearably so. I was very comfortable in the water, and you can get out of your gear fast enough to avoid being hot after the dive.

 

[Nwcid]

I took my Bare 7mm full suit. Water temp was ~75* while we were there and we got a total of 7 dives in.

It is sure awesome to need less weight, no gloves and no hood and not be chilly/cold.

I was very happy with my suit. Could I have used less and been fine, probably. On our night Manta dive one guy was in his shorts and a rash guard top and I dont think I would have been comfortable in just that. I never got cold and I never felt over heated either. Prior to this when we have dove you go in warm, get a bit chilly hitting the water, then go from chilly to cold (especially in hands and feet) by the end of the dive. Diving my 7mm in HI I went in feeling comfortable and coming out comfortable. There were no big temperature changes to feel. Had I gone 3mm or 5mm I am guessing I would have felt that temperature swing.

Just my thoughts and experience.

 

[boat sju]

Nwcid,

I've traveled with a drysuit a few times now because I was going to Monterey and needed it. It's doable obviously, but I find it to be a PITA. You can't exactly just cram it in a suitcase.

 

[RJP]

Nwcid,

I've traveled with a drysuit a few times now because I was going to Monterey and needed it. It's doable obviously, but I find it to be a PITA. You can't exactly just cram it in a suitcase.

My DUI 30/30 tropical drysuit is far lighter and packs far smaller than any full length wetsuit. Plus, it can be bone dry to pack within an hour of exiting the water.

The suit has been to Hawaii x3, Curacao x3, Florida x4-5, Bonaire, Red Sea, Truk Lagoon, Cayman Islands, Puerto Rico, Turks & Caicos.

You don't have to be cold to be dry...

 

[boat sju]

RJP,

How do you protect the zipper when you travel?

 

[Token]

I'm a little late to this thread but....

A few years ago I dove my 3mil Bare suit in Kona, while the locals described the water as 'freezing'.

Maybe it's my thick Canadian blood, but I found it a distinct relief to get into the water after being on the boat in the high 80'sF. I was _never_ cold. Perhaps I would have felt the cold after more than two dives in a day, but I don't really think so.

 

[boat sju]

I'm a little late to this thread but...

Oops. You just made me realize I wasn't paying close enough attention to the dates. NWcid has been there and back.

NWcid, Glad you took your own suit and were comfortable. What got me back into diving was a trip to HI several years back now. I just figured I'd rent a wetsuit from the dive ops. All they had were 3 mil shorties for a two tank dive out in Molokini crater. 77 deg but I was freezing.