Wet Suit Advice

[eponym]

Hi, Wilbo.

Unless you're slight of build and prone to chilling (as I am) a 5-mil sounds about right for what you describe.

Not long ago I took a liveaboard charter (five long dives each day for five days) with water temps right at 70F. My five-mil plus hood did not keep me warm. Each day I felt more out of it, more fatigued. I won't ever attempt that again.

-Bryan

 

[Wayward Son]

The common problem with wetsuit recommendations is that wetsuits are specific to limited temp ranges (yes these ranges differ from diver to diver depending on a variety of individual variables and number of dives planned per day). Most divers who dive a range of temps branch out into multiple suits. If you only dive carribean in 79+ waters, one suit works. But if you add in local diving with significantly different temps, using just one suit for all is not very efficient. Personally, I dive a 4/3 in the carribean in 80 degree water. Overkill some might say, but if you are diving 3-5 dives per day and do not have adequate exposure protection:
1. air consumption goes up=shorter dives
2. you are not as comfortable
3. you are more tired at the end of the day

If the water isn't 98.6 you are losing heat.

Most divers end up with a "warm water suit" (shorties for those who want to appreciate sea lice, fire coral, and bruising from ladders when getting back on the boat in rough seas, 3/2mm, 3mm, or true folks from God's Country (South) who like even more - like the 4/3 mm I dive) and a local diving suit (5mm, 7mm, drysuit, etc with all the bells and whistles that go with them - gloves, hoods, vest, etc.). It comes down to using the correct "tool" for the job.

this is true. I have suits that are 0.5mm, 3/2, 5, and 7mm thick. Each for a given temp range, I know from experience what I'm comfy with.

 

[gerard2004]

Hey, preaching to the choir here (I add my hood - or hooded vest -when diving West Palm on night dives). Fully agree with the above. I still laugh about a Labor day trip to W.P. a couple of years ago when folks teased me about my "exposure protection" during the day only to ask if I had any extra hoods of the night dive.

I'm looking to do some west palm diving this sept/oct. I'm just getting equipment and haven't bought a full suit yet, just have a 2m shortie at the moment. What suit are would you dive w palm that time of year? I'm thinking of getting a 5/3 suit but was wondering if that's too much for caribbean diving.

 

[wilbo_1999]

So I think I found a good suit, I remember people telling me a 3 is to little and a 5 is to much, and someone said they liked a 4/3 so I found this billabong foil 4/3 wetsuit. Any thoughts on this one?

 

[gerard2004]

I just bought a one piece 5/4 and have been diving in 74 deg water. First dive I used a lycra skin under the suit. At 40 feet we hit a thermocline and the water drops to 64. I was still ok, but definitely noticed the change. A subsequent dive I didn't use the skin and regretted it. Made a big difference in water flowing in the suit. I was never too warm and I used a hood and gloves. Probably didn't need them in the 74 water but when you hit the 64 you definitely want them. My buddy didn't have a hood or gloves so we didn't stay down in the colder water too long!

 

[stakanak]

A 4/3 is good for me down to 60F with a hood, booties and gloves. Always take into account the depth and break of the thermocline and at best guess figure 5F below that to be safe. Being cold is not something we should have to deal with in diving as it is controllable!
Get Wet!