Wet Suit layers for handling 70 to 85 degree span

[mi000ke]

I dive exactly the temperature range you mentioned - Florida springs at 72 and Caribbean at about 80-85 year round. I am also about your weight. As most everyone has or will mention, it depends on your tolerance for cold. For example on a dive I did last week in 81 degree water, the folks on the boat ranged from rash guard top only, to 3 mm full, to 5 mm full (me), to the DM in a dry suit! I have pretty low body fat and a relatively low tolerance for cold so the 5mm plus a 5mm hood is perfect for me for those 72 degree springs and the 5mm without the hood is perfect for 80-85 degree ocean water.

My recommendation to you as it seem you have not done your open water dives yet, is to use those dives to test your cold tolerance then you will know what you need. This is what I did on my OW dives and it worked out perfectly. In fact the dive op sold me a nice new wetsuit at cost after I did my course with them (the same kind I used on my cert dives).

 

[JAB110]

Interesting, so the hood makes quite a difference then? i guess that makes sense. I must say, i was worried about going too far and being too warm too, but if you're comfortable in the 5mm in 80 degree water, it sounds like there really is some range to this.

Also, i'm doing my training up in NJ, and then traveling to Florida for my OW cert dives, and then doing a vacation there for more diving. (I've only had my first class, and don't go in the pool until this Sunday!) I know this sounds lame, but i started to worry i'd be chilly in the pool up here, and that's part of the reason i started thinking "maybe i should get a base level suit now". It seems funny, but everyone else in the class said they'll be wearing a suit in the pool, including the instructor, so it gave me pause. But i have to admit, i like your logic for doing the OW dives and seeing how i feel. I can probably rent a suit for the class if i want... no idea what that costs, but can check. Thanks for the input, Mi000ke.

 

[2airishuman]

A hood will make considerable difference. They take some getting used to. You have to decide whether to put your mask strap inside or outside the hood. If inside you usually can't attach a snorkel to it. If outside you have to adjust it compared to where you set the strap tension if it's just going around your head. Either way you have to think about what order to put things on.

The problem with thicker wetsuits is not that they are too warm during the dive (unless things are taken to extremes). The thicker the wetsuit, the more trouble you'll have overheating on the surface, and the less mobility you'll have during the dive. So when I'm shore diving in Lake Superior and it's 38 degrees in the water and 80 degrees and sunny on shore, I have to use a 7mm suit and between the time I put it on and the time I get in the water I'm going to be hot and sweating profusely.

I've met some instructors who wear a shorty in the pool. It does depend on the pool. Lap pools used by people training for competition will tend to be kept fairly cool while pools that are more recreational or in retirement communities will be much warmer.

 

[JAB110]

Thanks Irish, i think you're right on. I just called the dive shop and happened to get the instructor. He said the water will be 80 to 84 and that i should probably just use a swimsuit. He also said he'll be wearing a shortie too, just like you mentioned. Of course, he's an instructor with lots of equipment, and i'm a newbie just finding my way. But at least it should be fairly warm, so i think i'm ok until my cert dives.

And sorry if this all sounds like i'm jumping the gun. Yes, i probably tend to "over plan" a bit, but for the most part, i'm just excited. Thanks to all of you for the patient replies.

And finally, 38 degrees?! Holy crap, i get shrinkage just reading that. Ouch

 

[Schwob]

The problem with thicker wetsuits is not that they are too warm during the dive (unless things are taken to extremes). The thicker the wetsuit, the more trouble you'll have overheating on the surface, and the less mobility you'll have during the dive.

THIS (above).

If it wasn't for that a 5mm wetsuit would be just fine even in 85 degree water and pending on your cold tolerance you could vary for colder water to 70 degree or even 60 with hood or hooded vest (I went to 50 and a bit below that way so far out of necessity - don't recommend it at all and am changing that, but I am also heavier. Not sure one really needs gloves there yet for temperature reasons - but people do quite vary.

So, if you wear a rashguard (or not, but it prevents sunburn that way) and don't mind hanging out with the top half of your wetsuit hanging on your waist during surface intervals or even longer boat rides, it still could work out for you in summer - if not you then might need one more thinner alternative - unless you think you'd be fine with just the rashguard (and maybe the vest / hooded vest).

 

[Lorenzoid]

And to your point about warmth/comfort being a bit personal - i bet that's right, but also probably means, the more opinions the better. . . .

Yeah, and as Kosta and I and perhaps others pointed out, there are a number of factors that, in combination, may determine how warm or chilly you feel using any given wetsuit or other exposure protection. Let me try to list them:

- water temperature (duh)
- length of the dive
- whether you are exerting yourself on the dive or taking it easy
- number of dives you are doing that day (and interestingly, on a multi-day trip, such as a week-long vacation, you may actually feel colder as the week goes on, even though you do the same number of dives each day)
- amount of time between dives (surface interval) for you to warm back up before the next dive
- environmental conditions during your surface interval, such as air temperature, sun, wind, rain, etc., and what measures you take, such as wearing a jacket, that affect how quickly you warm back up before for the next dive
- your personal tolerance to cold (some of us are polar bears, and others are warm-water wusses)

Variations in any combination of these might affect what exposure protection you want to wear on the dive or next dive. And lastly, keep in mind that not all 3 mm suits provide equally good insulation, not all 5 mm suits provide equally good insulation, etc. Some suits are better than others, due to fit and design features.

 

[2airishuman]

Thanks Irish, i think you're right on. I just called the dive shop and happened to get the instructor. He said the water will be 80 to 84 and that i should probably just use a swimsuit. He also said he'll be wearing a shortie too, just like you mentioned. Of course, he's an instructor with lots of equipment, and i'm a newbie just finding my way. But at least it should be fairly warm, so i think i'm ok until my cert dives.

Instructors in the pool tend to get cold for two reasons. First of all, they're in the pool longer than students, and second, they are relaxed in a familiar environment and not doing anything much. Hence the popularity of a shorty.

And sorry if this all sounds like i'm jumping the gun. Yes, i probably tend to "over plan" a bit, but for the most part, i'm just excited. Thanks to all of you for the patient replies.

It's part of the ride, enjoy it.

And finally, 38 degrees?! Holy crap, i get shrinkage just reading that. Ouch

With a hood and gloves, I just have to get over the shock of the cold water on the part of my face that isn't covered by either the mask or the hood. Everything else stays warm. Anything that shrinks in the cold is covered by 14mm of neoprene.

 

[mi000ke]

THIS (above).

So, if you wear a rashguard (or not, but it prevents sunburn that way) and don't mind hanging out with the top half of your wetsuit hanging on your waist during surface intervals or even longer boat rides, it still could work out for you in summer - if not you then might need one more thinner alternative - unless you think you'd be fine with just the rashguard (and maybe the vest / hooded vest).

I wear a rash guard under my 5mm and during the surface interval I will roll down the top of my suit, as do most divers who use a wetsuit in warm climates. But frequently there is enough wind that I just keep the suit zipped up and I'm fine even in 80-85 degree air. It's really a minor issue.

By the way, I started my pool sessions in a bathing suit and by the end of the day (we did our training in two very long days as a private group of three) I was using one of the shop's 5mm suits. They provided all equipment as part of the training. The pool was at 80 and that's when I started to learn what kind of exposure suit I needed. I did my first open water dive at Ginnie Springs and was a bit chilled by the end of two dives. Next day I tried a hood from the dive shop and was fine.

 

[JAB110]

Thanks guys, you've all been extremely generous with your time and info. I'm guessing i'll have to take it one dive at a time, and see where i fit in that blend of conditions... I still think your advice will make me less likely to spend on things i didn't need to, and can't ask for much more. So wish me luck... i'm guessing we don't say "break a leg" in diving? or slainte'... is there a divers saying for good luck?

 

[Schwob]

Curious too.
"Gut Luft" is sometimes used by German speaking divers. Means "good air" but that's not used in English as far as I can tell. And I guess "good gas" might mean something else alltogether...