Wet Suit Thickness
- Thread starter scubemma
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You did not say early or late May.
You need to factor in depth also since neoprene compresses.
There is also the ride out and back which may or may not be warm.
That time of year the water temp is often higher offshore than closer in. On the other hand the offshore dives are deeper.
Assuming you are doing a typical dive in the 100+ range I would go with the 7mm.
I will be diving in April and May in NC and I will be diving my 7mm. Warmth is good especially on dive 2. If for some reason I find that too warm, which I doubt, I will just replace the hood with a beanie.
You need to factor in depth also since neoprene compresses.
There is also the ride out and back which may or may not be warm.
That time of year the water temp is often higher offshore than closer in. On the other hand the offshore dives are deeper.
Assuming you are doing a typical dive in the 100+ range I would go with the 7mm.
I will be diving in April and May in NC and I will be diving my 7mm. Warmth is good especially on dive 2. If for some reason I find that too warm, which I doubt, I will just replace the hood with a beanie.
I think a 7mm would be a pretty good place to start unless you tend to be warmer than most people. I dive a full 7mm with 3mm core in what is usually high 50's F (under) to low 60's (surface). If the 7mm is too warm, just let a little water in. It'll feel good.
Hey scubemma, Here is a short video on wetsuits and water temps. As far as your comfort level that is up to you but hopefully this will give you a better idea of what to wear. What Type Of Exposure Suit To Wear - YouTube. I would call down and ask the local shops what they recommend for that time of year. They should also be able to give you exact water temps for that area. Hope this helps.
Calling shops is a good idea but this is not a quarry. Thermoclines come and go, sometimes on a daily basis. Eddies come in off the gulf stream. So it is quite possible on a given dive to have several degrees water temp difference at the same depth from what it had been a couple days ago at the same site. On a given day the temp can be different at different sites. It can also vary with depth. Remember that a weather report gives the temp at the surface. You do not care about the surface. You care about the temp at depth. Now the thermoclines are not like in a quarry where the temp can drop 20 degrees but it can easily drop 5-10 degrees in a bottom layer.
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