Wet suits in Thailand +

[ccannon707]

Hi All, I'm packing for my first trip to Thailand and am wondering about taking my 2ml full length warm water suit....It's perfect (for me) for Cozumel but after reading some of these posts now I'm not sure. I also have a little vest that fits over it + a beanie as I tend to get chilly into the second dive. We will be on Phuket and going from there. What say you vets? How is water temp now> going into Feb? Would I be better off renting a heavier suit?

PS: I'm glad I checked in here and got some refs about dive ops.

 

[limbo]

In my opinion you should be ok with your 2mill, maybe use a rash vest under it.

 

[stevenl]

The water has been colder than normal, but lately the temperature has gone up again, and is almost at normal level. So you should be ok with your 2 mm, espeically since you can make it a bit warmer for yourself if necessary.

 

[Quero]

Even with the water in the Andaman a bit colder than normal, you should be just fine with your wetsuit if you are comfortable with it in Coz, where the water is a few degrees cooler than here.

 

[gnugnu]

If you are going up to the Similans on a liveaboard, you might get a bit chilly by the end of the day. Just got back and water in some places got down to 22C at depth (24C was the norm). But, might have warmed up by now. I was in a skin for first 2 days, then added a 3mm shortie on top. Wasn't exactly toastie but not freezing. Quite a few people were wearing 5mm plus hood - suppose it depends on how much you feel the cold (and how many dives a day you do).

 

[scubaeric]

Hi,

I too just returned from Thailand and was able to get by with a 3 mm full suit. By the end of the day I started to get a bit chilly, but it wasn't too bad.

The diving was fantastic!

Eric

 

[SCUBAJENNIFER]

I did an 11 day liveaboard and wore a 3mm full and was never cold, even after 4-5 dives a day.. I even wore my 2mm shorty in the Similans some days

 

[similandiver]

Currently the temps are running around 26-28. Pretty normal for us this time of year.

 

[Pauillac]

I was a little cold with my 2mm shorty in the Similans and Surins. My computer registered most dives as 27 degrees, but thermoclines made the dives feel colder than that. I think I would have been happier with a 3mm full suit.