Wetsuit for 70 and 80 degree water?

[StSomewhere]

For Florida ocean diving I'm using a 3/2 for 80°+ temps and adding a hooded vest underneath for 70°-ish temps in the "winter" (if you can call what they have "winter" ).

 

[ChrisA]

I know of one person who took a trip to Florida to do some diving in thier warm water. He took his normal (for So. California) 7mm full suit with him because that was the only suit he had. He said the divemaster at first didn't want to let him off the boat when he noticed his 30 pounds of wieght. The DM had only dived Florida and some warm water vacation spots and figured 30 pounds was insane. After some discussion he did dive. He said the 7mm suite (which he uses in mid 50's water at home) worked fine. as you can alwasy unzip it or don't wear a hood. So you could use your normal suit if you don't want to spend the bucks.

WHat I'd do is bring a 3 or 4mm suit and a hooded vest or thin shorty and a few pairs of gloves and then adjust the layers to the water temp. If you are cold put everything on if you are to warm take something off.

Hey we're going to West Palm FL in January and Great Barrier Reef in March and would like to have just one exposure suit. For people who get cold easily (like me) what do you recommend for diving in 70 degree water? In 80 degree water? Can I make one suit work for both -like with a core warmer? What brands do you recommend? Henderson Hyperstretch seems great but is expensive. Akona makes a 7mm for less than half the price. Any experience with this suit? Is 7 mm too much for 80 degree water? Cheers!

 

[redacted]

My wife gets cold fairly easily. She is comfortable to cool in a 5mm Henderson Gold Core junpsuit in 68 to 70 degree water. She would get uncomfortable if we did more than 2 dives a day. I goofed once and packed that suit for a spring trip to Cozumel (80 to 82 degrees). She said it was perfect in the water but a bit warm during the SI.
I think you may find a 3mm a bit cool at 70. Probably OK if you added a 3mm shortie and didn't do too many dive each day.

 

[miesemer]

I recommend taking into account the number of successive dive days and the number of dives per day. If I were only doing one dive a day for a couple days in 70F water I'd wear my 3/2. If I was doing two dives or more a day over more than a day or two I'd consider wearing my 5/4.

I regularly dive in 41F water in a 7mm jumpsuit but then I'm only doing one or two dives a week. However, I find myself getting chilled in a 3mm in 78-80 water after doing 3 or more hour + dives per day for a week.

 

[CodLips]

Thank you all have been so helpful. I just bought a 5/6/7 Seaquest jumpsuit figuring if I'm too warm I can always let water in to cool off but if I'm too cold I'm going to be miserable, AND it fit me perfectly which I understand is everything! We're going to be doing up to 4 dives a day in Oz, don't want to miss any because I'm cold. I tried a 7mm Henderson in the pool and was hot at first but after a few hours was comfortable. I'm still going to buy a hood or a beanie for Florida (about 70 degrees). Thanks again for all the advice!

 

[jo8243]

I wear a 5/4 full (one-piece) plus a beanie hood in 70 degree water. A 3mm famer john two-piece would work just as well (that's what my dive buddy uses). As for 80 degree water, you could still wear the same but might get a little warm. But I'd rather be warm than cold since you can always unzip. I see a lot of people have suggested a 3/2 one-piece for 70 degree water. That doesn't sound like enough to me. But then temperature is a personal thing. I went diving in the keys last week in 74 degree water and I along with most people were wearing either 5/4 full suits or 3mm farmer johns. But there were several with 3mm shortys on and 3/2 fullsuits. One guy even went in just a bathing suit!

 

[Liquid Fit]

Hi Cod,
I get asked this question on a daily basis. Each person's tolerance to cold is very individual. I get cold very, very easily. If I were doing the diving you're talking about, I would be wearing my 5mm suit or my 3.5mm full suit with a sleeveless step-in. Remember that you can lose up to 80% of your body heat from your head. Keep your head covered with either a beanie or a hood. My feet always get cold, so I always dive with a pair of neoprene socks on. The number 1 reason that a dive is aborted by a diver is that they are getting chilled and cannot complete the dive. It's always possible to let water in if you are overheating, but not much you can do once you"re chilled.

Good luck to you,
Carolyn@Liquid Fit

 

[scubatwinned]

If you only have a 6mm or 7mm and do not have cash,or do not want to spend the money on one where it would infrequently get used. I would just take my farmer john with me and if needed wear a t-shirt with it. If the water is a little cooler then 80 or so use gloves and a hood along with farmer john.

 

[Furner]

I am taking a trip to Coz, GC, etc in a few days, and I am packing a 3mm shortie, and a 5/6/7 fullsuit. I dont know what I will run into, so I am going to take it all and sort it out down there depending on the conditions.
I can see down the road that I will be the kind of person that dives dry regardless of the location or temp.