Wetsuit for diving in Thailand

[LucidLucifer]

Hi everyone,

I'm a fairly recently qualified AOW diver who has only ever dived in dry suits in the UK's frigid waters. I'm travelling to Thailand in July and August and i'm wondering what is the best exposure suit to take with me. I'm only going to be doing recreational diving which will mainly be in the Gulf of Thailand. From the info i've found out the water temperature is around 27-29c (80-84f). I do feel the cold a bit (but who doesn't in 5c water?) but not that much more than most people do.

I'm leaning towards buying something like a Mares Origin 5mm full suit, because i've found one which is really cheap so is good value for money. What i'm really wondering is is this overkill? as most pictures i see of divers in Thailand, people are mostly wearing a shorty. I do think i prefer the idea of that little extra protection for my arms and legs that a full suit brings.

A second question i have is regarding fins (i know this is in the wrong forum but i thought i'd kill two birds with one stone). I have a pair of Aqualung slingshot which i really like. Should i take these which means the expense of buying a pair of boots (about £25) or buy a pair of full foot fins which i can pick up a reasonable pair for about £35. If i buy the full foot it will cut down on my bag weight a bit, but will they give me roughly comparable performance?

Any advice will be greatly appreciated

'LL'

 

[DevonDiver]

The Gulf of Thailand will be 30ish degrees when you get here - so you can get away with pretty lightweight exposure protection. I teach on Koh Tao and will regularly just wear boardies and a rash vest during the hotter seasons. For monsoon season (oct/nov/dec), I wear a 3mm full suit - mostly just because I am static during lengthy confined water sessions.

My advice would be to wait until you get here - check out the water (go swimming or snorkelling) and then buy an appropriate suit here. On Koh Tao we have 3 big dive shops and they stock the full range of Mares and Scubapro wetsuits - even with a poorish exchange rate, they will be cheaper than the UK. Alternatively, you can even get a custom made wetsuit for cheap money.

If you need any advice on diving in the Gulf of Thailand, feel free to drop me a PM anytime.

Cheers, Andy

 

[LucidLucifer]

Thanks Andy,

Sounds like good advice and i'll proberbly do that. Any advice on the fins question?

 

[victor]

I dive in Malaysia with just a skin. You only need it for protection against scratches, jellyfish etc not to keep warm.
Biggest differece is the amount of lead you will need. I am a big guy with a substantial layer of fat and I need about 10 lbs. Some people only need 2 to 4 lbs to counteract the aluminium tanks.

Enjoy, it is fantastic to dive with as little neoprene as possible.

 

[Vie]

5mm is too much for Thailand. 3mm or less is the norm. A full suit and a thin hood helps if you get cold easily and protect against jellyfish.

 

[Chewie07]

We dove in Koh Tao last year in May. On one dive I wore a 3mm shorty (an O'Neill surf shorty), then I dove with a 0.5mm rash guard for the other 5 dives. Extremely comfy and plenty warm on all the dives.

Have fun!

 

[jcscuba]

3mm is great, bring a hooded vest for night dives. Jim's law...You can never be to warm but you can definitely get to cold. Too warm, let a little water in. Too cold and you won't pull as many dives. Thailand is great you are going to love it.

 

[DevonDiver]

3mm is great, bring a hooded vest for night dives. Jim's law...You can never be to warm but you can definitely get to cold.

Bugger...just bring a drysuit over then..... :11doh:

Damn silly...hooded vest for 30 degree water?!?!?

Fins? Given the option, I'd go for the bootie option every time. Not many sharp rocks to climb over in Tao, but I have seen a lot of people get foot sores from full foot fins when they are diving day-in day-out. Also, the sun decks on the boats here get very toastie....no burnt feet if you have booties on.

 

[Vie]

Bugger...just bring a drysuit over then..... :11doh:

DUI 30/30 (with very thin undergarment) would work very well for diving in Thailand

Damn silly...hooded vest for 30 degree water?!?!

Sure, but unfortunately the water's not 30 degrees all the time... If you get cold easily and dive with a thin suit (i.e. 0.5 or 1 mm), a hooded vest may help. I find that just a thin hood (0.5mm) is a useful thing to have (underwater for warmth or to protect against stings or as sun protection whilst floating on the surface), even in very hot climate.

 

[victor]

I think a drysuit might be usefull if you are deco diving, for rec diving no need.
Yes thin boots and ordinary fins work well. I have a pair of full foot fins but find I always end up with rubbing through the skin on the top of my foot.