Wetsuit knowledge for end of June trip to Bonaire, please?

[BullSharkGator]

Thanks in advance for all responses.

This is my first trip to Bonaire in summer . . . . first off, like many of you, I have a lot of gear . . . kinda goes with the territory.

In recent years, I've been diving the Caribbean with a 3mm jacket (long-sleeve arms and shorty legs.) But over the years, I've done it in rashguard n shorts (two days in Cayman brac), 2mm shorty (USVirgins/BVI), all the way to wearing a 5mm full (6 day/26 dive videoshoot in Cozumel).

So, the group I'm diving Bonaire with from June 27 to July 4 will have some 2-tank boat divers (strictly 10 dives per week) while others in our group will opt to do a 2-tank boat morn and 1-tank afternoon and a 1-tank nighter.

My new-to-diving girlfriend (she has less 30 dives under her belt) will be joining me on this trip so I doubt I'll be cranking out 4 to 5 dive days . . . well, maybe for a couple of days.

So, in a 15-20 dive week, what do you recommend?

Is it the number of dives, the Bonaire summer water, the wetsuit preference for shore diving, or some other insight that is the primary factor behind your recommendation?

Love and peace to all,
Happy dives to all,
:scubadive: BullSharkGator :42:

 

[BullSharkGator]

BOOTIES --- forgot to ask

For Shore Diving, do you recommend boots or booties:

Boots

or



Booties?

thanks again,
BSG

 

[del_mo]

Your footsies will thank you for the boots, but I wear booties like in your picture and I do fine. Suggestion: wear socks inside your boots if you plan on shore diving. You'll get sand in your boots and within a few days you will be losing skin on your toe-knuckles. That's assuming you do some shore diving. If you only jump off a boat then it doesn't matter.

I wear a 3 mil full and put in around 33 dives in a week. My wife wears a 5 mil. By the end of the week I'm getting a little chilled. I tried with a shorty and lasted one day. Water temps are a pretty steady 80F.

Have fun. It's as great there as people say.

 

[DiveMaven]

We were there last year the exact time you're going (and will be again this year) and water temperatures were a steady 80 degrees everywhere (like del_mo said). And agreed on the boots...you want to have good soles and ankle support for shore diving.

Both my husband and I wore 3mm full suits and he was fine whereas I was a bit chilly doing 3 dives per day after about 4 days. I have since found out that my Henderson Hyperstretch suits were really letting a lot of water trickle down my back, which is likely the reason I was getting chilly.

Since the weather was sunny and warm (upper 80's to lower 90's) we basically enjoyed the sunshine and warmth between dives, which helped our core temperatures from dropping too much. Because of this, I never got beyond feeling a little bit chilly toward the end of our 60+ minute dives, thus never felt that I needed a thicker suit (just a better fitting one!).

We'll be taking 3mm full suits again this year (new ones!) for our 2 weeks on Bonaire and have full confidence that we'll be warm enough...even doing 4 dives per day like we're planning for this year.

YMMV so do your planning based on 80 degree water and however much repetitive diving you're going to do.

 

[RTW]

So, in a 15-20 dive week, what do you recommend?

I've worn a full 5mil Hyperstretch (Because of the stretch, the insulation value is closer to a 3mil) for the previous 3 trips and have been quite comfortable for 16-21 dives. the other 3 people in the group like their full 1mil. We all prefer the full suits to help prevent stings and entry/exit scrapes. So, I would recommend a 1-to-3 mil full year-round dependent upon your proclivity to getting chilled.

Is it the number of dives, the Bonaire summer water, the wetsuit preference for shore diving, or some other insight that is the primary factor behind your recommendation?

All of the above, plus my trim is better with leg neoprene.

For Shore Diving, do you recommend boots or booties

Boots.


Have a great trip!

We'll be there Saturday after next for the 4th time.

 

[herman]

I have dove Bonaire in mid summer, Nov and Feb and the water does not change enough to worry about. Maybe 79 at the worst and 82 at the most. I dive a fleece lined skin all year there however YMMV, one dive buddy of mine dives a full 5mm and hood and still is cold.

 

[Cecil]

I have a tendancy to switch to a 3mm shorty for late summer in Bonaire while a 3mm full seems best the rest of the time. I would bring both and a bonnet for the GF.

 

[salth2owannabe]

2.5 mm shorty, with short sleeves was more then enough for me. I got a little chilled at the end of one night dive, but other then that was plenty warm. Water temp was always around 80* for us. I took a full 3mm suit and a dive skin and never used either so next time they stay at home.

 

[WarmWaterDiver]

I really like these boots, especially for warm water shore diving

SeaSoft Scuba Products

I've gone to wearing a 0.5 mm wetsuit in the tropics, but found on my recent St. Croix trip I'd get chilly after an hour in the water if the water is below 80°F. My wife will typically wear a 3/2 full suit and get chilly at about the same time as I do in a 0.5 mm full suit.

I've given up on shorties for the time being, after one trip to Curacao when the paired bell siphonophores were abundant, then a close encounter with a sea wasp on Bonaire.

http://www.scubaboard.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/64944/cat/2142

No sting from the sea wasp thankfully, and the paired bell siphonophores still find my ears which is annoying, but nothing like diving in a shorty.

 

[reefdiva]

We spend three weeks in Bonaire in July and I wear a 3mm full wetsuit and a 3/5 vest and hood. My husband recently added a 1mm beanie and said it made a difference for him. When we are there in the winter I add a .5 under my wetsuit.