Wetsuit recommendations for Keys in January?

[bdshort]

I'll be in the Florida Keys in January, and plan to do some diving now that I am a newly minted Open Water diver

What sort of wetsuit would you folks recommend for that location and season? I'm 6'3" and a lanky 185, so suits I've looked at so far have been not really my size. 32" waist, 34" inseam, 42" chest.

For the pool sessions of my OW class, I initially just dove with swim trunks and a tank top, but by the last half hour of our 2 hour sessions I was getting cold, so the last session I used one of those full body fleece lined skins. I was still a bit cool at the end, but definitely not too cold. I was thinking I would do well with a 3mm full body suit. I also went snorkeling/kayaking in Maui this past December, again with just trunks and maybe a tank top, and I would get chilled after an hour and a half - 2 hours.

Will I have to go custom?

Brian

 

[HowardE]

Water temps in the Keys in Jan are around 73-75 degrees F on average. I would say it depends on how cold you get. You will hear things like "you'll be fine in a 3mm" or "go for a 5mm" - I dive dry in the winter in FL. I do dive a lot, and I don't like to get cold.

So - I would wait a while, and dive a bit, and see how you respond to different water temps... You still have several months to decide.

 

[Skeeter1097]

I use a 3mm farmer John. Just for protection against the reefs and rumorers. Lone dive it might help there too.

 

[HappyFunBoater]

Here's a link to the Florida buoys.

http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/maps/Florida.shtml

Many of the buoy links have historical information that would give you January water temps. But Howard's numbers above seem pretty close. I like to dive in just shorts and a t-shirt, but for those temps you'll definitely need a 5mm or better. If I remember my science, I think water starts to freeze in the high 60's. ;-)

 

[HappyFunBoater]

BTW, where are you going in the Keys? Key West is a ton of fun and has great food, but the diving is fairly lame. (But it's still better than not diving!) Key Largo is the place to dive. Unfortunately there's about two loooonngggg hours of road between the two towns. I like to split the vacation between the two locations, starting in Key Largo with four dives a day, and then relaxing in Key West.

 

[kidsdream]

A full suit (locals have gone to a 5mm by January) with a hooded vest is the way to go IMHO. The vest (you can pick them up pretty cheaply at World Watersports/Divers Direct in Key Largo) are the hot ticket in the Winter.

 

[trucker girl]

I dove off West Palm Beach in late January of 2003 and it was freezing. It was one of those winters when Florida is really, really cold and the rest of the country is even colder. Air temp was 58 degrees and the water temp was 68 degrees.

This was an extremely cold winter- not normal.

I rented a 3mm farmer john- but if I had owned my 7mil, I would have GLADLY donned that! I was so cold that it was un-enjoyable. Keep in mind- I get cold easily. I plan to wear my full 3mil, beanie (not a full hood), and-if they let me- my reef gloves when I go to Hawaii in September. I'm brining along my 3 mil shorty for snorkeling and also because it fits over my ful suit in case I find I'm cold in that.

So take what I say with a grain of salt and call me "wimp" for short!

 

[trucker girl]

And on the custom thing: I don't know if you will need to buy a custom suit for your build.

I kind of doubt it. If there aren't any good dive shops around you, you can probably find a million of them in and around your dive location in Florida. I don't know if I would buy online since you can't try them on. I did buy 2 3 mil used wetsuits (one full and one shorty) on ebay. The sellers usually measure thedistances (neck to cuff, inseam, neck to crotch etc) so you can get a good idea. But there are no guarantees.

 

[CoyKoi]

Congratulations on entering the new world of SCUBA diving! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. You will love the Florida Keys! Key Largo and Marathon are my favorites!

I've dove Key Largo in January and the water temp was 68 - 70F -- way too cold for my thin blood and my 3mil Henderson Hyperstretch. I would only dive Key Largo in January again in my 7mil Henderson Hyperstretch with a hood and gloves. If you're going to be doing repetative dives (more than 2/day), I'd definately recommend 7mil because you are losing body heat on a cumulative basis throughout the day. This makes your body more susceptable to the cold and DCS. I really hate cutting a dive short because I'm chilled.

Another alternative is to layer suits: for example, a 3m shorty under a 3m full suit. This helps slow the water exchange through your suit and allows the water heated by your body to stay next to your skin longer. I tried this layering technique diving off Catalina Island, CA last October. With a 7m full and 3m core warmer, I was warm as toast in 62F water!

You may be able to get by with a 5mm and thick hood. Remember from your OW classes that 40% of your body heat is lost through your head. Try the Henderson Hyperstretch wetsuits. Many people who are hard-to-fit find this brand works well for them.

The nice ocean breezes topside will feel pretty chilly on wet skin. Strip off at least the top of your wetsuit, dry off as much as possible and bundle up in something warm during your surface intervals. A couple of sweatshirts should do the trick.


Have a wonderful time in Florida!!

 

[SoggyPretzel]

Keep in mind too that the reef dives in the keys are fairly shallow in the 20-30 range and therefore long. Most boats want you back in an hour. An hour in 74 degree water can be chilly if you're not insulated properly. I use a 4/3 full with a hooded vest and stay comfortable. The deeper wreck dives can be significantly colder, but not as long, so I use the same suit set up.