What do you wear when the water is in the mid to upper 70's?

[Kairoos]

I have a 3/2 and I bought a 7mm Bare Elastek hooded vest that I plan to put over my wetsuit because I think it's going to be a bit too large to fit underneath. I tried it on over my 3/2 just around the house and 7mm is pretty damn constricting, but I'll take constricting over freezing.

I haven't dove with the hooded vest yet, but I was pretty cold last time I dove around 77F with just the 3/2.

 

[Freewillow]

7mm is plenty for 25°C (77°F). And I am easily cold on a dive.

 

[rhwestfall]

You soft southerners..... for me, my 7mm is almost too warm for 77°F, but its what I have (I'll might throw on a 3mm shorty for a shallow drift but the zebra mussels are killers)..... we don't regularly see 77°F unless its the Niagara River or the St. Lawrence (July & August). On Lake Erie, if we do see it, its still 40°F below the thermocline, and that means drysuit.

 

[Dive Right In Scuba 2]

For a quick recreational dip with an AL80? 3 mil is plenty. For a longer cave/technical dive? Drysuit. Cold is a factor of time.

 

[Kairoos]

You soft southerners..... for me, my 7mm is almost too warm for 77°F, but its what I have (I'll might throw on a 3mm shorty for a shallow drift but the zebra mussels are killers)..... we don't regularly see 77°F unless its the Niagara River or the St. Lawrence (July & August). On Lake Erie, if we do see it, its still 40°F below the thermocline, and that means drysuit.

It's funny I've lived in Florida for 4 years, prior to that I lived in New Jersey and I went to college in upstate NY, so I was used to the cold at one point. My dive computer says my last dive was actually 74F, not 77F, and I was swimming around arms crossed and moving as little as I had to!

 

[Steve_C]

Mid to upper 70s with 40-80 ft depth?

Usually dive a 4/3 with hooded vest (mid 70s) and 3 mm beanie (high 70s)
3mm gloves (mid 70s), reef gloves (high 70s)
5 mm boots.

time of year matters. If the mid 70s are below the thermocline than you warm up some during the safety stop which makes a difference.

Note that I wear a jacket style BCD. If I bring my arms in next to me I can feel a definite reduction in heat loss.

 

[dreamdive]

I am a big Wimp (that's why the capital 'W'). I am in my dry suit. BUT..........I just discovered the new heated vest by Thermolution!!!!!!!!
Aha....what a game changer. I wore it under my drysuit (I got the one you can wear both wet and dry since I am a Wimp) with minimal undergarments and was toasty warm.

 

[Lorenzoid]

The 75-78F range means a 5/4 fullsuit for me, but probably no hood. In the 70-74 range, I wear a vest beneath the suit plus a hood. Above 78 and I can be comfortable in a 3 mm. Everyone is different.

Your idea of a 7 mm vest over a 3/2 suit seems klugey and awkward to me. Dig into the wallet for a 5 mm or 5/4 mm suit and maybe you'll be more comfortable.

 

[agilis]

1mm or skins for a single dive. Sometimes just a tee shirt and trunks. 3mm is a bit much for water that warm, unless I'm doing repetitive dives.

 

[underH2Oman]

Mid to high 70's is a swim suit and full length rash guard as long as the air is as warm or warmer than the water. But do not use me as a good example. Being from Canada and a little crazy 70's is as tropical as it gets here.