What should I wear for multi-day repetitive dives?

[scubamickey]

I'm trying to decide what type of exposure protection I should buy. I'm spending a week in Key Largo in June. Diving the wrecks (60-130 ft) and reefs and doing the Rescue Diver course. Probably not more than 2 maybe 3 dives a day. Then we're headed to the Bahamas for some liveaboard diving. Three or 4 dives a day in what I believe is shallower diving. Mostly above 70ft with a few sites hitting maybe 90 or 100.

I dove 2-3 tanks a day in Jamaica with just a shorty and was comfortable. But I want full body protection from now on. I don't know whether to get a 3/2 mm or something like the Mares Revolution which is a 1mm. I've been reading the doing multi-day repetitive diving tends to chill a person. I don't have much body fat and I'm naturally cold anyway. Usually my arms.

I'm leaning toward the 3/2 but I don't want to overheat. Any advice?

 

[DiveMaven]

If you're naturally cold anyway, I'd definitely do the 3/2. The water should be in the 80's in Key Largo, and I'd guess a similar temperature in the Bahamas, but it'll definitely be colder than your natural body temperature, so will lower your core temperature eventually.

Good example is that I don't tend to chill easily and wear a 3mm full suit in water down to 72 degrees. Last month we dove 8 days straight in Maui in 79 degree water. On days 7 and 8 I was getting cold on our 2nd dive of each day, and wished I had a thicker suit. Since we're on the Nekton Pilot in December in Belize and the water will be a similar temperature to Maui, I bought a 5mm suit since we'll be diving 4x a day for 6 days, and I know the likelyhood that I'll get cold mid-week is high.

 

[Ber Rabbit]

I get cold easily so I dive Florida in either a 3mm full suit with a 3mm shorty over it or an old 1/4 inch that has compressed over the years. I have found that no matter what I wear I'm warmer if I wear a hood and gloves. I'm a happy diver when my head and hands are warm :biggrin:
Ber :lilbunny:

 

[scubamickey]

I get cold easily so I dive Florida in either a 3mm full suit with a 3mm shorty over it or an old 1/4 inch that has compressed over the years. I have found that no matter what I wear I'm warmer if I wear a hood and gloves. I'm a happy diver when my head and hands are warm :biggrin:
Ber :lilbunny:

I'm going to assume you are talking about the winter months. I would die if I wore that much neoprene in the height of summer. As I understand it the water temp off the Keys in June is in the 80's. Is that correct?

 

[spectrum]

I'm a happy diver when my head and hands are warm :biggrin:
Ber :lilbunny:

I agree. I usually feel the chill on my arms first but with good gloves and a core warmer the arms are much less of an issue.

Pete

 

[dab]

In Truk we did 3 to 5 dives a day in 85 degree water. I wore a full 3 mm suit and was glad to have it.

 

[scubamickey]

In Truk we did 3 to 5 dives a day in 85 degree water. I wore a full 3 mm suit and was glad to have it.

That seems to be the consensus everywhere I read. I never get cold with just a shorty but I've never been on a liveaboard. I guess I'll continue to look for a 3mm then. But I'll pass on the hood and gloves I'll leave those for my dry suit diving.

 

[Ber Rabbit]

I'm going to assume you are talking about the winter months. I would die if I wore that much neoprene in the height of summer. As I understand it the water temp off the Keys in June is in the 80's. Is that correct?

We were there in August and I was happy in the full 3mm with the 3mm shorty over it with gloves and 1/4" hood. Late June at Panama City the water was in the high 70's and I was happy in the old 1/4 suit, got tired of freezing in the full 3mm/shortie combo.

I dive in Ohio and am happy in a newer 1/4" wetsuit in 55-60 degree water yet cold in a dry suit in the same temperature. It doesn't seem to make sense at first but in Ohio I expect to be cold and when I get in and it isn't as cold as my mind thought it would be I am warm. Florida has warm water and I get in expecting to be warm but end up colder than what my mind expected and that makes me feel colder still. The end result is I'm colder in 75+ degree water in a thick suit than I am in 55 degree water. Dry suit is the same deal, I go in expecting to be really warm in my thick undies and I'm not as warm as I expect to be so the wetsuit seems warmer because I don't end up being as cold as I'm prepared for.

Once I discovered warm hands the happiness factor in any temperature went way up
Ber (the hot/cold oddball) :lilbunny:

 

[Walter]

I'd wear a swim suit.

 

[dive2deep]

Drysuit with full hood and gloves. Just kidding, I would think the 3/2 or a 3mil would be perfect. I usually wear a 3/2 in tropical climates, but when I was on a liveaboard for a week, the last 2 dives of the day, I would get cold. Repetetive diving really does chill you a bit. Rule of thumb for repetetive dives for me is one step above what I would wear if it was just 1 or 2 tanks.