what temp is too cold to dive in a wetsuit

[Boogie711]

You, my dear friend, are what we here in Ontario refer to as a www.

I would never be so mean as to say what that stands for, but it may have the words water, weenie and warm in some random order.

 

[Genesis]

I dive dry below about 75F. I hate thick neoprene suits; the buoyancy shift, reduction in mobility, the whole bit. Just hate it.

Once you try the "dry side" you won't go back for cold water, and you'll find that your definition of "cold water" slides up more than a bit.

 

[IndigoBlue]

You, my dear friend, are what we here in Ontario refer to as a www.

I would never be so mean as to say what that stands for, but it may have the words water, weenie and warm in some random order.

Boogie I have grown to tremendously love your posts, especially the kinder-gentler Boogie of late, when you are tactful, especially with some of the bone-headed posts here.

I do not know for the life of me why The Good Lord, Bless His Name, chose to populate the cold freezing north like Canada and Iceland with human beings. I was born in Florida, and that is precisely where my arse belongs.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

Anything less than 80F and I am diving dry. Seriously.

82F is where I am most comfortable, for 1 or 2 dives. 85F is better for 3 dives or more.

When the upper 30 feet here gets above 70 I dump my 7mm semi-dry and dive in shorts, T-shirt, and my one of my double hose regs. Bottom times run 45 minutes to an hour.

Being a warm water weenie isn't the big problem, the big problem is that you'd have a heat sroke putting that dry suit on in 105 degree weather.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

I dive dry below about 75F. I hate thick neoprene suits; the buoyancy shift, reduction in mobility, the whole bit. Just hate it.

Once you try the "dry side" you won't go back for cold water, and you'll find that your definition of "cold water" slides up more than a bit.

That true only if you ascribe to the belief that the whole world does, or at least should think the same way. In the real world there is a little more to it than that.

I dive dry all winter because 34 degree water is just plain cold, particularly when the air temp is near zero. But I go back to the "wet side" just as soon as humanly possible. A properly fitting wet suit or semi dry is more comfortable, way more streamlined, reduces task loading and requires less maintainence. I regard anything colder than about 55 degrees (surface temp) to be cold water but have no problem with upper 30's in a semi-dry at depth as long as the deco is in relatively warm water (55 degree or above).

Wet suits and dry suits all have their place and a dozen different divers will have a dozen different opinions about them. Some of the opinons are pretty well thought out, others are a little weak. For example I still occassionally run into divers who like dry suits because they are more expensive, more technical and make the fashion statement that the wearer is in fact not one of the poor unfortunate mortals who has to wear a wet suit. They don't come right out and say it, but they do make it rather obvious.

 

[pipedope]

When the air and water temps are 85-90+ degrees F, you can overheat VERY quickly.

If the water temperature is >95 degrees F then you probably NEED active cooling. If you are doing any work at all you MUST use cold water injection or a cold water shroud over your drysuit (contaminated water).

We rarely talk about divers overheating but it is a real risk when diving in warm water.

Heat exhaustion/stroke is no joke, especially in a wet suit.
TRUST ME on this one!

 

[IndigoBlue]

That true only if you ascribe to the belief that the whole world does, or at least should think the same way. In the real world there is a little more to it than that.

I dive dry all winter because 34 degree water is just plain cold, particularly when the air temp is near zero. But I go back to the "wet side" just as soon as humanly possible. A properly fitting wet suit or semi dry is more comfortable, way more streamlined, reduces task loading and requires less maintainence. I regard anything colder than about 55 degrees (surface temp) to be cold water but have no problem with upper 30's in a semi-dry at depth as long as the deco is in relatively warm water (55 degree or above).

Wet suits and dry suits all have their place and a dozen different divers will have a dozen different opinions about them. Some of the opinons are pretty well thought out, others are a little weak. For example I still occassionally run into divers who like dry suits because they are more expensive, more technical and make the fashion statement that the wearer is in fact not one of the poor unfortunate mortals who has to wear a wet suit. They don't come right out and say it, but they do make it rather obvious.

D/A that may all be well and good for a single dive on a hot or cold day, but regarding surface intervals and repetitive dives, a thick wetsuit will still be a problem with heat loss. The main drawback of wetsuit diving is during the repetitive dives, and during the surface intervals.

A drysuit keeps you dry, and therefore warmer during your surface interval on a cold day, or even more comfortable on a hot day, when you can fold it down and wear it half-way during the surface interval.

Wetsuits are great for surfing. But they have really never been great for scuba. They sometimes work ok for scuba, but they never really work great for all scuba applications, never as well as a drysuit would. Forget fashion. Forget ego. Forget cost.

 

[cyklon_300]

Wetsuits are great for surfing. But they have really never been great for scuba. They sometimes work ok for scuba, but they never really work great for all scuba applications, never as well as a drysuit would. Forget fashion. Forget ego. Forget cost.

Obviously, no suit is perfect for all conditions, that's why there are a myriad of choices...wetsuits have provided the bulk of sport divers with easily maintained, affordable exposure protection for decades. Many divers complete their entire diving careers without ever being or needing to be in a drysuit.

 

[adder70]

Then consider the resort divers who have never even been in a wetsuit. If it's below 80, it's not an area they dive anyway.

So I agree, nothing fits every situation.

 

[Scubakevdm]

Then consider the resort divers who have never even been in a wetsuit. If it's below 80, it's not an area they dive anyway.

So I agree, nothing fits every situation.

Below 80 is definately too cold for a wet suit.