What thickness wetsuit for Coz in January?

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FishWatcher747

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I know everybody is different, but I am looking for opinions. Wore a 3mm in May in Coz. According to Christi's pinned post water temps for Jan-Feb are 78* F. I'm hoping my 7 mm is overkill and a good reason to buy more gear and get a 5mm for my upcoming January 2022 trip.
 
As you said everyone is different. If you were fine with with 3 mm in May a 5mm in Jan/Feb will probably work. Figure about 3 degrees colder then more or less. If you were on the edge of being cold in May then the extra 2mm probably wouldn’t be enough.
 
I am fine diving in a 3mm no matter what month it is, but I do start to get cold toward the end of the trip if it's on the cooler side of the temp scale for Coz. My ex used to get super chilly in a 3mm, as in shivering by the end of dives, no matter what month we were there. She added a woolly hooded vest over (or maybe under? I can't remember the arrangement) the 3mm and was fine for all future dive trips with that. So you might try just adding a hooded vest to whatever you have now. If you decide to go with a 5mm I would think you'd be fine unless you are super duper sensitive to getting cold.
 
I know everybody is different, but I am looking for opinions. Wore a 3mm in May in Coz. According to Christi's pinned post water temps for Jan-Feb are 78* F. I'm hoping my 7 mm is overkill and a good reason to buy more gear and get a 5mm for my upcoming January 2022 trip.

How long is a piece of string? :)

I've been in Cozumel in quite a few times in January/Feb on boats where some people were in board shorts, while I was wearing a 5mm, a heated shirt, and a thin hood, and the DM was wearing a full wetsuit and an additional shorty.

I don't recall anyone with a 7mm.

Everyone's different.

[PAUSE]

Oh, wait.

I just saw your profile.

You're from Lake Placid? In Cozumel, a rash guard should be fine for you!
 
In January, I wear a 7 mm full suit with a 3 mm hooded vest underneath but I typically do long-ish dives.. I wear a 3 mm in the summer...if that gives you any yardstick. I would save my money and dive in the 7 mm suit you already have. Too warm is easy to fix. Too cold, not so much.
 
That temp info is pretty close to what you'll get. That may be a clue to use on what makes you go swimming in a pool or lake in NY. I'm not that much further north than you & my pool rarely gets warmer than the waters of Cozumel so I just use my Canadian Skin as a wetsuit. You on the otherhand might consider a 5 mil.
 
I know everybody is different, but I am looking for opinions. Wore a 3mm in May in Coz. According to Christi's pinned post water temps for Jan-Feb are 78* F. I'm hoping my 7 mm is overkill and a good reason to buy more gear and get a 5mm for my upcoming January 2022 trip.
I think you're right. I wear a 1 mil jumpsuit in the summer there, but in the winter I have to add a 3 mil shorty over it. Last week I got a little chilled by the third day in Roatan so added a lightweight beanie I always carry in case of need. That worked.
in January/Feb on boats where some people were in board shorts
Henry at Salty Endeavors and his head DM whose name escapes me are like that, even in the winter. So is Chief here on this forum. I never could.
I would save my money and dive in the 7 mm suit you already have.
And then there's that. A 7 mil long wetsuit might be more than needed, but it wouldn't be too much, and you already own it. I bought several wetsuits when I was new, about twice as many as needed.
 
Just reiterating what I said. It’s all relative. If 3 mm worked for @FishWatcher747 in May a couple of extra mm should work in January. Especially if comparing early or mid-January to early or mid-May. Water temps usually bottom February/March/ early April depending upon the year . Last time I wore a wetsuit was 5 years ago , but we are not talking about me ...

Answer would differ if you are talking about a few days in May last time compared to a few weeks in January next time. The number of consecutive days obviously matters. For similar length trips, a couple of extra mm should be fine. January will be a little colder than May but not night and day.
 
Lowest temp I clocked out of 20 dives was 81 *F at the end of Jan/early Feb this year. I think a 5mm would be more appropriate than a 7mm. I wore a warm 3mm, but of course, everyone is different. A 7mm is a lot of suit (and weight).
 
How much diving will you be doing? I brought my 7mm to Turks and Caicos in January and it was just right... since I was doing 5 deepish dives a day for a week. If I were doing 2 shadow dives a day for 3 days, I might've gotten by with less.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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