What thickness wetsuit for New England diving?

[TMHeimer]

I agree that you need a 7 mil. However, last July (early July) the water temp. on a shore dive in LI Sound was 75F--which is very warm for that area, even in August. So my diving was with my shortie. But you wouldn't be too hot underwater ever with a 7 mil in NE, so that covers all bases.

 

[NE_Diver]

yep 7 mil. try on a a couple different suits and find one that fits well. Also a hood and gloves are necessary (at least for me).

 

[Gilldiver]

In Long Island Sound a 3mill suit will actually do you from Mid July through the end of August and perhaps the first week or so of September. The water temp will be at or above 70 down to 60 or a bit deeper. But I would suggest a full 7mil Farmer John type for earlier or later diving. Having a full 14 mm over your core and 7 on the legs and arms is well worth it but you will pay the price for warmth in required lead to get down. Outside of diving the sound, well it is a minimum of a 7 mill suit with a dry suit recommended for any diving North of Chatham on Cape Cod.

As for the Sound itself, well there just is not all that much beach diving in all of New England, NY and NJ as public beach access is very limited. In the Sound there are only a few boats that run with most being out of Orbit in Bridgeport or Norwalk. There are a few boats up by New London, but they tend to head out to the Race and Block Island Sound. What wrecks there are in the Sound that boats will go to will be in 60 feet or less and for most of them the diving is tide limited, hit it at slack for a 20-30minute dive and get out. Visibility in the summer is limited with 12 to 15 feet being exceptional. The best visibility is in early spring before the winter run off and before the water temp gets above 45F and the plankton wakes up.

 

[furby076]

Hi Guys,
Im new to scuba diving, just took the course and did the pool part. Waiting for warmer weather to do the open water certification. In the meantime I was wondering what thickness wetsuit I should be looking at? The guy at my LDS sold me a 3mm suit and said I would be fine for diving in Long Island Sound. I thought he was wrong but Im the new guy so I didnt argue with him. I was thinking about going back there and trading it in for a 7mm suit. That way I could dive longer both in the water and later into the season. Thanks for the help

Did you tell him you planned to only dive in the Caribbean? Cause if you told him you plan to dive in the North Atlantic and he said 3mm suit is fine then either he believes you're a seal, or he flat out lied to you. 3MM is not enough by any stretch. You will need a 7/8MM. A farmer john, while uncomfortable (tight), is highly recommended and even then you will be cold. I dive Jersey shore and with a 7MM pinnacle merino lining I get uncomfortably cold. Mind you when I sleep, in the winter, I don't turn my heater on and have my bedroom sliding glass door (to the deck) open. You may also want to look into dry suits at some point. I just got one, and can't wait to use it.

3MM in the waters you are diving is asking for hypothermia.

Also, get good booties. My first set, sold to me by my LDS, were these crappy thin booties. I thought they were crappy but he said they were great. 1) they offered no good foot protection (walking at dutchsprings was painful) 2) my feet always froze. I recently bought Pinnacle booties, really thick ones. Now I can't feel the stones I am stepping on at dutch, and my feet no longer freeze.

 

[furby076]

In Long Island Sound a 3mill suit will actually do you from Mid July through the end of August and perhaps the first week or so of September. The water temp will be at or above 70 down to 60 or a bit deeper.

Where do you get 70 degrees when diving in NY? When I dive in North Jersey (and yes we have to travel about 2.5 hours on the boat) it's freezing cold. Yea the first 15-20 feet are OK - fine for a 7mm, but there is nothing at 15-20 feet...we are all about shipwrecks out here and those are at depth (60+ feet). I've never dove at Long Island, but I can't imagine it being much different then north jersey.

 

[Gilldiver]

Where do you get 70 degrees when diving in NY? When I dive in North Jersey (and yes we have to travel about 2.5 hours on the boat) it's freezing cold. Yea the first 15-20 feet are OK - fine for a 7mm, but there is nothing at 15-20 feet...we are all about shipwrecks out here and those are at depth (60+ feet). I've never dove at Long Island, but I can't imagine it being much different then north jersey.

Long Island Sound due to its limited water transfer through the Race and Hell's gate will warm up into the 70's by August. In particular between Norwalk and the CT River mouth. On a wreck South of New Haven on the New york side I have seen August temps in the high 60's on the bottom at 110 feet and 75 at the surface. It has been warm enough that I un-zip my farmer jon on the hang.

As soon as you get through the Race into Block Island Sound or Hells Gate into NY harbor the temps can drop 10 degrees within a few miles.

 

[Rainer]

I've dived MA, ME, CT, and RI extensively. For *me*, during the warmer months, a full 7mm + 4/6mm hooded vest is the bare minimum to enjoy repetitive diving (i.e. two or more dives in a day). Within months of diving in the NE, I bought a drysuit and dived dry from then on out. Even dry, with thick undergarments, dry gloves, and thick hood, those waters eventually feel cold. Being cold is basically when the fun of diving ends for me.

 

[soltari675]

Since I am going to NYC at the end of May and until the first week of August, what temperatures can I expect in the waters around Long Island? As far as I understand, the wrecks are off the south island, so that is where I am looking at. Just getting an idea of the area.

 

[Gilldiver]

Since I am going to NYC at the end of May and until the first week of August, what temperatures can I expect in the waters around Long Island? As far as I understand, the wrecks are off the south island, so that is where I am looking at. Just getting an idea of the area.

Off shore South of Long Island and East of NJ you will see surface temps in the 50's with bottom temps down into the 40's in May warming up to a surface temp of mid 60's with the bottom being in the high 50's or low 60's by the end of August. If you go to the deeper wrecks, a full farmer jon is required and a dry suit recomended.

There are some rare ebbs from the Gulf stream that can come in and if you are lucky to hit one temps in the mid 70's and even higher have been seen. They can also come with tropical fish. In fact, diving the Rhode Island beaches in late August and early September to photo tropicals is quite common.

 

[TMHeimer]

I recall as a kid swimming off the LI South Shore--Jones Beach, Fire Island, etc. with the warmest temp. in August usually topping out at 72F. Of course, that is on the surface.