What to expect?

[ddub23]

Oversea, my OW dive was 52F. Not much warmer that where you are but I was fortunate (or sensible) enough to do my drysuit specialty as well. It makes a HUGE difference. Other classmates wore 7mm suit with a 5mm hooded vest. All had 5mm gloves.

Biscuit7 had a goind point about partially flooding your mask to lessen the cold temp shock. Our instructor actually had us remove our mask on the surface (BC inflated of course) and stick our face in the water shouting, "Good morning Monterey Bay." Strange tradition/ritual for him but I guess it allowed us to get used to the temperature and reduce anxiety before we went under to do our drills.

Good luck. Relax and don't think about the cold.

 

[nk5]

This is what you need if you want to dive around here in May.

1. 7mm farmer john (2 piece), or

2. 7mm semi dry (e.g. Mares Isotherm), or

3. a dry suit.

You can dive with what you have, see if you can buy or rent a polartech jumpsuit to wear underneat. Avoid long and deep dives and you'll be ok. I have dove in 40 degree water with my 7 mm FJ suit and, besides getting chapped lips, I was quite comfortable.

 

[oversea]

Well, sounds like I'll be alright, Thanks everyone for your input.

 

[jonnythan]

oversea once bubbled...
Well, sounds like I'll be alright, Thanks everyone for your input.

My checkouts were done in 42 deg water with a 2-piece 7mm, some 5mm gloves, and a 5mm hood.

You'll be fine... but the warm (not hot!!) water down the suit right before getting in the water is a good idea.

Weather permitting, take off the suit, turn it inside out, and let it sit in the sun during your SI. You'll dry off and stay warm (as opposed to the prolonged periods of cold wetness normally associated with SI's in wetsuits), and your suit will dry on the inside and be nice and toasty when you put it back on

 

[Big-t-2538]

mars2u once bubbled...

Does this look like the face of a happy diver?

NO!! get that doggone mask off your forehead!!!

Oversea-
Welcome...and stay warm...oh yeah, have fun too, I've seen 45 to 50 in my wetsuit plenty of times, but I have a bit of body insulation too....

 

[mars2u]

If memory serves me correctly...we didn't do a surface interval the second day. We did a second dive, but had plenty of air and did not exchange tanks or get out of the water. This helped me overcome having multiple brief Touette's syndroms during the day. It was just too darn cold and overcast. Beleive it or not, it actually felt warmer in the water than on the boat.

Some advice:
Drink LOTS of fluids before the dive...not for dehydration as you might think...but for Urinclines. I admit it :hi: ...sorry...the heck with the smell...it was well worth it. That brief relief reminded me of the movie "The Right Stuff" when he was stuck in the capsule. All of us admitted to doing it and it did help, albeit we all made a beeline for the shower afterwards....lol