What type of wetsuit for Bonaire?

[RJP]

Photos provided by tajkd

Just the truck one, actually.

:d

 

[drrich2]

It's great that you're tracking your air consumption rate. You appear to be tracking RMV (volume measurement) rather than SAC (pressure measurement), but either are more accurate than my examples.

Yes, from what I was taught in the SDI Solo Diver course, what I'm calling SAC (surface air consumption rate) here is what the manual would've called RMV (respiratory minute volume) - where SAC would be calculated on land at rest (I did it breathing off a reg. while dozing 20 minutes in front of my computer, then ran the calculations) and RMV is sort of 'real world SAC' under actual dive conditions, either calculated by multiplying SAC by a factor (e.g.: 1.5 for easy conditions) to account for conditions, or calculated by a computer based on actual logged info.

Sitting at a computer dozing wearing a mask & breathing off a reg., as relaxed as I could get, I think my resting SAC was very, very close to 0.5 cfm. So there's only so much I can do to drive that down.

I've been blessed with nearly 80 lbs. weight loss over the past years, & I don't smoke, but things have plateaued & I love good food. Not really a 'work out' type either.

The main thing that helps me is minimizing my movement.

Richard.

 

[gypsyjim]

It is not unusual for my to do 25 or more dives, in the 1 hr range while on Bonaire. I seldom wear any thermal protection, or need it, but then I am well protected by my own bio-prene.

I do wear a skin for protection, ever since my son's traumatic encounter with some nasty jellyfish there on a night dive several years back, but that simply provides protection from the sun and stinging things.

I also know several people who get cold on Bonaire, even in a 7mm. It pays to taker a couple of selections along if you are unsure, and experiment for yourself.

 

[drrich2]

Jim:

Any idea what kind of jellyfish? I've wondered about that issue, and I know it's come up in some places. There is a Bonaire Box Jellyfish, though it's my understanding they're not that common to see.

The main things I worry about getting nailed by are scorpionfish when I'm diving right over rubble in the shallows, and perhaps sea urchins on entry & exit when I'm getting shoved around by surge. Few years back I got nailed on a leg by fire coral that way; felt like somebody slapped the side of my leg hard, and like a wasp sting but a bit less intense & more spread out over an area.

Richard.

 

[gypsyjim]

Jim:

Any idea what kind of jellyfish? I've wondered about that issue, and I know it's come up in some places. There is a Bonaire Box Jellyfish, though it's my understanding they're not that common to see.

The main things I worry about getting nailed by are scorpionfish when I'm diving right over rubble in the shallows, and perhaps sea urchins on entry & exit when I'm getting shoved around by surge. Few years back I got nailed on a leg by fire coral that way; felt like somebody slapped the side of my leg hard, and like a wasp sting but a bit less intense & more spread out over an area.

Richard.

They were the Bonaire box jelly. Buddy Dive used to have a nice big florescent light on the dock which made gearing up for a night dive awesome. Also it seems to have drawn jellies!!
Over the years the hospital in Karlendijk said they had had many injuries there. The light is no longer operational, and this may have had something to do with my speaking to the dive shop manager about the accident.

Morgan was only 10 to maybe 12, and he blew off a part of the pre-dive that discussed what to do if the jellies where there. His lack of attention got himself pretty severely stung, and he has the scars to prove it.

That night in the ER I decided we should all get skins, as they are cheap insurance.
____________________________________________-

A couple years ago I was on Boanire with Cardzard and other friends from SB. When we decided to do the East or Wild Side as a shore dive, we all encountered a pretty good surge on the exit that drove us into shallows and onto a forest of fire coral and urchins. I placed my hands inside my fins and rolled, but everyone there had some form of sting or burn from that little oopsy-do exit.

 

[NYCDiverBlue]

I'm big & chunky, and can dive down to 75 degrees in swim trunks & a t-shirt. If I hold still awhile in 75 degree water, I get a little chilly.

Recently at Bonaire 4-20-13 to 4-27-13, diving 4-21-13 to 4-26-13, and I think my backup computer read 77 degrees first day, and 78 on other days I noticed. My buddy had a skin suit, got chilly & rented a shorty to wear over it. But he's small, really lean and chills easily.

I wore swim trunks, and for sun protection (& to reduce the area I had to put sun screen on) I wore a black long-sleeve Champion shirt a buddy gave me. Light, dries fast, slick & smooth, very easy to rinse & wring out after a dive, it did the job. But I did not wear it for warmth.

Richard.

Please disregard inquiry but not compliment. Richard answers this post a few posts down from where I quoted.

Hello Richard,
I appreciate how you contribute to SB with your knowledge. I am curious. How many dives were you doing a day in Bonaire just wearing the long sleeve shirt and swim trunks?

thanks
Malcolm

 

[tursiops]

Hello Richard,
I appreciate how you contribute to SB with your knowledge. I am curious. How many dives were you doing a day in Bonaire just wearing the long sleeve shirt and swim trunks?

thanks
Malcolm

I take one or two groups -- 12-20 people -- to Bonaire each year, and have for many years.
They wear everything from shorts and tee shirts to skins to shorties to 3mm to 5mm, with and without beanies/hoods, and sometimes vests.
They do 3-6 dives a day that way.
Me? 3mm. Wife? 3mm plus vest or 5mm.
It is really kinda hard to answer "what to wear" for someone else.

 

[Doctorfish]

I agree with Tursiops. Take more for your trip rather than less. Over the course of your dive week you can figure out what's best for your personal physiology.

 

[drrich2]

Up to 5 Dives/day. But I'm more cold tolerant than most.

Richard.

 

[maadJurguer]

I've been several time in both June/July as well as FEB/MAR...always with the same wetsuit. I'm 5'7", 150lbs and a 3/2 on the lighter weight side was enough for both time periods. 4 dives a day, bottom time right around 55-60min on average. In the summer time I only get a little cold for the east coast dives. For the FEB/MAR dives, I would get a bit cold on all dives towards the end of the third or fourth dives of the day. If I changed anything, it would be to go with a 3/2 with some better thermal protection in the FEB/MAR timeframe. Personally, a 5mil would be too much.