CT-Rich
Contributor
Water (or urine) conducts heat very efficiently, that is why dry suits are better than wetsuits at lower temps.
What water temps can I handle with a 5mm wet suit?
- Thread starter George D Heinze (Gee)
- Start date
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I didn't see it mentioned.
Besides water temp and time, depth also directly affects what you need in order to stay comfortable.
60 minutes in 65F water might be fine if you stay at 30', but might leave you freezing if you do the same time at the same temp in 100' of water. The extra depth squeezes the suit and makes it thinner, so it does not insulate as well. Talking strictly about wetsuits, of course.
Also, the biggest factor, to me, is not suit thickness. It's equal parts thickness, how well it fits YOU, and how well it seals.
You need a suit that is snug, including being snug up into your armpits and crotch..
You want a suit that has glued-and-blind stitched seams (or some other waterproof method of doing the seams). Flatlock stitching for seams is not waterproof. It is what you typically find on cheaper and/or thinner suits.
You also want a suit that has some type of seals at every water ingress point. Neck, wrists, ankles, and main zipper. It has always surprised me how many suits have seals at some places but not others. A good quality suit will have some form of seal at all those places. Just as an example, I use ScubaPro EverFlex suits, as they fit me really well. They have smoothskin (aka GlideSkin) seals at the wrists, ankles, and neck, and a thick pad behind the main zipper. Even on the 3/2 mm suit. All my suits does a great job of restricting water moving in and out and thus allow me to dive comfortably at temps that have other people in thicker suits and still cold. Some of that is my own bioprene, for sure. But, I think a good part of that is good fit and good seals.
That is another oddity (to me). Some manufacturers will make 5 and 7mm suits with seals all around and then make a 3mm version of the same suit that doesn't have all the same seals. Caveat emptor!
Besides water temp and time, depth also directly affects what you need in order to stay comfortable.
60 minutes in 65F water might be fine if you stay at 30', but might leave you freezing if you do the same time at the same temp in 100' of water. The extra depth squeezes the suit and makes it thinner, so it does not insulate as well. Talking strictly about wetsuits, of course.
Also, the biggest factor, to me, is not suit thickness. It's equal parts thickness, how well it fits YOU, and how well it seals.
You need a suit that is snug, including being snug up into your armpits and crotch..
You want a suit that has glued-and-blind stitched seams (or some other waterproof method of doing the seams). Flatlock stitching for seams is not waterproof. It is what you typically find on cheaper and/or thinner suits.
You also want a suit that has some type of seals at every water ingress point. Neck, wrists, ankles, and main zipper. It has always surprised me how many suits have seals at some places but not others. A good quality suit will have some form of seal at all those places. Just as an example, I use ScubaPro EverFlex suits, as they fit me really well. They have smoothskin (aka GlideSkin) seals at the wrists, ankles, and neck, and a thick pad behind the main zipper. Even on the 3/2 mm suit. All my suits does a great job of restricting water moving in and out and thus allow me to dive comfortably at temps that have other people in thicker suits and still cold. Some of that is my own bioprene, for sure. But, I think a good part of that is good fit and good seals.
That is another oddity (to me). Some manufacturers will make 5 and 7mm suits with seals all around and then make a 3mm version of the same suit that doesn't have all the same seals. Caveat emptor!
OP
George D Heinze (Gee)
Registered
I have a buddy that dives with me sometimes, he is a great guy and I thought was a good diver but he insists on rearranging the water beds. he prowles around in the bottom stirring up silt and messes around with the fish while we're diving. I can't get it through to him to leave things alone unless he is picking up debris. any suggestions how I can stop him, or should I just refuse to dive with him.
Barnaby'sDad
Contributor
Either proactively offer to lead and have him follow you (maybe he'll see what you're doing and take a hint) or stay next to him...rather than trailing his silt cloud.
I can't say I have seen someone hijack their own thread before! Or at least not in such an extreme pivot to another topic...
Barnaby'sDad
Contributor
I can't see I have seen someone hijack their own thread before! Or at least not in such an extreme pivot to another topic...
I've done it.
I call it a "two-fer." 
I generally do it as the OP did...the initial question was thoroughly answered and the follow-up question was not deemed significant enough to warrant starting a new thread.mi000ke
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I guess that makes it a serial hijacking: the original thread, the pivot, and the meta discussion about pivoting in general.
OP
George D Heinze (Gee)
Registered
hey guys, I wasn't trying to hijack this thread, As i had stated I am fairly new to the sport of diving. the same goes to this board I wasn't sure how I should go about posting my questions. I love diving and just wanted to obtain all the information I can to dive safely, not just for myself but for any others that I may be diving with.So if I over stepped any boundries please except my apologies..
mi000ke
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No problem. My post above was in jest. Digression is my normal mode of discourse.
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