what wet suit

[steve_r0binson]

Hi,
I dived in Egypt in Feb and wore a 7mm semi dry and was comfortable. Not to hot and not to cold. I feel the cold and wondered what suit to wear next month in Phuket, 3 or 5 or shorty? Any ideas. Also I am only going for two weeks. Do Ineed a visa. What injections do I need and are there loads of mosies?

 

[jiveturkey]

You could use a shortie but I prefer a 3mm full suit. Keeps the jellies at bay. The water temp is probably between 29-31 degrees. I'm Canadian, I got a 1 month visa upon entry. You should check on your specific country. There are mosquitos but I didnt' find them too bad. Bring some repellant. Talk to your doctor about injections but I didn't have any specifically for Thailand.

 

[DORSETBOY]

Steve, you deff dont need to get a visa before getting there as you hold a british passport. On arrival you will get a 1 month visa automatically at the airport. If you want to extend your stay when you're already there, the best way of extending your visa is to speak to the dive shop you're with there. They'll know people who'll take our passport to the border for a nominal fee and get it stamped with another visa.
As for injections, I had 7 or 8 before going but never suffered any ill health there, maybe cos I'd had them. I know loads of people who had no injections bnefore going and were fine but that's a risk that's upto you to take. Personally, Id deff recommend having the various hepatitis innoculations, if you require surgery or even basic treatment while you are there it's reassuring to know you've got protection against contaminated blood supplies.

 

[DORSETBOY]

Oh, forgot to add, about the wetsuit generally people were just wearing a pair of swimming shorts (bikini tops as well for the ladies!!). Being a bit of a wimp with the cold I personally wore a full body 3mm but any norm person would prob tell you that's pretty excessive!

 

[steve_r0binson]

I'll go for the 3mm. Is it cheaper to buy here or there?

I think Macros do a cheep one for £40, but then you don't look cool!

 

[Belushi]

Buy a suit out there. Go to Warm Water Divers in Patong, they do a great Thai made shorty, that I still wear in the pool 6 years later. All the local pros wear them.
Do not extend your visa the way Dorsetboy suggested, you will end up picking up the soap with Bubba if you get caught. Check this out. A little tale of me leaving Thailand after a while.
http://www.dsproffitt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/home/Stories/Me and leo home.htm
No injections needed as you can buy ANY medication you like over the counter in most pharmacies. anti-depressants, performance enhancing (?) drugs - viagra, and then any anti-bacterial cream, lotions, potions, or injections you want. Dr Boon in Kata high street is the best. Pay him £10 and he will give you a prescription for anything!

 

[ssra30]

Water temp in Phuket will be around 28-30C. Depends on your level of tolerance, most people do fine with just diveskin, 1.5mm or 3mm. Personally I use 3 mm.
Phuket is not a Malaria infested area of Thailand but you may still have to worry about hemorrhagic fever (usually from day mosies rather than night mosies like Malaria). If you are doing live aboard then you don't have to worry about it. If you do land base, mosquito repellent is still a good idea.
As far as shots goes, Thailand and most of SE Asia are endemic area for hepatitis A and hepatitis B. It is already too late for you to get a series of vaccine for both but in the future if you plan to spend a lot of time in SE Asia, these 2 vaccines may not be a bad idea.

 

[jplacson]

Actually, the warmer you can keep yourself, the better... even in tropical waters. A 3mm isn't overkill. Wearing shorts (even a shorty actually) and/or a swim suit actually increase your chances of DCS... even in tropical waters.

Water cools your body... unless the water is 38C, it robs your body of heat... and causes your metabolism to slow down.

Now, you don't have to wear a 5mm or dry suit all the time just to keep warm... but I'd stay away from the 'shorts/bikini' outfit... or even shorties for that matter. I personally feel that a full skin or 1.5mm is much better than a 3mm shorty at keeping your body temp normal.

Oh, and another thing, a lot of people forget that a wetsuit only works when fitted properly! A loose 6.5mm suit is worse than a properly fitted 1.5mm suit in cold water. neck, wrist, and ankle seals must be as water-tight as possible to minimize water-flow within the suit, and this is what helps keep you warm.

Although I no longer use Henderson suits, their hyperstretch and black maxx line are great for tropical-temperate waters. They cling to your skin better than most suits and keep you just as warm with a lot less neoprene (so they're easier to don-doff)

Another thing as well, closed-cell neoprene (the shiny type) keeps you a lot warmer than open-cell (looks like a sponge) neoprene, with the same thickness.

 

[orangeBloke]

If you have a few days to spare you can always get a wet suit tailored in Phuket. There's a company called Hot Wave that advertises in the magazines in this part of the world. Their web site is at http://hotwavephuket.com/.
A full 3mm will cost you about £70, a shortie about £40

Haven't used them myself, got mine done locally in Singapore, but a friend who did is really happy with hers and the quality is good. Be warned though, once you get one tailored it's hard to go back to off the shelf ones that don't quite fit properly.

As ssra30 said, the water will be around 28-30C, which is slightly warmer than your average English heated swimming pool so take that as a guide. A full 3mm will feel just cozy and give you better protection against stings and the like....not that there's too much danger. If 3mm is not quite enough you can put a rashie skin underneath it or get a 1mm vest.

As regards the mossies they're are not too bad, generally more about at night than in the day. You can easily get an insect repellent in the shops and if you get bitten look out for a small tube of gel in the pharmacy called Soov. It has local anesthetic in it so that it stops the itching while it works on curing the sting.

Enjoy your holiday

 

[steve_r0binson]

Thanks you all for your feed back. I think I'm ready for it now. Can wait !! If you want to follow my travels I am going to try and update my site on a two daily basis. Have a nice Xmas and diverlicious new year!