What's the best way to stay warm wet

[elan]

well... I am not considering dry yet because
I have 22 dives and have alot to learn yet before I add more complication. The complications being, as I see it...
another class (still working on my AOW)
Something else to complicate my buoyancy

Just forget about it and get the dry suit. It's normal here to switch to dry suits with just after the OW checkout dives. I went dry after my 7th dive.

a modification to my regulator (what happens to this hose when you dont use your dry suit?)

If you dive local there will be more cases when you will be using it. I'm not going wet in a water colder than 74F. If you go for vacation you just replace the hose with the plug, that's it

and yeah... $ Heck, I saw a pair of dry-gloves going for $200. The whole dry-suit thing seems a considerable investment.

Dry gloves were one of the best spending I made on the gear.

 

[Andy_HFC]

I dived wet in cold water in an Oceanic Shadow semi dry until very recently. It's fine down to 7C. I found having trained in rented kit it really is all about the fit. I'm a skinny fella and i doubt any suit off the rack will cling like it should. Btu I found once i added a long sleeve titanium rash vest 1mm all was well with the world!

The second dive is always colder, but it's never put me off. Then i watch those guys in dry suits...

However, as a new diver myself there's a financial thing in there too. At the end of the day if you can dive wet, that's great. Once it starts interfering with your diving, i would definitely get a dry suit.

I recently bought one off ebay for £50. Looks awful, but it does what it's supposed to. Doing my course this month.

 

[Web Monkey]

I'm looking to extend my season a little and I am not looking to get a dry suit (not for a few years anyway). What's the best products out there to stay warm in the cold NY area waters? I have a 7 mil hendersons hyperstretch suit. Are there suits known for the warmth that perform better than this? How about a hooted vest or, somewhere I recall seeing some sort of heat thing you put in your wet suit.
I'm not looking to dive anything too cold. I just want to get in the water spring time where the water temps are likely to be in the 40's.

Stay shallow. The rubber insulates because it's full of air bubbles, which compress as you descend. Deeper=thinner=colder.

Also, wear the thickest hood you can find. Your head loses a ton of heat.

Terry

 

[liuk3]

If I were diving low 50s temperature water regularly, I would definitely go drysuit.

If you have to go with a wetsuit which I have, I would wear a custom made (such as JMJ wetsuits) 7mm wetsuit along with a 5mm hooded vest. As for the hands, I would use 7mm gloves. Dexterity may be tough in the gloves, but you get used to them. I've been on dives with my 3mm gloves with all the dexterity in the world until my hands are frozen stiff and I can't manipulate anything because they are so cold. Good luck!

 

[SkipperJohn]

Well, I just decided on staying with my existing suit for 1 more year but I added a pinnacle 3-7 vest/hood. 1 more year and the dry suit should be on the xmas list.
Thanks all for your feedback.

A hot-water wet suit is the warmest suit you can wear. Although sport divers don't have this ability, thermal heat packs can provide added warmth (for example see: Batch 3 Reusable Flexable Warmer Heat Packs - eBay (item 220532418363 end time Dec-31-09 03:39:07 PST)). If you don't want to go dry, a hooded vest may also do the trick.

I used to use those packs while hunting and fishing. How do you hold them in place in a wet suit? I'm thinking 2 on my kidneys should feel nice...

 

[SkimFisher]

might be cheaper to just move to FL

 

[RJP]

might be cheaper to just move to FL

Florida?

That just means thinner undergarments!

 

[Mopar]

How about a semi-dry suit? I know you will be wet but a few divers I talked to in 53 deg. water says they are warm even if they are wet. And the money you will save.

 

[jaycanwk]

If it is cost you are concerned about, buy a used or entry level neopreen drysuit first with the money you would otherwise use to buy a regulator and bc set, then just continue renting those items untill u have saved up again for those. People round here usually buy the dry suit first since there really is no way to stay "warm" in a wet suit when the water is consistantly in the 40's at depth.

If experience is a concern, well, yes, there is a bit of a learning curve to a dry suit, but usually most shops will offer free lessons with the purchase of a new one, or just dive with an experienced buddy becuase frankly the learning curve isn't that steep.

 

[DCBC]

I used to use those packs while hunting and fishing. How do you hold them in place in a wet suit? I'm thinking 2 on my kidneys should feel nice...

I think you can buy a belt that's designed to hold them. A buddy of mine uses one occasionally and he just places it between the farmer john and his jacket (under the zipper) and it's held in-place. They get quite hot, so just be sure that it doesn't touch bare skin so you don't get burned and you should be fine.