What's the coldest water temp you will wetsuit in??

[wishIwasn'tinMA]

I was looking for any info to help me decide if I could dive a 7/5 mm wetsuit in 40 F water without being miserable. I don't have drysuit, but I wanted to get a dive in locally and its cold here. This is a very old thread, but I ended up here and was left more-or-less pretty anxious about my up-coming dive. I thought I would post my experience, since I was pleasantly surprised -- I was fairly comfortable.

My exposure gear: 7/5 mm scubapro everflex, 6/5 mm hood (scubapro everflex), 5 mm booties, 3.5 mm gloves (all fairly new, purchased in spring 2017). Thats it - no additional neoprene.

Dive Location: woodshole, ma. Beach dive.
water surface temp: 40 F
Min temp: 39 F
Max Depth: 43 ft for 10min of the dive (average depth ~20 ft)
Duration: 33 minutes
Air temp: 43 F

Overall, I felt pretty good during and after the dive. The only part of my body that felt uncomfortable was my hands. This became noticeable about 15min into the dive, though after the dive my hands were not numb. I will purchase 5-7mm gloves in the future. My body, feet, and head felt good; I wasn't warm - but I wasn't freezing either - and I enjoyed the dive. The dive was 33 minutes, but I was also floating in the water for ~10 minutes before the dive, waiting for companions to join. Everyone else was diving dry, and they thought I would be freezing and would be cutting the dive short. But I never though once thought about calling the dive early. So, 39 F in a 7 mm wetsuit: yes, its not too bad. Not the ideal setup, but sufficient to get into the water for a dive and enjoy it.

 

[northernone]

I've wetsuit dove 90 feet, 34° for 70 minutes (mostly in the 30-50ft depth) in 5mm hands, 5 mm head, 7mm boots, 7mm arms/legs and 14mm core. Full face mask. Taped seams, presoaked with body temperature water. I'd say 45 minutes is comfortable.

...I don't like being cold and plan my dives accordingly.

Cameron

 

[drbill]

I had a professor in college who dove Antarctica in a 13mm wetsuit back in 1957. For me, diving a 7mm wetsuit and 3mm hooded vest I am comfortable down to about 50° F but have "tolerated" temps to 46° F.

 

[Diver0001]

Living in Ohio the local diving options are quarries (unless you live by Lake Erie). When I did my OW dives last October the quarry water temp was 58. I had a 7 mm farmer john WS and after 2 dives was getting a little COLD. Since I'll no doubt do a fair amount of diving in Ohio I'm either getting a nice 7 mm WS or saving up for a drysuit. I know all you drysuit divers seem to really like them but is it reasonable to think I can get a lot of diving in with a good 7 mm suit? Right now the Circleville quarry water temp is 40 degrees. I don't think I want to attempt that in a wetsuit, right???

Gary

The answer is, it depends on the context of the dive. If it's just for one dive and I had a good fitting wetsuit then I'll go in 9C for 45-60 min. I did that on a training day when I had a bad drysuit fail (zipper broke)

In 12C I'll make 2 dives in a day wet if the suit fits well

At 19C I'll make multiple dives for a couple of days in a row in a wetsuit provided not too deep or too long.

On a dive vacation where I'm making 20+ repetitive dives in a week, including night dives, then I dive dry (yes, literally) unless the water is warmer than 25C.

In a practical sense what this means is that I hardly ever dive wet.

R..

 

[USMC CPL.]

Mid to low 50's in a 3/2 with a 1/2 mil skinsuit underneath.

 

[TMHeimer]

33F. Deep Diver Course. 7 mil farmer john. May 26, 2007. Atlantic Ocean, off Halifax, Nova Scotia.

 

[tomfcrist]

70 for me.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

42 degrees in a one piece crappy 7 mil with bib hood for my AOW, froze my ass!
Current day, own a 1/2” (13 mm) two piece commercial urchin harvesters suit built to keep a diver nice and toasty in very cold water almost all day. I will use this suit in as cold a water as I’ll ever see in Northern California. Generally it averages 52 degrees, but in spring water temps go down to about 46 due to the Alaskan deep water current. Very clean nice water though.
Most of the time I’m comfy in a 7 mm freediving suit. Only when it drops below 46 do I break out the 1/2”.

I despise drysuits and refuse to own or wear one. If I can’t dive wet I won’t dive.

 

[TMHeimer]

Don't forget Air temperature. I shore dived a few years ago in July near Cape Ann, Mass. in 56F water in my shorty. But, the Air temp. was about 90F.

 

[Kharon]

I wear a 3mm plus 3mm vest with 2 undergarments, 3mm hood and 2mm gloves. I've been in 42°F without freezing for a single dive. It was chilly, but not terribly uncomfortable. Not something I do regularly.

The second thermocline up here is usually in the mid 40's, the first in the mid 50's I tend to stay above the first, mostly because there's not much to see and I can practice and pick up litter shallower and warmer - mostly 60's.

The real pain is getting out on a cloudy day when there's a wind and low air temp. That really sux.