Which Suit?

[George Scherman]

Austin, When we dove Kona last November the DM wore a 7 mil and was still cold! For me a 3 was perfect. I got just a little chilly on the Manta night night dive, but that is mostly just sitting around while you are buzzed by the Mantas.

 

[friscuba]

Hi, don't want to hijack a thread but i was wondering,

I'm diving off the Kona side of the Big Island in middle of March and i get cold really easily. Is a 5mil gonna be overkill or should i take a 3mil full?

The majority of men do fine in a 3 mil full. If you are very slender or low body fat (marathon runners, etc) you might want a 5. If you just are really prone to getting cold and want to not worry, wear a 5, it's never overkill.

 

[Shaka Doug]

Going to be diving off Maui in early May and wanted to get opinions on whether a 3mm or 5mm suit would be better? I know everyone is different and it often depends on the number of dives, etc. But wanted to get some feedback from those on the Island or that are regulars.

Thanks!

Aloha! Do you already have a suit in both thicknesses or are you thinking of buying or renting one? How about coverage? What kind of dives are you planning? Full suit is really the smartest way to go. If you have both full and shorty style suits, go with the full suit, 3mm. You should be warm enough and will be able to dive with slightly less weight than the 5mm requires.

But.....If you get cold easily or are very thin, go with the 5mm/full suit. Water temps can vary that time of year and be as low as 72-74F or as high as 78-80F. Booties are a good idea too. Especially required if you plan on making any shore dives (which are awesome here by the way).

A 3mm suit will dry faster between dives, will usually dry overnight. How much diving do you plan on doing anyway? Remember, being comfortable is key to having a good dive experience.

 

[capybara]

We just dove in Maui in Jan and Kona in Feb with 3 mm fullsuits, temps were 77-79 and we were fine. I also used a 3 mm beanie which helped a lot and occasionally layered a 3 mm corewarmer on top for the second dive/night dive.

 

[chepar]

As everyone has said, it depends on what you're used to. By May, I am generally fine with a full 3 mil. Between November and March, I use a 3 mil with a 2 mil hooded vest underneath, and still get cold.

In comparison, a couple of my regular dive buddies dive in 1 mil. skins all year round and are fine.

 

[Austin]

Thanks, yeah, I'm 17 and a track runner, I'm pretty lean and get cold easy. Sounds like the 5 mil is the way to go. How does Kona coast compare with some of the other islands? I saw a book that showed the major coral reefs of the world and all of the other Hawaiian islands are highlighted but not the big island. This will be my 26th time back to Hawaii! Yeah!

 

[ladycute1]

I wear a 3/5 year yound.... during the summer I just leave the zipper open a bit.

Liz

Going to be diving off Maui in early May and wanted to get opinions on whether a 3mm or 5mm suit would be better? I know everyone is different and it often depends on the number of dives, etc. But wanted to get some feedback from those on the Island or that are regulars.

Thanks!

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

I should probably mention that my wife has worn a full 5/4/3 suit when she knows she won't be moving much, such as in photo dives.

 

[mossym]

Austin, When we dove Kona last November the DM wore a 7 mil and was still cold! For me a 3 was perfect. I got just a little chilly on the Manta night night dive, but that is mostly just sitting around while you are buzzed by the Mantas.

those guys are diving multiple dives every day, they'll tend to get colder quicker...

 

[friscuba]

Thanks, yeah, I'm 17 and a track runner, I'm pretty lean and get cold easy. Sounds like the 5 mil is the way to go. How does Kona coast compare with some of the other islands? I saw a book that showed the major coral reefs of the world and all of the other Hawaiian islands are highlighted but not the big island. This will be my 26th time back to Hawaii! Yeah!

Kona has very nice, healthy reef structure, but it is close to shore. One of the nice thing about Kona is that most every dive site has access to both deep and shallow water.

The other islands have been around for up to millions of years longer and have had time to build reef systems which stretch out to sea for a distance. In most areas you havce to be a heck of a swimmer to find a shore dive site where you can hit a hundred feet of water, in Kona you'll find a dropoff within 50-70 yards from shore in most cases. On other thing with Kona, since it has a less extensive stretch of reef it has less sand. This means it a bit sparse on beaches compared to the other islands, but in general the viz underwater is superior. Many people rate the Kona area as having the best overall diving.

later,

Steve