Who Needs a wetsuit for tropical water diving anyway?

[Gary_Ward]

Do you hanker for some warm, tropical water diving? Stepping into the clear blue waters of the Caribbean perhaps? Do you notice it doesn't always stay warm for long though?

Alex presents her first ever video with Andre as they talk about the importance of wetsuits even in the tropics, but also about the wetsuits they prefer to dive in and why.

They had a lot of fun pulling this video together, watch to the end to see Andre being our Diva Diver

Tell us about the exposure protection suit you use and why its the best for you in tropical waters, and what you like/hate about wetties...

 

[TMHeimer]

I have a full length Henderson "body suit" if you will. No thermal protection. Only used it once in Panama-- I wouldn't dive--especially in the tropics--with any bare skin. Too many stingers/nasties/spiny things (urchins). I also wouldn't dive there without my reef gloves (or dive anywhere without gloves). The body suit was fine for two boat dives daily in 76F water.

 

[Doctorfish]

There are many tropical places where gloves are forbidden. Best policy in warm water is to learn good buoyancy skills and not touch anything.

 

[Gary_Ward]

I also wouldn't dive there without my reef gloves (or dive anywhere without gloves).

There are a lot of places, including our own Marine Protected Area which ban the use of gloves when diving on the reef. The argument being that people are less inclined to touch things on the reef if they've got bare hands.... and thus you protect the reefs a little more. In warm water, I never wear gloves unless I'm doing something like cleaning the coral nursery (lots of hydriods and stingy things), but on the reef..... no

 

[TMHeimer]

There are a lot of places, including our own Marine Protected Area which ban the use of gloves when diving on the reef. The argument being that people are less inclined to touch things on the reef if they've got bare hands.... and thus you protect the reefs a little more. In warm water, I never wear gloves unless I'm doing something like cleaning the coral nursery (lots of hydriods and stingy things), but on the reef..... no

Right. I'd never be in those places anyway since they (laws or dive ops or both) don't allow shell collecting. Too bad all divers just don't touch the reef, then you could have your hands protected just in case the unexpected happens (you get pushed into fire coral by another diver or run into a jelly or worse). But, that's life.

 

[The Chairman]

Meh. I don't wear a wetsuit... ever. I don't touch anything so nothing ever touches me. It's a really good reason to have your trim and buoyancy down.

 

[scrane]

I wear a 3mm front zip shortie (sometimes over a 3mm front zip vest). Occasionally I'll sprout a red spot on my arms or legs, but the convenience is worth it for me. Having a little skin exposed encourages situational awareness.

 

[mallbritton]

When diving in tropical waters I typically dive with just a Shark Skin long sleeve and board shorts. If I'm doing multiple dives a day (i.e. 4 a day) for multiple days I'll probably wear the Shark Skin trousers also. Or I might just wear a rash guard.

 

[Mark IV]

When my brother and I started diving in Cancun years ago, we didn't own any wetsuits, and didn't miss them at all. But once we started working, doing deeper, repetitive dives, they quickly became mandatory, especially when the nortes were blowing in (and Aqua World's nice,big boats had port-captain clearance to dive in all but the worst seas).
Every divemaster/ instructor on those big Aqua-World boats would wrap themselves in as much neoprene as we could get our hands on. We were doubling, and even tripling-up on raggedy old suits, as well as hoods or hooded vests if were had them. It was like watching a troupe of circus performers suiting up, LOL!!
I eventually wound up in Cozumel, diving the deeper walls (where we really needed solid suits), and I ended up running a really nice 2-piece 7mil farmer john that a client friend brought me from the states.(I got it used, but that thing lasted forever ! It kept me comfortable, even on 3-hour dives in the cenotes! That thing just wouldn't die. When i finally left the isla, I bequeathed it to somebody, and that old workhorse probably still going strong !)
I'd often wear a humble $49 Hobie shorty for shallow, summer-time beach work, but during the winter months, even just off the beach, I'd pull that mac-daddy 2-piece on ! (along with about a 16lb weight belt!)
Clients on the boat, just diving shorties, 3mils, body suits, or just T-shirts, looked at me like i was crazy wrapping all that carpet-lined neoprene around me, but there were lots of times we'd get out of the water after a long dive, and that cold north wind would be whizzing by us, and all of a sudden, they "got it".

 

[scubadada]

So, against the grain, I wear a full 3 mm wetsuit, at a minimum, under all diving circumstances. I'm never too warm, but I'm often the only warm person on the boat. Wearing little protective gear sometimes seem like quite the macho thing.