Yes, Another Exposure Suit Question for Coz!

[Slater]

Yes ive read a few of the threads & still trying to make sense of this as never dove 80 degree water for a week..
Have my first Coz trip planned for November 6-12th & frustrating to see the exposure opinions all over the page!
Ive dove eastcape / cabo late in September in just shorts but then again it was just 2 dives & only to about 50feet.
What is average water temp @ depth in Novemeber?
It would suck to be hot in 3mm full wetsuit in 80 degree bathwater, just find it hard to beleave that someone would be cold.. then again ive never done a week of diving in anything less than a 7mil.
Im thinking a xs scuba beanie instead of a restricting hood & also need some advise on booties as no way were taking our 6mm xs scuba booties, my other half clearly remembers her feet were sweating while just snorkeling eastcape..
Well I need a wetsuit & looking for a good value, dont want garbage but then ill only be using this suit once a year..
Does one brand shine above the rest in the same price range, pinnacle, bare, henderson, neosports, etc..
Anyone running just a skin or steamer of sorts, maybe a thinner suit than a 3/2 full & not cold at all?
What are thoughts on this inexpensive Sea Elite even though I think I hate the rubber looking chest area:

Sea Elite Equator 3/2 Mens Jumpsuit @ Divers-Supply.com

Thanks for the insight​

 

[Mossman]

The threads are all over the place because everyone perceives cold differently. Also, water temps vary a bit between summer and winter extremes. Yes, plenty of people just dive a skin or T-shirt and claim that's plenty. Yes, plenty of people dive 5mm suits with hoods and complain about getting chilled. On my last trip, with water about 80, I was perfectly comfortable on all but the longest dives in my 3mm hyperstretch full suit with a 3mm hyperstretch "core warmer" under it, but less meaty divers on my boat were whining about how cold it was and they had more exposure protection than me.Personally, I don't do hoods until it's below 70 because I don't like my head covered. Also, I've never given a thought to booties, and always dive the same thick neoprene pair in warm water that I've used in cold. After a week I've occasionally noticed chafing in the toes or heels, but my feet are never too warm.If you think a full suit will be overkill, you can look into a shorty but that won't provide your arms and legs with protection from stinging critters. For warm water, I prefer ease of donning over thermal protection (hence my collection of hyperstretch suits), but those who get chilled easily might prefer the opposite - a tighter fit on a pure neoprene suit will keep one warmer, but they can be a pain to get on.In November, the water is cooling a bit from summer's high of 84 or so, but hasn't reached the winter lows of 77 or so. Therefore it's probably going to be somewhere in between, i.e. 80ish.

 

[Brules]

People are built differently too......basically what I see is MOST skinny people wear wetsuits, the....larger folks wear less and less. I myself wear a swim suit and a long sleeve UV shirt lol. 6'0 275lbs. I do get a bit chilled towards the end of the week, but it doesn't bother me unless we do columbia shallows for 75-90minutes. Last year on last dive we did it for 90 min and I had had enough lol....

I can't STAND wearing neoprene wet suits, so I would reccomend, if anything bring one of those slick new skins that are = to a 3mm or 1.5mm. They look easy to put on and comfy to wear. I always lol at people putting on full wetsuits, it looks like such a hassle that I feel bad for them when I just sit there in my suit and shirt lol!

 

[Dave Dillehay]

In my humble opinion, the ABSOLUTE BEST all around wet suit for Cozumel is what formerly was called Polartec. That is a skin that is lined with a fleece that provides 2 1/2 to 3 mil equivalency. It has no buoyancy change at all and allows most divers to take 2-4 lbs off the weight belt. In the summer time when it is 86 f it is more than enough for even the "faint at cold" and provides full skin protection. In the winter when it gets real cold (78 f) I add a 3 mil neoprene shorty. But in early November it should still be 80 or above, and if you are doing less than 1 hour dives that should be no problem at all.

For quite a few years Polartec has not been available because of warranty problems-- when people ran them through their washers and dryers the fleece fell off. All I have ever done is rinse them out in fresh water and still have the same one for the last 5 years.

Earlier this month I attended the Long Beach Scuba show and was delighted to see that several vendors were selling a similar product they call 'Lavacore" which is supposed to be improved with an additional lining to keep wind from blowing through and adding a chill when you get out of the water. I still have my Polartec so have not tried it but my wife loves hers. Oceanic is the supplier that we buy from and I believe they can be found at retail for less than $200.

You can Google Lavacore and find a bunch of suppliers. Some of them are half suits or hoods but I suggest that you go for the full suit.

Dave Dillehay
Aldora Divers

 

[cvchief]

People are built differently too......basically what I see is MOST skinny people wear wetsuits, the....larger folks wear less and less. I myself wear a swim suit and a long sleeve UV shirt lol. 6'0 275lbs. I do get a bit chilled towards the end of the week, but it doesn't bother me unless we do columbia shallows for 75-90minutes. Last year on last dive we did it for 90 min and I had had enough lol....

I can't STAND wearing neoprene wet suits, so I would reccomend, if anything bring one of those slick new skins that are = to a 3mm or 1.5mm. They look easy to put on and comfy to wear. I always lol at people putting on full wetsuits, it looks like such a hassle that I feel bad for them when I just sit there in my suit and shirt lol!

That and I don't like the 'sausage' look.

 

[cobra269]

I just returned from 2 wks of diving. 25 total dives. I have a few extra lbs and dove with a 3/2 wetsuit. Water temps were 80 - 82 and mostly at 81. I was always comfortable and did get chilled once or twice at the surface interval when the sun went behind the clouds. Almost everyone I dove with had some kind of wetsuit except the kids in their 20's. Even they sometimes got cold.

 

[judydivescoz]

In my humble opinion, the ABSOLUTE BEST all around wet suit for Cozumel is what formerly was called Polartec. That is a skin that is lined with a fleece that provides 2 1/2 to 3 mil equivalency. It has no buoyancy change at all and allows most divers to take 2-4 lbs off the weight belt. In the summer time when it is 86 f it is more than enough for even the "faint at cold" and provides full skin protection. In the winter when it gets real cold (78 f) I add a 3 mil neoprene shorty. But in early November it should still be 80 or above, and if you are doing less than 1 hour
dives that should be no problem at all.

For quite a few years Polartec has not been available because of warranty problems-- when people ran them through their washers and dryers the fleece fell off. All I have ever done is rinse them out in fresh water and still have the same one for the last 5 years.

Earlier this month I attended the Long Beach Scuba show and was delighted to see that several vendors were selling a similar product they call 'Lavacore" which is supposed to be improved with an additional lining to keep wind from blowing through and adding a chill when you get out of the water. I still have my Polartec so have not tried it but my wife loves hers. Oceanic is the supplier that we buy from and I believe they can be found at retail for less than $200.

You can Google Lavacore and find a bunch of suppliers. Some of them are half suits or hoods but I suggest that you go for the full suit.

Dave Dillehay
Aldora Divers

I am a big fan of Polartec as well. I still have a few left and found a new old stock one listed recently on EBay. When it's a little chilly ( less than 82) I wear a 3 mil vest and a squid hat with the Polartec. I looked at the Lavacore, it's very nice. My husband has one. The Fourth Element also has a fleece that I liked better. Still miss the old Polartec!

 

[Christi]

Slater - as Mossman said in a nutshell - no one can answer this for you! Everyone is different - on the same dives with the same dive schedule for the week one person can be wearling nothing but a bathing suit while another is wearing 5mm + a hood + a core warmer - and both are comfortable!

Dave - Very happy to hear about this product - I will definitley be looing it up! I LOVED my Polartec and it did last me a good 500+ dives before I finally had to let it go!

 

[Brules]

That and I don't like the 'sausage' look.

Makes me feel like a can of biscuits.....

 

[Slater]

Thanks guys & yes seen the Lavacore @ lds on a promo sale price the other day!
Seen mixed reviews on them as of lately..
I understand everyone is different, its just one extreme to the next. Ide imagine a spring would be fine but then again you hear sooo many saying 3mil full..
Like I said I dont know what my body cold comfort level really is, guess its time to turn on the tub & get in a full suit, sound like its going to be hot!