laikabear
Contributor
I'm looking for suggestions on how to stay warmer when diving. I live and mostly dive in So Cal. I have a Waterproof brand 7mm full suit and a 5mm hood. The suit fits pretty well IMO but even though it's a tall, it still is not long enough in the arms for me, and I also lately seem to have more issues with cold water flushing down my back. I don't remember it being that bad when I started, so maybe the suit is getting stretched out a bit? Or I'm getting wimpier. I always get cold when diving but this past weekend I was miserable, and missed an opportunity to do a night dive because I was so cold.
We were diving in about 56F water, but we were doing Reef Check, which meant long dives (~50 mins to 1 hr) and we were barely moving around. I got cold to the point of it probably being dangerous, and I just could not warm up on the surface intervals. Others on the boat were cold, too, but I think I had it the worst. I was just shivering a lot and people kept asking if I was okay.
I had been thinking that I would eventually move to a drysuit, but I'm a new diver and learning to control buoyancy with a drysuit is intimidating. I haven't done it yet because of the cost, and that includes the fact that I'll have to take a class, and all the associated costs with that. Also this weekend some of the drysuit divers commented that with our shallow dives (30 feet and less), they couldn't add much air to their suits, so they were cold, too.
3 boat crew members have individually taken me aside without my asking and recommended that I consider a custom wetsuit that is a 2-piece farmer john and jacket. I'm really considering this, as it will be a lot less costly than the drysuit + class, and probably easier to use. There is a company nearby called JMJ that I am going to visit on Friday to see what they have. I'm leaning strongly toward this option, but my dive buddy is saying I should just get the drysuit.
Part of my concern is that I have GUE fundamentals coming up and I'm worried about that class. It's going to be difficult enough as it is, and if I'm freezing, it will be hard to think and learn. The class has been very expensive with all the extra gear I have had to buy, plus all the expenses of the class that seem to add up. I don't want to go into that class and not perform well or get the most out of it because I'm cold. I definitely can't get a drysuit before the class. One thing I'm going to try in the interim is wearing my 2.5mm full suit under my 7mm. If it will fit.
If I order a custom wetsuit it can probably be ready by the time for my class.
I'm a real cold weather wimp. I always have on more layers than anyone else at work or pretty much anywhere. I dove with a 5mm suit in Cozumel this April and still managed to get a little chilly on dives. But this is not just a comfort issue at this point, it's a safety issue. It's hard to think and be on your toes when you are really cold.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks!
We were diving in about 56F water, but we were doing Reef Check, which meant long dives (~50 mins to 1 hr) and we were barely moving around. I got cold to the point of it probably being dangerous, and I just could not warm up on the surface intervals. Others on the boat were cold, too, but I think I had it the worst. I was just shivering a lot and people kept asking if I was okay.
I had been thinking that I would eventually move to a drysuit, but I'm a new diver and learning to control buoyancy with a drysuit is intimidating. I haven't done it yet because of the cost, and that includes the fact that I'll have to take a class, and all the associated costs with that. Also this weekend some of the drysuit divers commented that with our shallow dives (30 feet and less), they couldn't add much air to their suits, so they were cold, too.
3 boat crew members have individually taken me aside without my asking and recommended that I consider a custom wetsuit that is a 2-piece farmer john and jacket. I'm really considering this, as it will be a lot less costly than the drysuit + class, and probably easier to use. There is a company nearby called JMJ that I am going to visit on Friday to see what they have. I'm leaning strongly toward this option, but my dive buddy is saying I should just get the drysuit.
Part of my concern is that I have GUE fundamentals coming up and I'm worried about that class. It's going to be difficult enough as it is, and if I'm freezing, it will be hard to think and learn. The class has been very expensive with all the extra gear I have had to buy, plus all the expenses of the class that seem to add up. I don't want to go into that class and not perform well or get the most out of it because I'm cold. I definitely can't get a drysuit before the class. One thing I'm going to try in the interim is wearing my 2.5mm full suit under my 7mm. If it will fit.
If I order a custom wetsuit it can probably be ready by the time for my class.I'm a real cold weather wimp. I always have on more layers than anyone else at work or pretty much anywhere. I dove with a 5mm suit in Cozumel this April and still managed to get a little chilly on dives. But this is not just a comfort issue at this point, it's a safety issue. It's hard to think and be on your toes when you are really cold.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks!
