Wetsuit thickness for the Philippines

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ghostdog72

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Messages
16
Reaction score
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Location
Virginia
# of dives
25 - 49
I'm going to be in the Philippines from the 15 November to 15 December.
I'm not sure what to take.
I'm going to be diving 3 or 4 times a day.
All range of diving reef, walls, deep, and wrecks.
I stay pretty warm.
I have a 1.5mm wetsuit is that enough?
I was thing about getting 2mm vest, beanie or just get a 3mm suit.
Thanks for your time.
Any help will be greatly appreciated
Sean
 
1. Whats the water temp you are expecting?
2. What wetsuit thickness do you wear for a given water temp?

Every one is different, depending on their cold tolerance and what they're used too.

To give you an example - I live in the Middle East where the Summer air temps are above 110F

I wear a 3mm and a lavacore 1 piece (supposed to be similar to a 2.5mm) for temps from 90F down to 80F. below 80F I feel cold so am in a drysuit. My wife however will wear her 3mm and lavacore down to 70F.

When diving in Indonesia some dives the guide were like me with layers on, where as some guests were in Tee shirts and shorts at 83F
 
I was in the Philippines last December. Water temp was around 26°C.
I used a 5mm Wetsuit and a 3mm Hood (mainly for my ears). Was a bit warm for the first Dives, but after a few days with 3 dives on each day i was really glad i brought it.
 
These questions are really impossible to answer, as per Diving Dubai's post. 26C is about 76F. I would use just a body suit ("rash guard"?) for protection, not warmth. I did this in Panama in that exact water temp. for a week. I was only doing 2-3 dives a day, but was toasty. I suppose a shorty would be OK too, but you'd need more weight.If you're close to the coast you may be able to find similar water temps. this peak time of year to check it out. We had 22C temps. here yesterday in NS. I know the charters out of Va. Beach take all day (so I've heard) and are costly--plus 20 miles out you may find cooler bottom temps.
 
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I have seen divers returned from the same dive wearing from broad-shorts to dry suit in Philippines.
I would pack a vest with hood or even a 3mm suit if your baggage allowance permit it.
Worst comes to worst you can always buy a new one or hire a thicker one.
 
I was diving in Utila Honduras Caribbean where the water temperature was 85f the 10 days I was there and I wore a 1.5 mm and warm sometimes but most of the time it was perfect. I guess I'm also trying to find out what the average water temperatures are between November 15 through December 15
 
85F is about 30C.
Water temp in Dec should be lower.
Coldness temp ever experienced for me in Philippines was 19C(67F) in Feb/Mar this yr.
 
On the two trips I've made to the Philippines, the typical suit was a full length 3mm or 5mm. This was a group of divers accustomed to diving in Puget Sound, which is considerably colder.
I started with a full length 3/2mm and added a 1mm hooded vest later in the week. Repetitive diving over several days tends to lower body temp.
 
Temps during that time range from 26-27ºC (78.8-80.6ºF). For me a 3/2 mm wet suit does the job. I have a 1.5mm hooded vest on standby if I feel it's too cold. But cold resistance varies from person to person (I have a friend who dives with board shorts and a Lycra rash guard for the same temps). Cold resistance also deteriorates with age :), I started with the rash guard/board shorts combo, then went to 1mm neoprene, then 3/2 mm neoprene + hooded vest.
 
[QUOTE= Cold resistance also deteriorates with age :)

*******************************************************************

Slight hijack-- I hated cold as a 22 year old in NYC. As a 50 year old in subarctic Canada I hated heat and had no problem with extreme cold (3 months of -30C--- -22F) daytime air w/o wind chill in sun). Now in "balmy" Nova Scotia at 62, I feel the cold a little more. Has more to do with where you live (and how long) than age (at least in my case). 65F water and 80F air and I'm still in the shorty.

This why it always gets back to testing out temps. and suits if at all possible, to see what's right for you now. Then make a list of water temp. ranges for each suit you may have.
 
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