Drysuit Diving - Where do you get cold first

[shoredivr]

Hands therefore dry gloves.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

^^^^
This!
Once I found dry gloves that didn't leak I don't notice the water temps much.

 

[Michael Guerrero]

my hands get cold first, dry gloves or not. If I am getting chilled then I feel it in my arms and torso too, especially if my exhaust valve has let a little water in. I've never felt cold in my feet or legs, and generally my head is fine with my 7mm hood, even in 43F water.

 

[BrewsKampbell]

I regularly dive in 38F water and I've only had my hands get cold a few times. I use dry gloves and break the wrist seal with something small like a piece of bungie cord so I can allow air into them.

 

[Michael Guerrero]

My problem is I keep my hands too low so the air goes right back out of them .

 

[antattack]

I have a couple of nice one piece undergarments. Contrary to what the marketing literature says, you still need to layer depending on what you will be doing and the water you will be diving in.

If I'm doing sedentary stuff in 47F water, I'll add a fleece vest, dry gloves and fleece socks to my cold water jumper.

If I'm kicking it in 55F water with a long swim, then I'm happy with 3mm neoprene gloves, just the light fleece jumper and a pair of wool cycling socks.

What I'm trying to say is that I used to get cold on my sides like you when doing photography- and I don't anymore because I add a cheap fleece vest to my fancy "designed for diving" undergarments.

If I hadn't already put money into the nice dive undergarments, I'd just go to Walmart or Costco and buy generic synthetic fleece separates. You really need a wardrobe. Dress for what you are doing and never be cold again!

 

[FinnMom]

I usually wear 2 pairs of wool socks & my feet generally get cold only if I was foolish enough to stand around in the snow before getting in the water. If you arrive at the dive site with any moisture in your socks change to dry socks before your dive.

For me it's always my fingers that get cold first and get the most painfully cold. I have tried xc-ski glove liners (look like they were made of silk) under my wool glove liners and that works pretty well. Thick qualofill glove liners were very warm but unreasonably thick. I wear drygloves and run the underglove under my wrist seal to let air flow back & forth. BTW 8mm 3-finger semidry gloves are astonishing warm too, I have a Waterproof-brand set as backup gloves. It's amazing how much warmer 3-fingers are than 5.

Trying other undersuits (own 3, use others for warmer months) has led me to the conclusion that nothing else is as warm as a Weezle Xtreme+. It expands to fill all the space available inside your drysuit suit and yet compresses down to nearly nothing (like a down sleeping bag) so it doesn't bind at the joints like ordinary blanket-like fabrics. It looks so ridiculous out of the water you just have to know it's good (like the logic of bad-tasting medicine). Some high-tech, big-dollar stuff might be as/more low-loft and warm, but the Weezle Extreme+ is great and for a normal person's budget.

For the next-to-skin layer 100% merino wool longjohns are incredibly warm, dry fast and don't stink like most sports (xc-skiing etc.) longjohns. Never wear cotton or other fabrics that collect moisture, esp. not next to your skin.

Once you feel well & truely chilled, get out of the water. Your condition can get worse quite suddenly and you don't want to be in the water when that happens. You need your strength & wits to be fully functional so you can get out of the water unhurt.

BTW you can layer wetsuit hoods too. A 3mm hood is a really nice winter addition over a normal 5-8mm hood.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

... the Weezle booties will take care of your cold toe issues ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[ican]

I just started by drysuit diving and I am getting used to what undergarments I need to use. I was wondering where you get cold first(Where you would need to add more layers).

I did my first dive yesterday in 55 degree water, and I got cold on my sides first, so I will need to have more layers(or heavier ones) there.

Trent

I had my first 55 degree dive on Sunday this past weekend, and the temperature above the thermocline was 64 degrees... The difference was astounding as I passed the 50 ft depth mark, as I suddenly felt a chill through my hands (rental gloves with holes between the fingers are not fun in cold water,) face, and arms. For the most part, my torso stayed the warmest longest, but after 5 minutes of standing on the platform at 65 ft, I was sufficiently chilled to the bone in my 7mm johns and long sleeve shorty wetsuit. As we ascended along the bottom in very dark conditions, we eventually made it back above the thermocline, where I immediate stopped shivering, and decided I could stay there forever if I had enough air.

I suppose I've gone a bit off topic, but to answer your questions, the first thing that will likely get cold in a drysuit is your hands and feet, just because they are really the least protected parts of your body in a dry suit. Keeping your kidneys warm will keep your blood flowing to your extremities best, and the natural reaction of the human body to intense cold - like diving in <50 degree water - is to stop providing blood to your extremities in order to protect your core and internal organs. The best thing to do to prevent your body from producing a shock-like effect due to the extreme cold of a dive, is to prevent your core from thinking it is in any danger at all. That's why most multi-thickness wetsuits are designed with thicker neoprene over the chest and kidney areas. (Source: I've been wearing wetsuit shirts for many years to stay toasty warm while teaching swimming lessons.)

 

[swimmer_spe]

My face.

Everything else is protected.