Hawaii in May... Which wetsuit?

[knotical]

Another one here suggesting you consider a hood. Its amazing how much difference even a light hood or scuba beanie makes.

 

[DiveMaven]

According to my friends on Maui, the water temp is 74 degrees right now. It should drop another 1-2 degrees in the next couple of months, then begin going up. Plan accordingly for your own personal cold tolerance.

 

[GingerSnaps]

I was cold this weekend in Miami wearing my 4/3. It was 76/77 degree water. That about makes the decision for me.


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[vinegarbiscuit]

I lived and dived in HI for 2.5 years, and somehow or other, my tolerance for the water temps. there decreased the longer I was there! I started off diving the waters in a 3 mm (in winter, no less), but by the end of my time there, I was in a 5 mm in summer and started feeling the chill on my second dive of the day. My husband was an instructor, and he and his mates all dove 7 mm suits with hoods - four dives a day and the wind on the boat, day in and day out, really saps one's body temperature.

If you feel the cold easily and will be diving frequently, take the 8/7. And your hood.

 

[GingerSnaps]

Vinegarbiscuit, thank you! My 8/7 is a semi-dry with an attached hood, so not bringing the hood isn't an option. I pretty much decided that I had to bring the heavy suit after diving in Miami last weekend when I chilled my booty in 75-77 degree water in my 4/3


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[pauldewitt]

My wife always goes with a 5mm wetsuit and hood. The hood is critical, as she gets cold in the wetsuit without it. Our friend, a female, just dives in a bikini.

If you trend towards being cold and using a wetsuit, you'll probably want it. Temps are down here now, the ambient air temps have been down lately, and it's been more windy here on Oahu. This really can make my wife miserable when diving. I don't pay attention to the conditions on the other islands. I run hot, all the time, so I can only offer what I've observed.

 

[SeahorseDeb]

Dang!!! I have people to back me up! I have taken my 5/7 full wetsuit on two trips to Kailua and stayed toasty. I usually dive in a drysuit so the 80 degree water down to 120 feet was fantastic, but I usually get cold easy so I ignored my LDS advice to get a shorty and took my 5/7. Now....I see other posters that like the extra mm's of thickness too. So....I'm not a wimp!

 

[DiveMaven]

My computer said the water was 72 degrees today! Brrr...I was cold mid-way through my second dive with my 5mm full suit. Wish I had worn my Lavacore.

 

[Kathleen Seide]

When I was in Bonaire I alternated between my 3/2 full suit and my 5/3 hooded shortie (so they'd dry out between dives, and I wouldn't get bad tan lines). My dives ran 60-100 min in Bonaire and I was comfortable.
In Hawaii I used a 5mm full suit with no hood and felt fine, but the dives were around 60 min.