Wetsuit diving limits

[DiverBuoy]

FallenMatt once bubbled...
funny thing, when i dove in the gulf in panama city beach in february the water was a steamy (in comparison) 67 degrees but i didn't have hood. Same wetsuit but i was feeling miserable and called the dive after 20 minutes because i felt damn too cold.

67 Degrees!

That's over 30 degrees colder than your body temperature! Not surprised, it's also why I tell my students the thong clad models in the scuba magazines are not you - they suffer for their paychecks "you shouldn't". I recommend a full wrist to ankle skin as a minimum for both self protection from aquatic life and for warmth, when diving in the tropics. Don't do the bikini or bathing suit only thing.

 

[Genesis]

70F is damn cold in a 3mil.

With a 3 mil hooded vest, its ok for recreational (NDL) exposures, provided that you have 80F or warmer SUN on the surface!

Colder than that and I get out my drysuit. I HATE being cold.

HATE it.

 

[plsdiver4377]

Recently did (2) 60' max dives in a local lake wearing a 5mil full with a 3mil short over that, gloves and no hood (I hate 'em). The temp was 64 degrees on the surface temp and the thermocline at 45' was 52 degrees.

On the first dive it wasn't to bad only a little chilly. The second dive was called early because our other buddy pair was freezing (I wasn't complaining either). Also, I will wear that hateful hood this weekend.

 

[jtivat]

Last weekend my wife and I did a wreck dive in Lake Michigan it was at 60' and the temp was 38 to 40 degrees F. She was dry with a wet head and hands and I was wet in a double 7mm. We were diving with two DM's and she stayed down for 23min and then went up with one of the DM's the other DM and I stayed down for 36 min. The only part of my body that felt cold where my hands, as far as being more tolerant to cold I do believe you can build a tolerance my wife has only been in Michigan three years (she is from TX) and she gets cold much easier and stays cold.

 

[FallenMatt]

.. things like diving in the keys towards the end of the summer can really mess up your definition of "cold" :

"wetsuit? what wetsuit??? dive naked and you still get too hot" :-D

 

[wreckchick]

All my dives, save one glorious dive, have been wet and I've tried 6.5 mm wetsuit (down to 48 degrees), a semi-dry (down to 39 degrees), and 3 mm (ok, Belize, doesn't count). The warmest I've been was not too cold in the 6.5 down to the mid 60's and I didn't freeze my butt off in the semi-dry in the low 60's but I was never what one might consider warm, or even comfortable for most of those dives. I was, of course, wearing hoods, gloves and nice thick booties for all those dives.

The surface interval makes a huge difference, I do OK on the dives but I really don't want to get back in the water after being cold on the surface.

I have vowed that I'm not diving anything colder that mid 60's until I get a drysuit and I'm only doing that because, well, I'm obsessed with diving.

38-40 degrees in any kind of wetsuit will makes me hypothermic to the point where I can feel my brain slow down.

Rachel

 

[jasondbaker]

I have tried Lake Superior in a wetsuit. 37deg on the surface and 36deg at depth -- not much of a thermocline. I spent one weekend last year in a wetsuit and decided then and there to buy a drysuit. I could only last about 25min in a wetsuit.

 

[Big-t-2538]

I am one of the lucky few to always dive in a wet-suit. I have seen temps in the low 40's....and it is damn cold. To be honest 45 is about as cold as I can "comfotably" go, but not for more than 20 minutes at a time, I have made dives at 48 degrees for 40 minutes, and that was more than enough for my buddy. My wetsuit fits like a glove, and I'm pretty tolerant to the cold, but it makes for a long day of diving.

Be sure to try and relax as much as possible. DRINK A LOT OF WATER....you will still dehydrate when cold, maybe even faster than if you are warm, breathing that nice and dry compressed gas takes a lot more water out of your body than you can imagine. Compound that with cold and you can get a headache VERY fast. Do not be cold for very long, start to go up if you or your buddy are cold. Cold is bad, but it can be a successful dive if planned correctly.

 

[Rick Inman]

Bought a new7.5mm 1 piece with hooded 7mm/3mm vest, and dove it last night down to 47 degrees. (I am 6', 185pds) I was warm the entire time. But the wetsuit fits perfectly - which I believe is key. Before I bought it, I did a search and a lot of reading under "Exposure Suits". Do the search, read what those who dive wet have to say and I believe you can make your dive in relitive comfort.

 

[livestodive]

from April to December. There are ways to insure that you are set up for the cold.

Wetsuit fit, absolutely the most important factor. If the legs on the step in are not closed around the John and water can invade you're done.

Gloves gauntleted with a stretch wrist wrap. If the wrist wrap is not of a stretchy material you need to keep adjusting for suit compression.

Boots high enough to get 3 to 4 inches on top of the boot. (overlaid on top of the boot)

Hood I wear a 3 mil exclusively it is able to stretch that way I can use one tight enough to keep water from moving through without having my head in a vice.

Its all about fit and unwanted water circulation. Maybe when I am not so conservative ( cheap to my buddies) I'll spring for the dry suit. I truly haven't been chilled enough to be driven to it yet.


This is how I do it, I am a newbie (175 dives )and am always learning. Don't take this as an answer to all, just my lil bit of experience.