Getting warm?

Gidds · Sep 5, 2005

I get cold very easily, especially in the water, even with adequate exposure protection. I've gotten hypothermia while diving before so now I have enough sense to get out of the water and warm up when I get cold. I'd like some tips about warming up though. If I want to do another dive or snorkel I don't want to take my suit off all the way because it will be virtually impossible to get back into so I peel it down to my hips and put on a fleece and a jacket and a hat and sit in the sun or in my car. Today I still got incredibley chilled doing this so I was wondering if others could offer warming tips?

ABQdiver · Sep 5, 2005

Gidds:
I get cold very easily, especially in the water, even with adequate exposure protection. I've gotten hypothermia while diving before so now I have enough sense to get out of the water and warm up when I get cold. I'd like some tips about warming up though. If I want to do another dive or snorkel I don't want to take my suit off all the way because it will be virtually impossible to get back into so I peel it down to my hips and put on a fleece and a jacket and a hat and sit in the sun or in my car. Today I still got incredibley chilled doing this so I was wondering if others could offer warming tips?

You sound like the perfect candidate for a drysuit to me. Either that or, move to the Caribbean!!

Drysuits really help during the surface interval. Not being wet, your body doesn't lose the heat it does when wet. Try it, you never go back, especially in the waters you're diving in.

Gidds · Sep 5, 2005

Yeah I'm saving up for that but in the mean time I don't want more hypothermia

Also in the summer here I wouldn't especially want to wear a dry suit unless I were doing a deep dive or a long dive below the thermocline. I wish I were down there in the SW though, nice and toasty

Tod · Sep 5, 2005

Tell us what the water temperatures are in the area you dive (southern New England?) and tell us what you currently wear for an exposure suit and that may help us start to figure out what may be a problem.

The drysuit is ultimately a good idea, but at 15 dives (or less) you may not quite want to go that route just yet (it's expensive) or there may be other options to try for now.

Gidds · Sep 5, 2005

I wear a 7mm w/ jacket and hood but today I was being a weeny and wasn't wearing a hood or jacket in mid-upper 60'sF water (probably 65-68ish). The time I got the hypothermia I was wearing the whole kit and was in 50-mid 60's water. In the summer here the water gets mid-upper 70's and I can stay in for a couple hours without the jacket and hood but I still get a chill. I get cold under normal dry-air circumstances more easily than other people as well so I assume it's just a physiological thing. I also have a slightly elevated temperature compared to most people. The only time I wasn't cold was when I dove in the Carribean wearing the 7mm again w/ no hood or jacket. I was perfectly comfortable, not overheated, and I wasn't diving deeper than 60'.

Brand0n · Sep 5, 2005

i donno how well this works but iv herd putting warm in your wet suit helps. iv also seen thos little water packs you can boil and put in your suit to keep you warm never tryed eather so not sure

RumBum · Sep 6, 2005

Go to a local hunting goods store and find these disposable hot packs, they are small enough to put in your pocket, you open it, squeeze it, and it gets hot, stays hot for a couple of hours. They are about $1 each and good for only one use. Will help you get warm once back on land.
As far as in the water, wear all the protective stuff you can find. Hood, gloves, socks or pantyhose are very important for keeping your body heat from escaping. Plan for shorter dives. Stay shallower in cold water. Pee alot in your wetsuit.

gfisher4792 · Sep 6, 2005

RumBum:
Pee alot in your wetsuit.

No exactly the advice you hear a lot, though possibly effective.

Wayward Son · Sep 6, 2005

During your SI, you must retain your core body heat. Get a dive parka & put it on as soon as you get out of your gear. Don't bother peeling off the wet suit, just get a parka on to stop losing your core temp. Also, take a knit hat & wear it. You lose a lot of body heat through your head. Speaking of which, if you aren't wearing a hood to dive, I'd recommend one of those for the same reason. Stay out of the wind.

It also helps to drink warm liquids. Take a thermos of hot chocolate or something with you.

These are all things we do when winter diving. If they can keep us diving wet when the wind is blowing, it's 60 degrees or less, and the water is 57, they should help you when it's warmer.

Xanthro · Sep 6, 2005

RumBum:
Go to a local hunting goods store and find these disposable hot packs, they are small enough to put in your pocket, you open it, squeeze it, and it gets hot, stays hot for a couple of hours. They are about $1 each and good for only one use. Will help you get warm once back on land.

These work wonders. I've given them away on dives to people who are freezing and they warm up very quickly.

Also, get a long coat and wear it during the SI. You need to keep the water from evaporating, and keep your heat retained.

Also, consider a dive skin, they add a bit of warm, but the best part is they make getting into a wet wetsuit much easier. If you don't have the wetsuit on wicking away your heat during the SI you'll stay much warmer.

Getting warm?

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