Do I really need a wetsuit?

maxboost · Mar 11, 2007

Okay, so this may sound like a crazy idea to most people but since I just splurged over $2k worth of equipment I simply had no room left for wetsuits.

Anyway, I usually dive in a tropical water and sometimes I just wear my board shorts.
This upcoming March I will be going to Hawaii to try out my new rig and what I have with me is board shorts and shortys/UnderArmour.
My question is will I freeze to death? Should I piss my bank manager off with a Henderson suit?

realnwf · Mar 11, 2007

Seeing as how I just dove the wonderful warmth of Florida....And lived here all my life...61 degree ocean temps off Panama City really are cold..Go for the wet suit..at least a 3 mill.

rsilva708 · Mar 11, 2007

It really depends on you. Myself, I get cold very easy. I dive a semi-dry year round in the quarry, in Belize I got away with a 3mil shorty and in Bonaire since I was doing a lot more dives, I used a full 3mil. However, I dive with people who in all those locations do it in their swim suit or just a rash guard. So it really depends on how your body deals with the water temps.

paulwlee · Mar 11, 2007

maxboost:
Okay, so this may sound like a crazy idea to most people but since I just splurged over $2k worth of equipment I simply had no room left for wetsuits.
Anyway, I usually dive in a tropical water and sometimes I just wear my board shorts.
This upcoming March I will be going to Hawaii to try out my new rig and what I have with me is board shorts and shortys/UnderArmour.
My question is will I freeze to death? Should I piss my bank manager off with a Henderson suit?

Hawaii is a bit colder than the other warm water destinations.
I was in a 3mm full suit diving in Hawaii and getting cold. (And I dive every week in 50 degree water!)
There was one crazy guy diving in swimming trunks but he was only doing that one dive. There are people who dive 5mm full suits there..

Jeff Toorish · Mar 11, 2007

Let me preface this by saying, I live in Maine. I dive here every month of the year and I've done dives every month of the year wet, although I now dive dry in the Winter.

The point is, I can usually handle cold temperatures.

Now, having said that, last year I was in Dominican Republic. It was February, I was there for about two weeks. I dove every day. I brought a 1mm skin and a 5mm jacket. The first day of diving, I wore just the skin. I was kidding some of the divemasters about how much neoprene they were wearing.

One of them said, "When I first came here, I was diving a 1mm, like you. A month later I switched to a 3mm, and I just ordered a 7mm. You acclimate very fast."

I laughed at that.

On about day 5 I started getting cold on the second dive of the day. The water was universally 81 degrees. On day 7, I was cold on the first dive of the day. On day 8 I added the 5mm jacket to the 1mm suit. On day 10, I was cold wearing that and wished I had my 7mm with me.

I think you need a wetsuit.

Jeff

haha49 · Mar 11, 2007

id do it in shorts and a tshirt so your bvd doesnt rub agianst you and you dont get swore because of it...

but i dive 41 water and to me its not that cold but it is cold..

fisherdvm · Mar 11, 2007

maxboost:
Okay, so this may sound like a crazy idea to most people but since I just splurged over $2k worth of equipment I simply had no room left for wetsuits.
Anyway, I usually dive in a tropical water and sometimes I just wear my board shorts.
This upcoming March I will be going to Hawaii to try out my new rig and what I have with me is board shorts and shortys/UnderArmour.
My question is will I freeze to death? Should I piss my bank manager off with a Henderson suit?

We had terribly cold water in Hawaii when I was there. As I was a dirt poor resident, I wore blue jeans, a jersey glove, under a beat up old 5 mm jacket I bought for 5 bucks - and still shivered. You might want to email catherine, a frequent poster here. She lives in Oahu, and can give you the exact water temperature for your trip. Ask the dive shop, they likely will rent you a suit for 10 bucks or so.

Scuba-Jay · Mar 11, 2007

I'm a huge proponent of T-shirt diving, but all it takes is one cold day and you remember why you packed the wet suit. It's not that much more, and and an important part of any divers gear bag.

spectrum · Mar 11, 2007

maxboost:
Okay, so this may sound like a crazy idea to most people but since I just splurged over $2k worth of equipment I simply had no room left for wetsuits.
Anyway, I usually dive in a tropical water and sometimes I just wear my board shorts.
This upcoming March I will be going to Hawaii to try out my new rig and what I have with me is board shorts and shortys/UnderArmour.
My question is will I freeze to death? Should I piss my bank manager off with a Henderson suit?

1. How told tolerant do you consider yourself?

2. Are we talking about a tank a day or a dive intensive stay. Repetitive dive days are sure to get you trouble without protection. A dive a day at mid-day may be OK.

3. You mention the 2K investment, a 3mm suit will add a little over 5% to that, maybe less. On top of that I'd consider it trip insurance if diving is the prime objective.

4. Are you OK with a fall back of buying at island prices or renting (could add up to purchase price) after you learn for yourself?

5. There are usually much better values than Henderson if you need to manage your $$.

Pete

pir8 · Mar 11, 2007

I can't imagine spending 2K on gear and then cheaping out on exposure protection. All the gear in the world is worthless if you can't dive cause you got cold. Of course when I travel I am there to dive(3-5 a day) so if not protected properly I will eventually get cold and I don not want to be cold.

Do I really need a wetsuit?

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