Tropical Hypothermia???

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Pre BC

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Has anyone tried wearing one of the new light weight breathable tropical drysuits? Are they really light weight? Are they really breathable? Are they more or less comfortable than wetsuits during that last few minutes of unbearably hot gear up just before getting wet?

While it is still rare, I have recently run into several DMs/instructors wearing the DUI 30/30 in water where I would normally wear a 3 mil wetsuit. Garrobo's post on "Diving Nude" quoted on the bottom of this page gives a very interesting perspective on why some professionals are going dry in warm water... I am looking for a recreational diver's perspective... Is a tropical drysuit worth the extra cost for a 30-50 dpy (dive per year :cool2:) warm water recreational diver?

If the answer is yes, how/where can I try one without having to shell out over a grand hoping I'll like it? The only demo/rental drysuits I have found are cold water...

P


Here is Garrobo's interesting "Nude Diving" post.

Drysuit in Summer in South Florida? I thought it was a joke when I first saw it for real. At my favorite dive shop in the Upper Keys several of the instuctor/DMs wear dry or semi-dry suits. When going out four times a day, every day of the week there seems to be a problem with maintaining one's core temperature. If you live down there and the temp goes below about 75 you are getting cold. Hard to believe if you are coming down from the North. I was diving with a lady DM in February who actually was wearing 15 mm of neoprene. Looked like the Michelin Lady. The year before in January I was on a boat with a DM who was wearing a snowmobile suit to stay warm. Last month there was a couple from Orlando who were freezing their a**es off in 85 degree temp because of the wind. I mean they were shivering and their lips were blue.
 
I think you big question really revolves around what YOU need. Personally, I am ok diving without a wetsuit to temps of about 65 or so for a full dive. In tropical places, I wear a rash guard and compression shorts to help protect from stings and stuff but no thermal protection and don't have a problem.

My friend wears a 7mm suit in Fiji, so everyone is different. The nice thing with a dry suit is that you can customize your undergarments to fit the dive. I don't think diving dry in the tropics is a bad idea, but for me, that's a whole lot of money to spend for something I really wouldn't see a dramatic benefit from. You may be different.
 
In tropical areas and even in the northern Gulf in the summer I do not wear a wetsuit. I hate the stinking, constricting, daXX things. N
 
I'm very sensitive to the cold and have been eying both the DUI 30/30 and White's Tropical Explorer. Like you, the price tags give me pause, so I'll be watching this thread.

In the meantime, I've found that a light hood pays big dividends for a small price.
 
I use a Whites Fusion for cold water diving, but I sometimes practice in it while in a dive pool set at 87 degrees. I just wear a set of long underwear, such as one might find in a camping store, underneath it. I am not too warm in it. I could see using it in the tropics if I wanted to.
 
I dont want to hijack this thread, but I didnt realize there was a difference between a tropical drysuit and a cold water drysuit. I would assume whats under the suit is the thermal protection. If it was warm water you could just go with a long sleeve shirt and pants right?
 
Anytime the core body temperature drops below normal, hypothermia is definitely a possibility. As far as what type of thermal protection a person requires depends on how tolerant their body is to temperature changes. Unless you are diving in 97F water, chances are your body temp will go down slightly or more depending on the person.

A friend of mine went to Cozumel last year where his wife was diving with him as well. She needed a 5 mil while he was fine in just trunks and a rash guard. With that comparison, you can see that many different people vary.
 
I always figured a drysuit was like a condom. Why wear one if you don't have to?:lotsalove:
 
There's no way that I could wear a drysuit. I load up with Gatorade before and between dives and pee about three times more than I intake. I know, a pee valve with a sort of condom thing taped to my willy. I sent in for a sample of the three sizes: small, medium and large. I tried the small first. It was too large so I gave up on that idea. Actually, I sort of like the warm and fuzzy feeling of peeing in a wetsuit anyway.
 
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