New to Cold Water

From the first few supervised dives that I have done in Jamaica, I was hooked. But upon returning to the frigid OW of New England and Canada, diving didn't seem as pleasuerable. But after five or so months of surface dwelling and snorkeling the lakes and rock lines, scuba diving is the only choice.
I will begin my certification process this fall (2003) and I look forward to the input of anyone regarding wetsuits for cold water, cold water physical conditioning, and equipment differences and adjustment from warm to cold water.

With so many potential changes in gear, procedure, and physical demands, I look forward to your input.

Have you thought at all about getting a drysuit instead of spending the money on a wet suit?

You can ask Bob3 on this site about them, he is very experieicned in them and is also a dealer for several brands if you have specific questions.

Just something to consider.

Physical conditioning is important for all types of diving in my opinion but some specific planning consideration for cold water / weather diving includes being able to rewarm yourself between dives and after your done diving for the day...

Unless your planning to be active all year, ice diving in the winter the equipment and adjustments will be about the same as what you tried in warm water. One consideration when shops are fewer and farther between is availablity of parts and support for your brand of gear...

Have a great time!!

Feel free to ask any specific questions you think of.

Jeff Lane

MoBayDiver once bubbled...
I look forward to the input of anyone regarding wetsuits for cold water, cold water physical conditioning, and equipment differences and adjustment from warm to cold water.

Click to expand...

...I can't reccomend a wet suit for cold water diving! I'm hopelessly hooked on diving and the only way to stay comfortable for multiple dives and in between dives is a dry suit. It wasn't that hard to learn to use it and in my less than humble opinion, well worth the investment! Argon is also worth the $1/cf when the temps get below 40F!

As for other cold water equipment - a quality environmentaly sealed set of regs is also a good thing.

Conditioning is obviously important no matter what the water temp, but for being able to deal with the added stress of colder water.

I just have one word for you.......


DRYSUIT!

Dry Suit... Yeah... A Dry Suit...

Can you tell me a little about them. Like weights to look for (7mm, 9mm, etc..) rough cost for a new suit, relaible brands that have worked well, as well as the comfortablility and restrictiveness that I may encounter with this new suit.
I do like the Argon factor, but what should I look for in temps below 40F?

And dive shops in Northern Vermont ARE few and far between. I will most likely be looking on-line for a reputable source for my gear...
:scuba:

Well, you could go for any style...

Shell

Neoprene

Rubber

http://www.diverswholesale.com/cgi-...mplate=usa/cat-usa.html&1_option=3&1=Drysuits

Again I would talk to Bob3 and tell him the type of diving your planning to be doing most often...

I personally like rubber (Viking, Hunter, Amron) durable suits, easy to repair...

Jeff Lane

I dive a Bare 7mm Farmer John wet suit in the PNW, But then again the water is a Toasty 40-50f at 60-70feet. So I don't worry about Dry suits.

I usually leave my wetsuit on between dives (I just unzip it to let air circulate)

However, there are more then a couple of advantages to Dry suits that make them neat. You can control boyancy with them, and they are easier to get on and off. also.. There is nothing cooler then running around in public in your underwear. ut:


As I recall, You people over on the north eastern states go to a Soda machine to get a warm soda in the winter, and you jump naked into snow drifts. I would imagine a 3mm would keep you warm enough. <btw this last statement is a joke>

You've come to the right place if you want to get a lot of useful info on dive gear.
A drysuit is the way to go if you want to extend your diving to year-round.
I used to dive winters in NJ with a 3/8" 1-piece with a 1/8" hooded vest underneath, it kept me warm enough but it was still downright chilly during the Jan - Feb stretch.
If you really want to go the wetsuit route some decent quality suits can be had for under the $200 bracket. Ignore the hype from some of the high price manufacturers, with a wetsuit FIT is the #1 consideration. A well fitting economy $99 suit can keep you way warmer than a flashy $400 one that doesn't fit properly.

If you want to check the archives for drysuit info, here's a very comprehensive thread on the age-old "neoprene vs shell" debate: http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=7462

The string you connected me to was excellent. Thank you very much, and as well for the great Viking web site for (hopefully) a near future purchase. I hope to decide soon as I continue to research the market.
Since you are of obvious knowledge in this field, what if any item would you concider "O.K." to purchase second hand to try to get a feel for a brand line or a style type (ie; BC vest w/ weight amounts, or regulator styles, etc..). Some items I know should not be compromised with the chance that they have been abused or neglected, but what ones are the most volitile or forgiving.

All my best for the future,
:chef: The chef

A dry suit is absolutely *not* a must for diving in our colder waters. BTW, Welcome to the ranks of cold water divers.

A 7mm wet suit with a hooded over-shorty, usually a 5mm shorty wet suit that is pulled over the full wet suit, and has an attached hood, is what a lot of divers use. The other good choice is a 7mm farmer john style wet suit. However with the farmer john style, an attached hood is not the norm. An attached hood greatly reduces any water that may flow into the wetsuit while under water. This is a big plus!

As for dry suits, one thing to remember, they are not completely dry! First of all, when you zip them closed, even in the winter you will sweat and this moisture now has nowhere to go. In effect you are wearing a zip lock bag and you will walk out of the water damp with sweat to some degree. Secondly, your face and head still gets wet. The third point is the neck seal, if it is not perfect, and you twist your head to look at something, some water will dribble in and get the front of your thermal protective underwear damp. I have not yet seen a dry suit that can keep you perfectly dry. All that being said, you will be much warmer in a dry suit than in a wet suit, of that you can have no doubt. Just remember, if cost is a factor, a good wet suit will give you 3 seasons of good diving, 4 seasons if you are like me, and still dive wet in the winter, and I own a 3mm crush dry suit. Go figure?