Water Temps and Underwear Advice

mahjong · Feb 14, 2011

Hi.

Can anyone report the water temps off Monterey and Pt Lobos these days? Also, I was wondering what kind of thermal protection/underwear people wear when drysuit diving these locations? I have a DUI CF-200 and was wondering if a Polartec 200 jumpsuit would be warm enough?

I'm new to this forum...thanks in advance for your help.

MJ

Hinalo · Feb 14, 2011

While I use a tri-lam suit, everyone I know who dives with crushed neoprene uses at least 300g undies in mid-north california waters, and at least half of them are in 400g thinsulate or equivalent. And every individual is going to have a different tolerance for cold. Water temp at Salt Point (north coast) saturday was 50˚ and I'd expect that Monterey was probably about the same.

What works fine for me most of the year is 300 g polartec with a thin polypro or polartec top base layer. During cold water season <50˚ I used to switch to 400g thinsulate but it was so bulky that this year I'm going to try a 4th element xerotherm base layer under the 300g polartec. Initial dives with just the 4th element top last month were very encouraging.

In any case, I think the 200g polartec jumpsuit is not going to be enough around here.

deadbilly · Feb 14, 2011

Friday temps at Pt. Lobos were 50 degrees. I find that I'm just barely comfortable in my 300g stretch fleece. I'm moving up to thinsulate. That said, my suit is a trilaminate but like Hinalo said, I think the 200g will be chilly even in a CF200.

mikeguerrero · Feb 14, 2011

300g Polartech with Argon is what I use, I also layer a Underarmour cold wear wicking suit. My arms get a little cold towards the end of an hour dive in 50 degrees.

I have not dove for two hours yet but will suspect I will need the Santi suit for that.

alibi 2 · Feb 14, 2011

I use the Underarmor base layer 3.0 under my 300 powerstretch polar fleece and im warm..but im a little chilly as im using the base layer 2.0 on the top..im getting the 3.0 for my base layer on top and that should warm me up..

scwdive · Feb 14, 2011

Had a balmy 52 degrees at the Metridium Field Yesterday, I wear a 200 with either a capeline base layer or a midweight layer most beach dives, I up to capeline and 400 off the boats a bit deeper and often more dives. Two pairs smartwool socks, my toes get cold...

Hope this helps

Chuck Tribolet · Feb 14, 2011

50F on all four dives this weekend: Black Dog Ridge, Fanshell
Pinnacle, Ball Buster, Cable Cliffs 2.

dannobee · Feb 14, 2011

We had 47 at Lobos Rocks on Saturday.

I sometimes use a Bare T100 (200 gm thinsulate) and it's doable for under an hour (CF200). On Saturday I was chilled and should have added a base layer or brought my 400's instead.

The Bare T100 is my usual So Cal drysuit undergarment and it works fine for that. "Most" people up here need more than that.

mahjong · Feb 14, 2011

A huge thank you to everyone who replied! Most helpful indeed!

I love my old CF-200, but it fits too snugly for anything more than ~200 weight Polartec. At least I think my DUI underwear is 200 weight Polartec--it's a very old model of the Polartec jumpsuit that has two layers. Maybe it is 300 weight, actually.

50 degrees is chilly. I have dove my DUI underwear in my CF-200 in the late fall in northern Mass (Salem) (with a base layer of UA Coldgear), where the temps were probably in the general neighborhood of 50 degrees, maybe a tad warmer. I was shivering after 20 minutes or so, but it seems I shiver after 20 minutes or so on almost any dive no matter where and no matter what I am wearing (I was shivering this summer half way through a dive off Ustica in the Med wearing a 5mm jumpsuit).

I'm new to the area, so perhaps I will shelf my CF for now and go with my TLS, so I can wear a bit more underneath. Cold, murky, and kelp--I don't want to mess around in NorCal.

Thank you again! Appreciate it very much!

Peter_C · Feb 14, 2011

mahjong:
the temps were probably in the general neighborhood of 50 degrees, maybe a tad warmer. I was shivering after 20 minutes or so, but it seems I shiver after 20 minutes or so on almost any dive no matter where and no matter what I am wearing

Unless you already have one, you need an Otter Bay helmet...errr hood.

For me to stay warm I wear a base layer of fleece, like a sweatshirt, pants, and then a pair of thick socks, followed by a 400g thinsulate jumpsuit, with 400g thinsulate booties, oh and of course my Otter Bay helmet. Dove the same setup with my CF200. Saturday in 50 degree water I did an 81 minute dive, and if it wasn't for a flooded glove I would have been fairly warm.

Water Temps and Underwear Advice

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