Cod Hole in late June/Early July - What to wear

We're planning on bringing all our gear, and because we're doing the liveaboard (Mike Ball FWIW) at the end of a 3 week trip, I just bought Aluminum backplates so I didn't have to lug around my SS plate all over New Zealand/Australia for the end of the trip.

Unfortunately, we just found out last week that the water temps will be a bit chillier than the 82 degrees our travel agent told us, and instead it will be 72 degrees that time of year.

Now, I'm no stranger to cold water diving, as a couple of weeks ago we dove in 37 degree water with ice chunks floating overhead. However, that's in a drysuit, drygloves, and lots of weight/insulation. I was hoping to use a 3mm fullsuit, but I'm now thinking that might be a little light for a liveaboard.

Also, my wife is borrowing a friend's 'tropical' drysuit, which is a bi-laminate with seals at the head, feet, and ankles. We were thinking that she'd be plenty warm in it, since it would be an upgrade from her 3mm full-suit she used in the Caribbean. On that trip, she ended wearing her drysuit hood most of the trip, and was still chilled despite the 82 degree water.

Does anyone have any advice? My concerns are:
1) Staying warm - Again, every person's different, but I really don't know what to expect, having never been on a liveaboard.
2) Travel weight - If we need, I guess we can drag it around our entire trip, but it would be sure nice to minimize the amount of weight in our luggage.
3) Diving weight - If we go with the light-gear and heavy wetsuits/drysuit underwear, will we be able to add enough weight to dive in our current setups. (We've got heavy STAs and heavy backplates for local coldwater diving, and Mike Ball certainly won't provide that kind of equipment for us).

If anyone has advice, I'd really appreciate it!

Thanks!


Nate

newton:

We're planning on bringing all our gear, and because we're doing the liveaboard (Mike Ball FWIW) at the end of a 3 week trip,
Unfortunately, we just found out last week that the water temps will be a bit chillier than the 82 degrees our travel agent told us, and instead it will be 72 degrees that time of year.
I was hoping to use a 3mm fullsuit, but I'm now thinking that might be a little light for a liveaboard.
Also, my wife is borrowing a friend's 'tropical' drysuit, which is a bi-laminate with seals at the head, feet, and ankles. We were thinking that she'd be plenty warm in it, since it would be an upgrade from her 3mm full-suit she used in the Caribbean. On that trip, she ended wearing her drysuit hood most of the trip, and was still chilled despite the 82 degree water.
Does anyone have any advice? My concerns are:
1) Staying warm - Again, every person's different, but I really don't know what to expect, having never been on a liveaboard.
2) Travel weight - If we need, I guess we can drag it around our entire trip, but it would be sure nice to minimize the amount of weight in our luggage.
3) Diving weight - If we go with the light-gear and heavy wetsuits/drysuit underwear, will we be able to add enough weight to dive in our current setups. (We've got heavy STAs and heavy backplates for local coldwater diving, and Mike Ball certainly won't provide that kind of equipment for us).
If anyone has advice, I'd really appreciate it!
Thanks!
Nate

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We were there two summers ago, Osprey/Cod Hole/ GBR. We went in the end of June.
I don't like being cold. I wore a 3mm body suit and was plenty warm from Cod Hole (82F) north. When we dove on the Ribbons closer to Port Douglas (Steve's Bommie,ect.), then I did get cold because the water was 77F. On the night dives I added a 1mm and was plenty warm. My wife wears a dryskin and a 3mm and was warm enough.
End of June is a great time to go, your chance of seeing Minke Whales is the best then. Visibility deteriorates as you go south.

All the best,
Caymaniac

newton:

We're planning on bringing all our gear, and because we're doing the liveaboard (Mike Ball FWIW) at the end of a 3 week trip, I just bought Aluminum backplates so I didn't have to lug around my SS plate all over New Zealand/Australia for the end of the trip.

Unfortunately, we just found out last week that the water temps will be a bit chillier than the 82 degrees our travel agent told us, and instead it will be 72 degrees that time of year.

Now, I'm no stranger to cold water diving, as a couple of weeks ago we dove in 37 degree water with ice chunks floating overhead. However, that's in a drysuit, drygloves, and lots of weight/insulation. I was hoping to use a 3mm fullsuit, but I'm now thinking that might be a little light for a liveaboard.

Also, my wife is borrowing a friend's 'tropical' drysuit, which is a bi-laminate with seals at the head, feet, and ankles. We were thinking that she'd be plenty warm in it, since it would be an upgrade from her 3mm full-suit she used in the Caribbean. On that trip, she ended wearing her drysuit hood most of the trip, and was still chilled despite the 82 degree water.

Does anyone have any advice? My concerns are:
1) Staying warm - Again, every person's different, but I really don't know what to expect, having never been on a liveaboard.
2) Travel weight - If we need, I guess we can drag it around our entire trip, but it would be sure nice to minimize the amount of weight in our luggage.
3) Diving weight - If we go with the light-gear and heavy wetsuits/drysuit underwear, will we be able to add enough weight to dive in our current setups. (We've got heavy STAs and heavy backplates for local coldwater diving, and Mike Ball certainly won't provide that kind of equipment for us).

If anyone has advice, I'd really appreciate it!

Thanks!


Nate

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Nate,

My family and I are on the Cod Hole/ Minke Whale trip departing June 23rd. Is this the same trip that you have booked? I am also interested in the water temp. My wife gets cold very easy and I expect the water temp to be around 72 that time of year. I called and all they have available to rent is 5mm long sleve short leg wet suits. I have her gloves and a hood and may bring along a 3mm. I hope that we get more information from the locals in response to your post.

Let me know which trip you will be on.

Steve

Steve Miller:

My family and I are on the Cod Hole/ Minke Whale trip departing June 23rd. Is this the same trip that you have booked? I am also interested in the water temp. My wife gets cold very easy and I expect the water temp to be around 72 that time of year. I called and all they have available to rent is 5mm long sleve short leg wet suits. I have her gloves and a hood and may bring along a 3mm. I hope that we get more information from the locals in response to your post.

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Unfortunately, we'll be on the next trip (starting on the 30th). It would have been nice to hook up, but we'll just miss each other.

According to the folks we spoke at Mike Ball, 72 degrees is what we've been told to expect as well, which is actually quite chilly in my opinion I dive in my drysuit locally when it's that cold, although when I do so I have only light undergarments on. However, that's too much stuff to drag around Australia, so I'm still deciding between my 5mm and my 3mm. If I go with the 3mm, I'd be using their 5mm suit over-top for night dives or if I get too cold by the 3rd/4th day of diving. If I got with the 5mm suit, I suspect I'd use less weight to get down than with a 3mm + 5mm shorty, but if I could get away with the 3mm, I'd need even less weight. Basically, I'm trying to use as little weight as possible, since part of the joy of this trip is not having to have 24+# of weight which is what I wear diving locally.

My wife has pretty much decided on the tropical drysuit + gloves + hood, and I'm hoping she'll be warm enough. She gets cold in the pool in her 3mm suit, so we even considered bringing her full-on drysuit, but decided it was too much to pack.

Like you, I'm hoping we get more information from the locals, and/or someone else who has been on the boat. Caymaniac's posting did cheer me up a bit, but as I understand things, we start at the North end and move South, so things get colder as the trip progresses.

I was checking things out on another board, and I did hear some unfortunate news that the Super Sport boat is the oldest one in Mike Ball's fleet, and that Nitrox was 'unavailable' due to some broken part on the boat. Hopefully it will be fixed before our trips in June. Despite this fact the posters mentioned that the staff was wonderful, and they greatly enjoyed their trip.


Nate

My wife and I were there last year at that time and the temperature was upper 70's. I picked up a 5mm full suit for myself and a 7/5mm for my wife. For 90% of the dives my 3mm would have been fine. My wife loved the extra warmth as she gets cold easy. To be safe I'd suggest the 5mm.

Kev

bridgenet:

My wife and I were there last year at that time and the temperature was upper 70's. I picked up a 5mm full suit for myself and a 7/5mm for my wife. For 90% of the dives my 3mm would have been fine. My wife loved the extra warmth as she gets cold easy. To be safe I'd suggest the 5mm.

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Thanks Kev!

My wife will be in a tropical drysuit, so I think she's as warm as she can get. My fear is that if I bring my 5mm, I'll be heavily weighted, which takes some of the fun out of the trip for me as part of the joy of 'warm-water' diving is less weight.

What I'm hearing is a 3mm would probably be OK, and if I bring my drysuit hood along, I should be warm enough for most of the trip, although I could use Mike Ball's 5mm shorty over top of my 3mm if a got really cold (but it would mean more weight).


Nate

We have just returned from the Mike Ball trip you are booked on, it was great. Water temperatures were beginning to drop as they head into winter - we experienced about 77 degrees. We wore their 5mm wetsuits (long arms with short legs) over our own full 1mm wetsuits. This kept us plenty warm, but you need to stay warm during the day since you will pack in up to 5 dives. We only took mask, snorkel, fins (they only have full foot fins onboard) gloves and booties. We rented the rest of the gear from them - did not want to lug all our dive gear around for three days of diving. They use the following:

Aqualung Wave BCDs
Aqualung Calypso Regulators
Uwatec Aladdin dive computers

It was more than suitable for the type of diving you're doing and was $40 AUD / per day. They do not have gloves or hoods available.

Visibility certainly gets worse as you go south. It started around 100ft at the Cod Hole and was down to 40ft at the last dive site, Flare Point.

Have fun,

Grey_Wulff

Grey_Wulff:

We have just returned from the Mike Ball trip you are booked on, it was great.

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Thanks for the info, it helps out!


Nate

newton:

Thanks for the info, it helps out!


Nate

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Maybe if you get cold wear a beanie or a hood with a 3mm

June
Air Max (°C) 25.8
Air Min (°C) 17.6
Humidity (%) 74
Water Temp (°C) 23
Av. Rainfall (mm) 49
Rain Days 9

July
Air Max (°C) 25.6
Air Min (°C) 17.0
Humidity (%) 74
Water Temp (°C) 22
Av. Rainfall (mm) 30
Rain Days 7

A handy guide for Cairns in those months.