Progression on Wet Suit usage

[Hoomi]

So, we scheduled our spring dive trip down to our favorite camping/diving beach in Mexico for the weekend of May 21st. At the trip meeting that week, we learn that the warm water we're used to in this location, hasn't happened yet this year. Water temps in the Sea of Cortez just a short ways north of San Carlos were measured at mid 60s the previous weekend, and our LDS is advising wet suits (and more than a 3 mil).

I picked up a 6/5/4 from the shop, and was glad of it when we got to the beach last weekend. Water temperatures ranged from 64 - 66 F on our dives, and while that may not seem that cold to some of you who routinely dive in 40 - 50 F water, it would have been much too cold for my thin skin and sparse subcutaneous insulation. The 6/5/4 was a good fit for the conditions. I felt comfortable on the dives, though getting used to the dex loss of the thicker suit took a little time, and finding the right weighting was an ongoing experiment all weekend.

On the plus sides, I enjoyed some interesting dives, and gained some experience with the thicker wetsuit. A 6/5/4 is probably not enough for anything beyond a relatively shallow shore dive in California, but it's a good progression in experience towards a thicker wetsuit or layers (I'll get that Kelp Forest dive yet!). The cooler water hosted some different species of sea life that we hadn't seen on our previous dives, when the water was warmer, including a species of free-swimming flatworm.

On the minus side, I learned that you shouldn't forget the Moisture Munchers in the camera case when the water temps drop. Fogging isn't much of an issue when the water is in the mid 80s, but when it's in the 60s, it's a different story. I will have dessicant for the U/W case from now on!

[fisheater]

Don't worry too much about "progressing" into thicker wetsuits.

Many of us learned to dive while wearing double layers of 7 mm with thick hoods. I do, however, recommend that you have a DM/instructor around for your first kelp dive, to make sure you've got your weighting and buoyancy down and to teach you some of the techniques for kelp diving.

[Searcaigh]

When you have been diving for a while you will end up with a wardrobe of several types of wetsuits, semi-drys and possibly a drysuit.

[Hoomi]

Yeah, I'm getting there. I bought the 3 mil before our cert dive trip almost three years ago, and didn't end up wearing it at all until last October.

One of the other divers on the trip last weekend tried diving a 3 mil at White Rock, and was pretty chilled by the end of the dive.

Biggest problem of the weekend was the pressure the wetsuit put on my wife's artificial hip. She was getting enough pain just on the initial shore dive to check out the weighting, that she decided to skip diving completely last weekend. I wonder if for her, a dry suit will end up being the best option in the long run (when we can afford to look into one for her).