What thickness wetsuit for 68 degree water (no thernocline)?

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jo8243

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What thickness wetsuit would you wear in 68 degree water (no thermocline)? Would you wear a hood?

Thanks
 
jo8243:
What thickness wetsuit would you wear in 68 degree water (no thermocline)? Would you wear a hood?

Thanks

It's personal preference. In 68° water I've seen people in everything from full suit no hood, to just a 7mm step in jacket, to myself in a 2mm shoty no hood. It depends on how cold tolerant you are and how warm you want to be.
 
I wouldnt spend much more than an hour in a 3mm in that temp. I have know people freezing after 30 mins in a 5mm with hood at that temp.
 
I'd dive dry.

If I HAD TO dive wet, it would be in a full 5 or 7mil suit with a sharkskin inside, or a 7/5/3 semi-dry, in any event, with a well-fittnig hood.
 
jo8243:
What thickness wetsuit would you wear in 68 degree water (no thermocline)? Would you wear a hood?

Thanks

I'm guessing here - but it sounds like someone is heading to the Bonne Terre Mines.... I seem to recall it being a constant 68 degrees... let me know the outcome - I'm heading there in March with one of the local dive shops... I'm thinking either full 7mm or my drysuit. You might be able to swing it with a beanie vs. a full hood.
 
Thanks for the replies... I tend to get cold easy, so I'll go w/ 7mm I think.... And nope, I'm not going to bonne terre mines. I'm headed to Vortex springs in florida. It's 68 degrees year-round.
 
You could do a two piece 3mm or a single 5 - 7 mm it's up to you and your tolerance level. May be drysuit. Hood/beany same thing. In the end if your notice that your unmentionables can't be seen then you were to cold cause the suit was to thin
 
I find that it also depends on how warm the air temp is and how long I'm in the water for. For an hour in the water at this temp I would wear my 7mm with a hood and gloves. If I would be down for a 1/2 hour and this was the coldest it would be, I would not use my hood. I also find that I do not handle being cold very well.

Ian
 
netmage:
I'm guessing here - but it sounds like someone is heading to the Bonne Terre Mines.... I seem to recall it being a constant 68 degrees... let me know the outcome - I'm heading there in March with one of the local dive shops... I'm thinking either full 7mm or my drysuit. You might be able to swing it with a beanie vs. a full hood.

Bonne Terre is 58 deg.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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