Visiting late dec - thermal needs?

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davel518

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Location
South FL
# of dives
200 - 499
I'm fairly new to diving, and will be making my second visit to GC Dec 14-21. I was there previously in sept, and both my gf and I dove without any sort of wetsuit. I don't have a great feel yet for translating water temperature to 'feel', so I'm curious what most people wear that time of year. I'm hoping to get away with a 2mm shirt (not sure what they're called, wetshirt?) or something similar. I'm guessing my gf will require a shorty. I don't get chilly easily, she does a but more so but isn't overly sensitive.


Thanks! Glad I found this board. My apologies if this has been asked; I wasn't able to find it.
 
Hi Dave – I’d expect water temp to be around 80F-82F, so the thermal requirement would be pretty personal. Very possible to go with no wetsuit.

Despite that, I would recommend something that gives you more protection than a shortie. Maybe a diveskin or a light weight fullsuit. Don’t buy anything, just think about it and maybe rent something to try out.

When my wife & I started diving, it was mostly warm weather vacations including the Caymans. We rented all equipment apart from mask & fins, usually including shortie wetsuits. We eventually bought our own 3ml fullsuits, mostly because even when you’re careful, you can inadvertently touch stuff that burns or cuts and it’s nice to be protected. There is sand with fire coral debris in it, stinging soft corals, and if you are in a wreck, lots of sharp edges. Also tripping and falling in difficult shore entries & exits.

We also discovered that even though we’re used to Canadian lakes & 65deg beaches, after we’d been in 80 degree plus water for an extended amount of time without any neoprene 3,4 5 times a day, it got cool. I can’t say that on some specific warm water dive, I absolutely needed a fullsuit, rather than a shortie for warmth but I’ve always been comfortable and never felt overheated in a 3ml. That’s just me.

It’s great that you are asking “what should I try” rather than “what should I buy”. Try different stuff before you decide to buy anything.

And have a super time in GC !

BillF
 
I do not agree. If you are planning on making a long term commitment to diving, the cost of a proper fitting wetsuit will be more than compensated by feeling warm while diving and enjoying it more.

GC in December, multiple dives per day: I'd go with a 3 mm full suit.
A rental on GC will probably be old and have lost any thermal benefit. May not fit either. Also, think about how many strangers have peed in that suit.

I'd go to your local dive store before the trip and invest in proper fitting good quality wetsuits.

Shorties, vests etc. do not offer much thermal benefit or protection; I wouldn't waste my money.
 
Dave, welcome to the board.
What Doctorfish rings true. Take it from our experience, get or rent a 3mm bodysuit. When you do multiple dives (2 or more) and each lasts for an hour, 80F water can really cool your body down. This is not true of every diver but it rings true for about 85% - 90%. Not only will the second and third dive be more comfortable but the suit will protect you from scrapes and thimble jelly larvae and other animals like fire coral and jelly fish tentacles that are barely visible.
 
My wife and I were there during Christmas last year. Same water temps as now (82, no thermocline). I wore a long sleeve rash guard and was never cold doing multiple dives per day. My wife wore a full skin and got a little cold towards the end of each dive and topside if the sun wasn't out. She has no body fat. "Cold" tolerance is one of those things that's highly individual.
 
Thank you everyone for the replies, very helpful. I'm surprised to hear that there is that much of a difference between a shorty and a full, as a shorty covers most thermally important areas (I'm assuming that very few wear a hood in the Caribbean). It seems that consensus in general is a skin or 2mm full over a thicker shorty. Makes sense, I've never been stung and would like to keep it that way!
 
. I've never been stung and would like to keep it that way!

Dave many times stinging cells that break off from an animal are floating in the water column, I'll post an example, the cells are called nematocysts. In this photo is a sponge, growing on that sponge is a type of stinging animal that stings it's prey with it's arms/tentacles and these can easily touch you and cause a welt or a bump, a spot that may itch or hurt. These cells can touch any part of your bare skin to do what they do.



Sometimes animals like this one have trailing tentacles, the tentacles are clear and difficult to see. These animals range in size from fingernail or less to fist size.



I've dove enough times to become more aware of these types of animals and have been very glad to have on a wet suit/body suit. 1mm or a dry skin is enough to keep these types from stinging you.
I normally never wear a hood, but there are some times when the water temps are below 80 that I have worn one. I don't like the feeling over my head as well as pulling the sides out to equalize. Diving in the Great Lakes I always wear a hood. When I dove off Papua New Guinea the water temp was very often 90, at times like that I use my 1mm body suit. After 6 dives a day a 1mm in warm water will do the trick, not so much to keep you warm but to protect you from stings.

 
Hard to predict the future-----could be mid 80's, could be upper 70's.........I'd bring skins & a 3/2 shortie with a 2 mm chicken(hooded) vest.......AND check the temps(here---in a post) about 2 days before you leave out---& GO by that report......

When we were in Brac the very end of Oct, temp was running 85--to 87!!!----1st day some people were wearing 3 mil fulls & about DIED on the 1st dive.......

I remember this guy--- a pic of him @ end of 2nd dive on Day 1(1st dive he was about to die in his full 3 mil)----went to shortie lycra type(shorts I believe) material for dive 2 day 1 & rest of week.....

15060319383_e79066e3d8_z.jpg
[/URL]IMG_0501 by GEAUXtiger, on Flickr[/IMG]
 
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I am in complete agreement with Doctorfish on this. I always wear a 3mm full suit, and even then there have been times on long (>75 min.) repetitive dives where I got chilled. I'm on my way to Little Cayman in another 3 weeks and just ordered a new top-of-the-line suit. The one I have down there is old and was a cheapie (Scubapro Profile) to begin with. A 3mm suit is a minor investment to make for the comfort. Years ago I worked as a DM at LCBR and used to laugh (inwardly) at the tourists who went bare. They tried to pretend they were comfortable, but it was obvious they weren't. And they usually were the first ones back on the boat. (However, this well could be the case that no wet suit is correlated with being a new/inexperienced diver is correlated with high air consumption, so their short dives were due more to lack of air than discomfort. Whatever the case, it's clear that virtually all experienced divers are using a good wetsuit.)
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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