Current water temperature?

[andrethediver]

What is the current water temperature in Cozumel and are there any thermoclines this time of year? Third time on the island but first time in Dec. Thanks.

 

[mstevens]

I can answer your questions without being in Cozumel.

How? For one thing, there's a sticky FAQ at the top of the forum (immediately above where your post appeared right after you posted it) with the answer. For another, water temperature doesn't really vary all that much. It's going to be about 80F plus or minus a few degrees. In the winter it's more likely to be minus and in the summer it's more likely to be plus.

There's never a thermocline in Cozumel. For that matter, water temperatures at recreational depth limits aren't different from just below the surface.

 

[Diver Kat]

Been diving the last 5 days - my temp readings have been 79-81 degrees.

 

[andrethediver]

I can answer your questions without being in Cozumel.

I am aware of the sticky, wanted to hear real information from people currently on the island...

 

[CZMDM]

For current water temps try this: NDBC - Station 42056

Strongly disagree with the temps not changing that much. From the dead of winter at 77f. (I'd be wearing a full 5mm wetsuit with 3mm vest w/hood underneath).....to 84f.+ (I'd be wearing Body Glove surfer shorts and 2mm vest).

 

[andrethediver]

Same here, can't decide whether I pack a 3mm or a 5mm suit...would prefer to go with 3 for obvious reasons.

 

[cowdog77]

We were there in Dec last year....pretty chilly, no sun for the surface intervals so wore a full 3mm with a vest.

 

[mstevens]

Been diving the last 5 days - my temp readings have been 79-81 degrees.

In other words, almost exactly what Christi's FAQ suggests one should expect.

Strongly disagree with the temps not changing that much. From the dead of winter at 77f. (I'd be wearing a full 5mm wetsuit with 3mm vest w/hood underneath).....to 84f.+ (I'd be wearing Body Glove surfer shorts and 2mm vest).

That's a total range of 7F. Compared with the much, much larger range of temperatures here locally (surface water temperatures from 80F down to cold enough to drive a truck on), 7F is hardly any change at all - it's about 1.8% in terms of degree change.*

We were there in Dec last year....pretty chilly, no sun for the surface intervals so wore a full 3mm with a vest.

Sure. That's probably got more to do with air temperatures and radiant solar heat than with water temperatures, though.

*No, it's not around 10%, since 0F is far from absolute zero. There are several ways to compute this, but the easiest is to convert to degrees Kelvin (77F = 696.48K and 84F = 302.04K) then compute the percent change. It's about 1.8% whether you're going up or down.

 

[pidgiepoo]

That's a total range of 7F. Compared with the much, much larger range of temperatures here locally (surface water temperatures from 80F down to cold enough to drive a truck on), 7F is hardly any change at all - it's about 1.8% in terms of degree change.*




Sounds like Ohio.

 

[rivers]

I just went diving on Monday, the 30th of November. Temp was 82 degrees F. Got a bit chilly in a 3mm shorty towards the end of my second dive.