Cozumel. What wet suit?

[Jaydiver]

I am going to Cozumel 12/4 for a week. Is a 3 mm suit going to do it?
Thanks,
Jay

 

[Charlie99]

The water temp will probably be just above 80F. 3mm will work for most people.

I tend to get cold easily, and find that adding a beanie to my 3/2mm full suit makes a huge improvement in my comfort with negligible effect on weighting, and w/o the confining feeling of a full hood.

 

[Christi]

I am going to Cozumel 12/4 for a week. Is a 3 mm suit going to do it?
Thanks,
Jay

Actually, this is a question of your personal tolerance to chill.

The water temperature in December will be hovering right around 80º from the surface and beyond recreational limits. We have no thermoclines to speak of here in Cozumel.

With this in mind, you should think about how many dives per day you will be doing, what kind of bottom times you will be doing, how many days you will be diving, and how quickly you tend to get chilled. Only you can answer these questions. Remember that being cold is a high risk factor for DCS, so proper thermal protection is very important.

Some people are fine in a skin all week, others wear a 5mm with a hood, so again my point is that no one else can really tell you what wetsuit will be best for you.

Something else to think about is that in December the surface temperatures are much cooler than the water temp, so you should make sure you have a windbreaker or sweatshirt of some sort on the boat to warm up in between dives. This will help alot.

Have a great time!!!!

 

[DandyDon]

Wear a cap on Surface Intervals. It'll help a lot.

 

[Jaydiver]

Thanks. A sweatshirt, beanie, and hat are going to mexico.
Jay

 

[DandyDon]

Thanks. A sweatshirt, beanie, and hat are going to mexico.
Jay

Well - I take a water proof jacket, easy to put on over my wet suit if I don't feel like peeling it down to my waist, but quick drying on the next dive. Indeed, mine has a hood that will pull over my cap. I really don't like getting chilled, and Coz does get a norte/north front in January at times. I've never let myself get cold, but divers in my group who'd ignored my suggestions would shiver, yet - since I'd suggested in advance, I didn't feel guilty about not giving up my jacket. We huddled around them the best they could, and suggested they pack better next time. :11:

I go so far as to carry a 1 Qt metal thermos of hot chocolate. :cheering:

 

[Texas Diver]

My wife and I just returned from Cozumel last week. My computer said the water temperature was 82 degrees. We did 2 dives a day for 4 consecutive days; we both chill pretty easily.

I wore a 3mm shortie. Sometimes I got a little chilled near the end of the second dive. My wife wore a 3mm full suit and was fine with it. But I must add that we dove with Blue XT Sea and between dives Christie provided us with large towels and lined wind breakers - as well as a variety of munchies, juice and bottled water. Her crew also hung our wet suits out in the sun during our surface intervals so they were almost totally dry for our second dive.

If your operator does not provide this level of service then take along a dry bag, a large towel and a windbreaker and you will be fine.

 

[melfox26]

I would recommend going with a full suit as opposed to a shorty.. I know first hand the effects of not wearing a full suit as I was pushed into some fire coral by some newbie diver and my left forearm got quite a nasty rash from it.

Mel

 

[DandyDon]

I would recommend going with a full suit as opposed to a shorty.. I know first hand the effects of not wearing a full suit as I was pushed into some fire coral by some newbie diver and my left forearm got quite a nasty rash from it.

Mel

I hate shorties! They can also leave you vulnerable to ladder injuries, etc - then subsequent salt water bacterial infections, which kill about 5 in Texas alone every year. :11:

 

[Brown Mermaid]

I just came from Coz. I dove twice a day for 4 days. I wore my 3mm. On the surface I had my hat on and a Chamyz top and bermuda shorts. I was fine on the boat after the dive.

Brown Mermaid :ircqnet:

I am going to Cozumel 12/4 for a week. Is a 3 mm suit going to do it?
Thanks,
Jay