What's the coldest WET SUIT dive ?

[DI_Guy]

I am thinking of buying a dry suit but I have to ask a question ...

"What's the coldest WET SUIT dive that you've done ? "

For me, it was 7 degrees C ( 44 degrees F ). I was not cold at all but some of the others were shivering.

I was wearing a 7 mm farmer John and a 7 mm Vest ...

 

[msandler]

as cold as liquidly possible. Its the depth that does you in.

 

[grf88]

32 degrees F at 30 feet and 34 degrees F at 80 feet with a 2 piece 7 mm. Went out and bought a drysuit. It is not during the dive that you feel it but that surface interval will get you if the weather is cold and wet.

 

[Warren_L]

I went ice diving last year in a wetsuit.... once. It was 32F at the surface and 34F at depth.

 

[msandler]

as cold as liquidly possible. Its the depth that does you in.

as in pressure

 

[FreeFloat]

32 degrees F at 30 feet and 34 degrees F at 80 feet with a 2 piece 7 mm. Went out and bought a drysuit. It is not during the dive that you feel it but that surface interval will get you if the weather is cold and wet.

Everything he said.

My coldest from last year (well technically Feb 2004) was a Lock dive 45 minutes at 32°F, 8' max depth in swiftly moving water. The actual scuba dive was 35 minutes but I went back in afterwards for 10 more minutes to play around because I wasn't cold yet.

The deepest and coldest I've been was to 95' in 34°F water in early spring on the Lillie Parsons. My buddies wasnted to demonstrate to me that wetsuits get cold at depth. I can recall not feeling any colder at 95' than I was at 50' (I may have already been about as cold as I could get), but there was also the fact that it was my second dive that day, and about 35 minutes long.

My shortest coldest dive? On Lock 21 - wind was just rockin' that day and it was very 'crisp'. I got chilled before getting in and after 10 minutes I turned the dive, and after 16 minutes I was borderline hypothermicm, and practically wanted to climb into my truck's engine to thaw out. I learned never to let myself get chilly before starting a wetsuit dive.......

 

[PatH]

31ºF @ 80'... Thank God it was salt water otherwise it would have been solid!! 2 piece custom 7mm... -15ºC on the shore with a wicked wind coming off the ocean. It wasn't so bad in the water but when climbing back into the Zodiac through the surface slush all the water on your mask and suit would instantly freeze upon leaving the water.

 

[FreeFloat]

31ºF @ 80'... Thank God it was salt water otherwise it would have been solid!! 2 piece custom 7mm... -15ºC on the shore with a wicked wind coming off the ocean. It wasn't so bad in the water but when climbing back into the Zodiac through the surface slush all the water on your mask and suit would instantly freeze upon leaving the water.

:11:

Where on earth were YOU diving, Pat?? :11:

 

[Groundhog246]

as in pressure

Pressure compresses the neoprene and that reduces the insulation value of the suit. By 60 feet, that 7mm suit can compress to a 3mm.

I've been in 34F water on more than one occasion. Fingers were the biggest issue, and on a couple of the dives trying to get the gear unbuckled and unzipped before it froze in place. I've never done 2 dives in a row at those temps.

 

[jiveturkey]

8c for me in a 5mm with 5mm shorty on top. Too cold for me so I bought a drysuit.