Coldest temperature on a Wetsuit?

[mikeguerrero]

Being that I'm a wetsuit wearer, I wanted to get an idea of how extreme you have taken your wetsuit before your body started to shake?

Can you briefly tell me your wetsuit setup and your coldest temp hit and your diving site?

I'll go first:

7 mil full suit, 3 mil heated torso, 7 mil hooded vest; 3 in the body, 7 in the hood, 6 mil in the booty and 4 mil in the glove; all Merino; Pinnacle's.

48 degrees F, at 45 minutes... I was cold in the hands, arms and partly in the legs. My suit is only 7 mil in the extremeties.

I dive Monterey CA....

 

[Jim Ernst]

43 And freezing after 52 minutes!

 

[KOMPRESSOR]

Actually, in my younger days, I did more or less ice diving in a wet suit. -Or more popularly described as a semi dry. But I felt wet...

It wasn't planned, but the water in the harbour where we dove froze when we were down, and we had to hack ourselves up to get out! And this was in the ocean and it wasn't raining, so it was likely around 30F.

Not recommendable at all. Really stupid if I may say... Water temps down to 12C/54F is manageable in a very good wetsuit, but air temps decide wether or not it's recommendable. We usually have water temps up to 59F, but I haven't seen a wetsuit diver in years. We all dive dry here.

 

[evil_xander]

2 piece 5mm wetsuit, 10-12 degrees C water temperature, about 35 mins before I start to feel uncomfortable.

The real problem starts when the outside is 3-6 degrees C with strong cold wind blowing ...

Then again, I get cold on a 2nd dive when the sea is 15-18 degrees C after 20 mins or so.

 

[johnny_bravo]

Wearing 14mm in the core, 7mm hood, 7mm gloves...38-39F for about 20 min at 80-90'...Kingston, Ontario. Very unpleasant...my hands hurt...those 7mm gloves didn't do much!

Cheers.

-J.-

 

[ReefGuy]

I did Venice beach in February right after I was certified. 2 hours at 57 degrees in a 3 mil.

I did that once.

 

[mddyver]

I learned to dive in Monterey with 7mm farmer john, 7mm beaver tail long sleeve zippered top, 7mm hood, gloves and booties. Average water temps around 55f. No worries.

Coldest ever dive in this kit was 48F for 40mins at 70ft below the thermocline in a fresh water quarry. Not recommended. But by then, the suit was then 15 yrs old and losing thermal protection.

These days any temps less than 70F will be dry.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Did my AOW up at Gerstle cove in Sonoma County one spring years ago during a time when we were having cold water upwellings and the water was 42 degrees. I was wearing a cheap 1 piece 6.5 mil which I pulled a 3 mil shorty over, I froze my ass bad.
Now I dive a commercial urchin diver suit 1/2" rubatex beavertail style, that's over 25 mil on my chest and it's like diving in a hot tub in water in the 40's to 50's.

 

[Thalassamania]

I've dove wetsuits at the edge of the ice pack and through the ice ... water temperatures down to -2^o C, dive times of up to and hour or so. You need a warming hut or something similar (a hot snowcat maybe) before and after the dive and a really good suit, most wetsuits will not serve.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

There is more to it than water temp.

Some of it is a matter of motivation. Back in the day we would ice dive in 7mm farmer john style full wet suits. After the second 30 minute dive I usually could not really feel my feet, but still thought it was fun.

Today that kind of diving requires a drysuit to qualify as "fun" as I am either a lot smarter or a lot less motivated.

It also depends on whether or not you have thermoclines. For example I will wear a 3mm full suit if the bottom temps are as cold as the 55-60 degree range as long as the surface temps where any deco or safety stops are done are in the 70-75 degree range. Similarly, I am not opposed to using a 7mm wet suit with bottom temps in the 45-50 degree range as long as the temps closer to the surface are in the 60-65 degree range.

Run times are another factor to consider. What works for a short 30 minute dive, may not be adequate for a 45-60 minute dive and could even be dangerous on a longer 75-90 minute run time.