Can't stay warm...what am I overlooking?

[Frosty]

My wife even in tropical waters wears a 5mm suit--i'll be in rashy and shorts and shes still in her 5mm
so do what makes you comfortable.-Id suggest trying my wifes setup. 5mm 2 piece -this means that through her body core area shes in 10mm but still has just 5mm at the extremities.

 

[ajduplessis]

Get a good hoodie, dry if the water in your ear is a issue. You will get use to a hoodie. I dont dive without a hoodie, no matter how warm the water.

 

[Storker]

Thirding the suggestion of a hood. Old wisdom in cold climate regions is 'if your feet are cold, put on a cap' and 'a warm cap is at least as good as another sweater if you're cold'. Your brain is your most vital organ, and your body will keep up the bloodflow to your head well into hypothermia. Add the fact that your arteries and veins run close to your surface in the neck and head area, providing good insulation to that part of your body is really a no-brainer.

And you don't have to wear a condom to dive dry. Around here, everybody dives dry, and I can't remember seeing a pee valve on any rec diver. Make sure to go just before you splash, and don't overhydrate, and you should be able to hold it for an hour or so.

--
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[tajkd]

Just came back from Bonaire. 21 dives with the Whites and never cold. My buddy RJP and I dive all over the Caribbean in drysuits and no complaints except from the bystanders who don't have a clue.

 

[KeithG]

it may help to try to diagnose the cause before you try random solutions?

so my first thought is: does your current wetsuit fit? are you confident that you know what a properly fitted wetsuit feels like (or looks like on another diver)?

we dive warm water in the caribbean and i always see multiple other divers complaining of being cold. in all cases their wetsuits are off-the-rack and do not come close to fitting them properly.

the common solution seems to be adding yet another layer of neoprene. which does not address the root cause. too much water exchange due to poor fit of the suit. i just got back from a trip on the belize sundancer and more than half the boat were classic examples of poor fit, multiple layers and hoods "i am cold" divers. they were not getting much more thermal protection than the guy from alaska that only used a rash guard and board shorts.

do you get random (or constant) cold water streams in your suit during your dives? do you have loose or baggy spaces inside the suit? (this often happens with a suit whose trunk is too long). how about baggy armpits? loose crotch? arms a little too loose?

wetsuits only work if they fit properly.

 

[DivemasterDennis]

Physiology is an individual thing. Some people get cold in conditions others do not, both above and below the water. You can do some personal conditioning to get used to cooler water by spending time in swimming pools or lakes, or, since you are there, the ocean. Here in Colorado people who are outdoors in the cold a lot ( skiers) get acclimated to the cold better than the person who rarely goes outdoors in the winter ( which has hit with a vengance here today!) Before investing $1500.00 or more in a dry suit and then learning how to dive in it, I suggest some acclimation exercises- that is, self conditioning by being in the water. Start in a swim suit for a few minute and add time each day until you can be comfortable for an hour. You should include some head immersion in the process, as we lose a high percentage of body heat through our heads. Also, in place of a hood, consider a small hat or beany type head cover. It could make a big difference. I have dove Hawaii quite a bit ( 10 trips, 100 or so dives) and the water there is cool enough top give a chill. especially after repetitive dives. I still wish I lived there.
DivemasterDennis

 

[highdesert]

Long Sleeve Hooded shirt discounts on sale Lavacore

 

[Remy B.]

60% of your body heat is expelled thru your head that is your problem, I use a 1.5mm hooded no sleeves underwest and regular surf trunks, with the same water temperatures as in St Maarten, I can dive 1hr+ and don't get cold, of course it has as well to do with genetics, some bodys wistand more cold than others, some persons genetically will retain more heat than others without been fat.

Cloves and boots as well help, all extremities will desipate heat as well, that mean, head, feet and hands, you protect all three and you are retaining about 75% heat more efficiently, the skin with fat and muscle keeps the heat enside, the extremities don't there is not enough muscle/fat there.

 

[knotical]

Although I’m a big fan of keeping my head warm, the percentages of heat loss commonly cited are now widely suspect.
Lose Half our Body Heat Through our Heads | Body Heat Loss
Do We Lose Heat Through Our Heads?
Do You Lose Most Of Your Heat Through Your Head?
[url]http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/diving-medicine/481383-heat-loss-through-head.html
[/URL]

 

[RJP]

Just came back from Bonaire. 21 dives with the Whites and never cold. My buddy RJP and I dive all over the Caribbean in drysuits and no complaints except from the bystanders who don't have a clue.

Yup. We were about to get in the water at Oil Slick leap for a night dive and some guy getting out of the water - while wearing a 5mm suit with a skin underneath - says "Ha... didn't know it was drysuit weather" as he was shivering while frantically toweling himself off.

---------- Post added December 29th, 2014 at 04:35 PM ----------

60% of your body heat is expelled thru your head that is your problem,

Ah... that old chestnut. [shakes head]

It just ain't so, Remy.

The head does lose a disproportionate percentage of heat relative to it's portion of body surface (especially if everything else is covered and the head isn't) but the head does not account for anything even CLOSE to the majority of heat loss.

That said... I do wear a hood even in warm water.