Coz exposure protection

[MMM]

And then there's me. A 7 mm full wetsuit with a hooded lavacore vest underneath. But you might be OK...I just get cold.

 

[ScubaJCBS]

We were there last week, my wife wore a sharkskin the first few days but the rest of the time just a tee shirt over her swim suit.

 

[scubadada]

Obviously, exposure protection is personal. I never wear less than a 3mm full suit. Always have a 3/5 mm hooded vest with me should it be cold

 

[Tool Belt]

I have no body fat. In January I wear an admitantly old 5/4. Bring your own or go with a op that has boat jackets.

 

[DjDiverDan]

There are several factors which affect how much thermal protection an individual needs, the most important of which are: (1) water temps, (2) individual tolerance for cold, (3) how many dives you plan on doing, and (4) how long those dives will be. Remember that loss of body heat is cumulative; unless you plan on an off-day to recover, you’ll be colder on your 5th day of diving than you were on the first.

In Cozumel, the water temps are really pretty stable, from a low of 78-79 F in late January and February, to highs of 83-84 by late summer. Individual tolerance to cold varies wildly. But how many dives you plan on doing and how long those dives will be can make a big difference. If you plan on 3-4 dives a day every day, and will be diving with Aldora, Liquid Blue, or one of the other Steel 120 operators, so that your two morning dives are 90+ minutes long, you are going to need a lot more thermal protection than the diver doing only 2 45-50 minute dives a day. You will lose a lot more core body heat in a 90 minute dive than in a 45 minute dive. And you’ll lose more body heat diving 3-4 dives a day than just 2 a day. So, figure out your dive plan - how many dives a day, how many days in a row of diving, and how long you anticipate those dives will be, then plan accordingly. Personally, I have a pretty high tolerance for cold, but if I’m going to dive with Aldora, 2 dives a day at 90-100 minutes per dive, and dive 5 days in a row, I’d go full 3mm, with hood, and I might even add on a 5mm shorty after a few dives if I found myself getting chilled toward the end of a long dive.

 

[Snoweman]

I’m diving Coz in early November. First time there. What are water temperatures like this time of year? Will I be okay in well-fitting 3mm wetsuit? Full-body, not shorty. I have a decent temperature tolerance, so as long as water temps are 80 F or higher, I expect to be fine. Thanks!

Welcome! Would you like to be added to the November Roll Call?

November Roll Call?

 

[judydivescoz]

I bring 2 suits on tne boat. First dive is in a Four Elements fleece with a 3 mil vest and a beanie. I put a dive parka on between dives. Next dive in a 3 mil plus a 3 mil vest and beanie. Keeps me warm and happy in the water and on the SI.

 

[ggunn]

I wear a dive skin and a 3mm shorty when I dive Cozumel, usually sometime April-June. I rarely get chilled and I never get too warm.

I wear a bandana on my head, too, but that's for keeping the follically challenged top of my head from getting sunburned.

 

[AdivingBel]

I dive a full lycra skin in May and November. I throw my full 3/2 in the bag for November, but I never wear it. Everybody's different. Have fun. I'm going to.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I bring 2 suits on tne boat. First dive is in a Four Elements fleece with a 3 mil vest and a beanie. I put a dive parka on between dives. Next dive in a 3 mil plus a 3 mil vest and beanie. Keeps me warm and happy in the water and on the SI.

Warming up during the surface interval is indeed a key factor in what suit suits me. Sure, the water may be 80F, but when the weather gods hand us one of those cloudy, drizzly "winter" days, and if I can't manage to warm back up properly on the surface interval, the 3 mm that worked so well on the first dive (or earlier in the week) just doesn't cut it for me later on.