Red Sea Exposure Suit April

[Smelly G]

Hello,

I am going to the Red Sea in the first week of April and I am conflicted about what exposure suit to bring.

I will be going on the Blue O Two liveaboard on the Simply the best itinerary. It leaves and returns to Port Hurghada and travels south.

What would people recommend a dry suit, a 5mm wet or other thickness wet suit? If dry, what undergarments would you wear? I have never done a liveaboard before so I am having trouble figuring out what to bring.

Thank you!

 

[CamC]

I've done three dives a day, five days running, on more than one occasion in the Red Sea in April, and felt overdressed in a 5mm shorty. All being well I'll be in Sharm this Easter, and I'll be taking a 3mm shorty.

That said, on those past trips some others were in a full 5mm throughout, although I can't recall many dry suits at that time of year other than on the occasional dive master.

If you're not sure, it's probably better to err on the side of caution.

 

[Christian]

5-7 mm full suit is the most common choice that time of year on a liveaboard.

 

[Tribal]

The only good suit is a drysuit

My gf gets cold in a 7mm after a few dives, she has to use gloves and a hood to avoid it.
A shorty in April can be ok for a few shore dives but most people will freeze on a LOB like that.

 

[rongoodman]

I was there last year in mid-March with a 5mm and was cold all week. I wish I had at least taken a hooded vest, if not a 7mm.

 

[Mod63]

If you go for dry suit, a light base layer like the Xerotherm will be ok

 

[CamC]

I was there last year in mid-March with a 5mm and was cold all week. I wish I had at least taken a hooded vest, if not a 7mm.

Having been in February too, I can well believe that! By mid/late April it's usually warmed up considerably, but mid-March is still a whole lot closer to winter.

 

[Adr1an]

Have a look at the temperatures listed here for several years and for the most relevant locations on the Red Sea https://seatemperature.info/march/red-sea-water-temperature.html

The values in Celsius are an average for the whole month (checked their values for January and they listed 23 Celsius for Sharm while me and everyone else I spoke to in Sharm during the last 2 years were getting 24 Celsius on our dive computers in early Jan) but even so the values for March appear to be a consistent 1 degree lower then in January.

This being said, less then two weeks ago I was diving in Sharm in a 3mm shorty with 5mm hood and boots (no problem 2 dives per day over a few days in a row) but the weather was good, sunny and with little to no wind.

If the data listed here for April is correct https://seatemperature.info/april/red-sea-water-temperature.html you can expect slightly lower water temperatures during the first week of April (compared to late December- early Jan) but much higher air temperatures then in January. 30 degrees Celsius and blazing sun are quite common, particularly since you'll be going South from Hurghada.

 

[TwoBitTxn]

I'll be on the same boat in mid May. I would love to hear about your trip