5 MM Shorty - too warm?

[stuartv]

You can only decide based on your own tolerance for the water temp. I regularly dive a full 5mm in low 80s water and that's just about right - maybe a slight chill by the end of the second dive. I was on a boat dive recently in the Caribbean (82 degree water) where the divers ranged from just bathing suits, to 3 mm shorties, to my 5 mm full, to one diver in a dry suit! To each, his/her own.

Exactly.

I dive a 3/2 full suit down to about 70F, for single tank, recreational dives. Everybody is different. You just need to know what temp ranges equate to what exposure protection for you and then ask about the water temps you should expect. Dive time also matters. A 3/2 for 35 minutes at 70F might be comfy to me, but would be too cold if it was going to be for 50 minutes. Also, to me anyway, surface temps play a part. 70F water with 80+ air temps and a clear, sunny day is 3/2 suit territory for me. But, if it was the same water temp but 65F air temp and a rainy day with a breeze I would probably wear my 5/4.

 

[outofofficebrb]

I would do a 3mm full as others have suggested and then do a hooded vest if you get chilled or on back to back dives or even colder water. I do have a 3mm and a 5mm and a hooded vest as well as a 8/7 semi dry but I'm of the warm water variety and get cold easily. in general i don't like diving in shorties as well - i like having the protection at the very least. It came in handy when the triggerfish came after my leg and when i bumped some coral.

 

[Lorenzoid]

It's hard to imagine ANY wetsuit seriously being "too warm." At depth, I'm rarely uncomfortably warm unless maybe working hard against a current, and worst case, I figure I can let a little water into the neck to cool off. Better to be cozy than even slightly chilly, I think. In other words, I err on the side of too much protection rather than too little.

The issues with wetsuit thickness are mainly mobility and topside comfort. A thicker suit feels more constrictive and limits your mobility more than a thinner suit. A thicker suit may be more cumbersome to don and doff than a thinner suit. I don't enjoy the Michelin Man feeling. With a shorty, I can't imagine mobility would be an issue. Topside, a thicker suit definitely can be uncomfortably hot if the weather is hot and sunny. But then, you're usually not sitting there zipped up in the suit for very long. Underwater, however, it's a different story. A slightly thicker suit is no big deal, and if there's any debate over optimal suit thickness I would opt for a slightly thicker over slightly thinner suit anyday.

No matter what the temperatures, I always use a full suit for protection against stings and abrasions. I have a shorty I got for free but have never used.

 

[stuartv]

During late summer, the local quarry gets quite warm at/near the surface. But, there is a serious thermocline around 17'. And it's still 39F or so on the bottom (60+ feet). Last Labor Day, I went out there for a Dive Rite demo day and made the mistake of wearing my 7mm wetsuit. It was SERIOUSLY too warm. I ended up swimming around at 15' and felt like I was sweating inside my wetsuit during the dive.

Was I going to pass out from heat exhaustion? No. But, sweating inside your wetsuit does not make for a pleasant dive. And, if you do it long enough, I supposed deyhydration could eventually become a factor in your dive.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I stand corrected A 7 mm in the summer near the surface is too warm. There.

 

[Fdzzaigl]

I once dove a 5mm shorty (rental gear that was handed to me) in Turkey when the outside temperature was around 45°C and water temperature at the surface near 30°C. At 20 meters depth we hit a sharp thermocline. After a 45 minute dive I then spent about an hour shivering in the scalding heat on the boat deck warming back up.

So herefore my extreme opinion: shorties are for snorkeling, not for diving (barring overshorties). They offer no protection for a large part of your body against marine life, rocks or coral and the distance water has to travel to cool your kidneys / core is just too small. Go for a full length suit.

As others have said: you will almost never be too warm when you're actually IN the water. Except if you:
*Dive a ridiculously thick suit for the temperature.
*Are swimming and paddling around like a maniac instead of keeping still.

 

[tridacna]

I'm still waiting to hear who makes this mythical 5mm shorty. Perhaps the OP should get a 7mm or 9mm shorty. Or even a drysuit shorty.

 

[Damselfish]

I think it's best to always wear some kind of fullsuit. Layering some kind of shorty over it might work out though.

Who makes a 5mm true shorty? Besides Pinnacle which is really a layer for a 3mm underneath. I've never seen a real 5mm shorty.

I have a Mares 5mm hooded shorty. (Which I should probably sell, as I've never used it.)

 

[boulderjohn]

I'm still waiting to hear who makes this mythical 5mm shorty. Perhaps the OP should get a 7mm or 9mm shorty. Or even a drysuit shorty.

Google the phrase and you will see a number of manufacturers pop up in the advertising section of your screen.

 

[tridacna]

Google the phrase and you will see a number of manufacturers pop up in the advertising section of your screen.

Only one: The Pinnacle Farmer-John top with a front-zipper which is not intended to be used as a shorty but rather a FJ top over another suit-I know because I have one. It's also very very thick.