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Terry9000

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Location
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I'm a Fish!
Hello, I'm new to ScubaBoard, but I've been diving for a long time.
Just back back from a dive off North California. I have always used a 7mm suit.
Dive starts out ok, but down at 60ft for an hour I'm not just cold, my bones are icing up.
I come out shivering...I'm older now and I can't take the cold like the old day's.
Burr I'm cold.
 
I come out shivering...I'm older now and I can't take the cold like the old days.
One hour in NorCal waters is a long dive time, and it's not surprising you got cold in a 7mm. Out of curiosity, what were the other divers wearing? Drysuits are very common in your area. If you never want to be cold again, get a drysuit.
 
What do you eat?
 
Drysuit.
Decent undersuit.
Drygloves.
Decent undergloves.
...
Pee valve!
Heater!
 
Tolerance to cold IMO has little to do with age. Growing up in NYC area until moving away at age 23 I disliked the cold water and did little swimming before mid July. Spending a few years in sub arctic Canada with 3 months of -30 winters, I developed a serious tolerance to cold and hated the heat when I returned to NY each summer. After 18 years now away from the North and in Nova Scotia I have noticed I gradually got colder diving over the years and being outside in winter and now am OK with NYC summer heat once again.
 
Everyone will tell you dry suit because that's all they know and that's what's available. I personally use a custom electronic heated wet suit 160 watts but only one exists and it's not for sale, but you can try my backup system which I used many times. The chemical heater.

Make a custom neoprene pouch 4mm, 12 inch by 10 inches., fill it with snap chemical heat packs (6-9 lbs), then stuff it in your wetsuit on your chest, 10 minutes before you dive. Its a lot cheaper and easier than a dry suit and will work

one more tip get a modern 7mm wet suit with watertight wrist and ankle seals, like a Henderson aqua lock, Bare or Waterproof brand

there is one company that makes this Mangrove thermo heated vest dch-v from aditech-usa.com. If you don't want to make one yourself.


1. Premium and most expensive--Custom electronic wetsuit $6000+
2. Dry suit with heater $4000-$5000
3. Dry suit no heater $2000-$3000
4. New wetsuit plus thermo chemical $1000
5. homemade heat pack $200


there are many options depending on your budget.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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