Diving Hawai'i - wetsuit choices

[sdr_adam]

I'm diving in Hawaii in two short weeks. (Woo hoo!) I'm wondering what people recommend for exposure suits -- the dive op I called said that most people use 3mm full suits, but that others use 3mm shorties or nothing. Expected bottom temp is 80F. I own a 4/3 full and a 3mm shorty. (I don't think I tend to get cold easily -- my last dives were in a 6.5 farmer john in ~49F water here in Monterey.) Anyway, I'd like to only bring one suit. So... any suggestions?

 

[Wildcard]

Id vote for the 4/3. Mostly for coral protection but winter is setting in. I dive a 3/2 full and am looking at a 5/3 full as I have been getting a little cold, not bad but a little.

 

[TSandM]

I dove in Maui in August in a 3 mil wet suit and I was completely comfortable, but I am someone who usually gets cold pretty fast. Water temp then was about 81 degrees.

 

[Kevrumbo]

Dove Big Island and Oahu this past August in a 1mm Full with a 2mm hooded vest underneath; in December/January I put a 3/2 Shorty on top of all that . . .go with your 4/3 Full.

 

[kidspot]

I just got back from snorkeling with a couple of kids. I wore my 1/2 mil suit and got cold, they both wore 5 mil suits with hoods and it was the first time neither complained about getting cold... normally I wear a 3 mil full suit when diving and frequently consider a 5

Aloha, Tim

 

[redrover]

Loving the full 3ml Hyperstretch (people say is less warm than traditional neoprene) I got after dive 2 here. Got cold in a 3ml shorty neoprene and it goes under the Hyperstretch by dive 3 or 4. I’m not a ‘cold’ person but I’m acclimatized, sure not used to No Cal temps. I like the full for protection, the lava and coral is nasty if you hit it, better safe than sorry for me.
Being a cold water traveler; maybe bring the shorty and rent if not enough?

 

[scubadrewvideo]

I live on Oahu and dive daily. Board shorts and a rash guard is all I wear out here. I dove So. Ca. before and was not cold with a 7 mm. As an instructor, I see plenty of divers and most of them are happy in either a full or shorty 3/2
Good luck and if you dive on Oahu, look up ScubaDrew VideoWorks.
Mahalo,
Drew

 

[DiveMaven]

I'd say it depends on how much diving you're going to do. If you're going to do a lot of repetitive diving, go for the thicker suit so you stay warm as your core temperature goes down. Otherwise, if you have a preference for the shorty and are cold tolerant, take the shorty. We saw people in everything from just a bathinsuit to a 7mm full suit in August.

Last year in Maui we dove 2 tanks about every other day and I was fine in a 3mm shorty in 74 degree water. This year we dove 2 tanks everyday in 79 degree water for 8 days, and by days 7 and 8 I was getting cold in my 3mm full suit on the second dives. I've since bought a 5mm full suit for the repetitive diving we're going to do in Belize in December, and when we head back to Maui in April to dive for 4 straight days.

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

DiveMe is correct. We spent on average over 4 hours a day below the surface and the 3 mil was too thin. My wife switched to a 5 mil.

 

[BDub]

I agree with the thicker suit as well. Our last trip there we did 22 dives over 8 days and I was getting cold with a 3mm full towards the end of the trip. Like others have said, a lot of it will depend on how much diving you'll be doing. I'll definitely bring a 5mm with me next time.