How cold will you dive wet?

[ohmdiver]

I don't mind being a little cold, it depends more ones personal comforts. I have done dives that would have made (and did) make some of my dive buddies act cold for me. There are tricks and ways to keep yourself warm. But I did get a drysuit and use it. It helped me extend my diving to year round.

We have a rule as a group, if the air temps are below freezing we do not dive.

 

[CompuDude]

A lot of folks strongly advocate for diving dry, but for those of you diving wet, how cold will you go? I ask being a new diver in New England, wondering what kind of season I could get out of a wetsuit (while I save up for a drysuit).

So...

Cow cold are you comfortable diving wet?

See, you're asking two different questions, this is the problem: How cold will I dive wet is different from how comfortable will I be while diving wet, or at what point I'd be unwilling to dive wet anymore.

If I have to (drysuit being serviced or something) I'll dive wet down to the upper 40's... but I won't be happy about it. I'm actually perfectly happy diving wet down to the mid-50s, although I'm going to start getting colder on a day with 4+ dives, esp. depending on topside temps.

So I chose 60F on the poll. 60 degrees F and I'm perfectly happy in a wetsuit.

I'm happy in a wetsuit down to 50 as well, just not nearly as comfortable.

When I have a choice, however, I'll use my drysuit for anything under 65, sometimes 60, barring any unusual circumstances. Over 65 and I'd rather dive wet than dry.

 

[maj2]

I've used my 2pc 7mm on several dives in the low 40s (F) and a few in the high 30s (F). That's as long as the air is warm.
For me its not so much the water temperature, it is staying warm during the surface interval that will determine how comfortable the subsequent dives will be.

 

[RJP]

Why does every poll of this type leave me off?

I dive dry NO MATTER WHAT!



Gotta love that DUI 30/30 in 83F water on the Aggressor in the Cayman's.

 

[Tigerman]

I have done dives ~10c semidry but If I could choose, even at 12c, Id go dry.
at 10c im getting noticeably colder during the dive and doffing after those dives sux since the air temprature usually is not great either when the waters gotten that cold..
doffing that suit and donning it again a couple of hours later? NO WAY!! Thats freaking unpleasant!

 

[Divin'Papaw]

Why does every poll of this type leave me off?

I dive dry NO MATTER WHAT!



Gotta love that DUI 30/30 in 83F water on the Aggressor in the Cayman's.

Dude ... that's like bath water! Do you shower in your 30/30?

 

[RJP]

Do you shower in your 30/30?

Don't be stupid - I have a 3mm suit for that!



But seriously, when was the last time you surfaced and said to your buddy "Great dive, but would have been better if I was cold!"

Do 5-6 dives a day for 7 days and see if you don't start getting cold by the second day. On the liveaboard everyone laughed at me and my buddy...until after the first night dive when we were down for 70min and everyone else surfaced after 45.

 

[trucker girl]

There are two questions here. The thread heading: How cold will you dive wet? And the poll question: How Cold Are You Comfortable Diving Wet?

I answered the Thread Heading: 50 degrees. I'm not comfortable at that temp. I have only a 7-6-5 suit- not a farmer john. I did buy a hooded vest and scuba socks (to go with my surface beanie!) for my brrrrr trip to Tobermory brrrr.

Notso_Ken is nuts!

 

[HowardE]

I dive wet above 75 degrees. Below that and I'm diving dry

 

[LavaSurfer]

Cold and Wet? those two words just don't go together in my book. If it's too cold for a 3mm I'm dry.

I second that