How does a wetsuit really work?

[blue32]

I learned in my OW class that a wetsuit works by heating up the water between your skin and the wetsuit and then trapping it there. I just got finished reading an article that claims that to be BS. The article, from Rodale's Scuba Diving Magazine, says that wetsuits work by reducing the water flow over your skin. I'm confused...

 

[Uncle Pug]

Originally posted by blue32
wetsuit works by heating up the water between your skin and the wetsuit and then trapping it there.

wetsuits work by reducing the water flow over your skin. I'm confused...

The water trapped between your skin and the suit does heat up... but does so by absorbing heat from your body... (which fortunately you make up for metabolically)... this water being semi-trapped (with a well fitting suit) limits water exchange with the outside... thus the warm boundary layer of water keeps you from contacting the colder *outside* water.... the insulation effect however comes not from the water but from the neoprene suit material... and that is why both the thickness of the neoprene and the fit of the suit are important to keeping you warm.

 

[Jonathan]

Which brings me nicely to my dilema for saturday - to go wet or boil in a bag?!

The air temp is in the 30's now and the water only low 20's - sounds like short & t under my membrane dry suit, maybe I'll lose a few pounds on my way to the dive site.....

Jonathan

 

[Uncle Pug]

...along with conversions from C to F

 

[Fishkiller]

the dryer the wet suit, the better; but a wet, dry suit is bad..

couldn't resist UP

 

[willanz]

hey blue,

I started diving the springs in my 3mm suit with a hooded vest. For our short dives of 30 mins or less it was fine but we did get cold anything longer. Keeping up with a group of divers from Canada, I read that some of them used duck tape on their wrists and ankles to reduce the water flow and stay warmer for a little bit longer.

My buddy and me tried it out for a dive. WOW, it was an improvement. We were able to extend our dives comfortably by atleast 15 mins. A couple of pieces of tape for more bottom time sounds like a good trade off. It worked for that one weekend but after that I decided to just pick up a thicker suit 5mm one piece.

The dives did get longer and I did some of my overhead classes with that suit.

Finally someone mentioned layering. I ended up wearing both my 3mm suit and my 5mm suit. This worked pretty good at extending my comfort level for my cave dives until I picked up my drysuit. But just like any other piece of dive gear it needs to get serviced. So I go back to my wetsuits and shorten the dives.

I completely forgot how cold it gets after a long time diving only a dry suit. I ended up swimming into a cave for 40 mins and when I turned around to enjoy the flow back...oops. BRRRR. It's one of the few times that I actually used my WETNOTES and wrote to my buddy. let's hurry out...I am freezing. In less than 20 mins we were out.


FYI the water in question is 70 F.

But I'm a warm water weenie.

 

[TwoBitTxn]

C to F

C *9/5 + 32 = F

F to C

(F -32 ) *5/9 =C

30* C =86*F


TwoBit

 

[NAUTICAL NOBLE]

http://www.scubadiving.com/gear/wetsuitbs/

 

[Jonathan]

OK, thanks for the help. What we are looking at is an air temp of around 90 and a water temp of 70 for you guys that can't be bothered to catch up with the rest of the world.

Whilst on the surface I would like to be wearing as little as possible under the surface it will be a tad chilly. So I'll probably feel like a boil in a bag if I wear my dry suit (as I said it's a membrane one) but maybe a little cold under water in my 3mm - which now more like a 1.5mm after a week of deep dives....

However, that typhoon that flattened Guam is heading our way so I may just go to the pub anyway....

 

[willanz]

Jonathan,

It is similar temps in north Florida where I go cave diving.
I will generally put all my gear together and then suit up. After that we jump in for a refreshing dip in the water before dealing with the gear. Otherwise, I'll be sweating and overheating. I won't use my wetsuit because I'll still get hot and then get too cold during my dive.

Is it practical for you to cool off before your dive?

On my last trip, I picked up a little handtruck and took all of my gear to nearest the water. This made gearing up and staying cool an easy task.

Check out pics if you like at

www.edivers.org

Gallery section

Springs 7-4-02