Keeping Warm... How many layers do you wear?

[didi440]

I dive dry in the NE most of the time. However, our weather has been so warm that I have been comfortable in my 5mm in some of our shallower shore dive locations. I love my DUI suit and use the 4th Element Undergarments -- Artic for March - June, and Sept - Dec; and the light weight for the rest of the time. Most of the dives here are about an hour max and I can hold it for an hour. If you are worried about "leakage", then Depends are a good thing to try.

 

[SubMariner]

I think unlike the men I dive with, I seem to always be cold, regardless of the water temp. I dive in fresh water, so around 22/23 degrees C. I usually wear a full 7mm with a shortie over top. Towards the end of August, I'll wear a 5mm AS WELL underneath that but it's hard to move in it! Are there such things as 1mm wet suits, more like a skin? If so, where would I find it. I've looked, but most are just skins that are too thin, with no warmth.

Drysuit, drysuit, drysuit, drysuit!

Yes, others have already said this, it but I thought it well worth repeating.

Although I started out diving wet in Ontario, the happiest day of my wet life was when I started diving dry. I went from 25 minutes in 5mm to over an hour in my drysuit. I also never went back to diving wet in The Great White North.

Many shops in temperate climates will offer the option to their students of taking their OW course dry. It really only requires an extra confined water session; the rest is open water. Literally.

I have only ever owned two suits: a drysuit and a full length 3mm. That covers all the contingencies for me world wide.

Go dry... you will never regret it!

 

[Bexny]

When I was doing my cave training in Mexico, my instructor dove dry but I dove wet. It was 24C which to me felt icy cold, being more accustomed to 29-30 C waters. I wore a full length 5mm under 3mm hooded shorty along with a 5mm hood. The 5mm hood made a huge difference, but admittedly after 90 mins I was still cold. One day I had to forgo the hood as the person I was borrowing it from needed it that day, and I got cold much more quickly. So if you are going to dive wet, a thick hood is a must! Next time, and if I can afford it, I'm diving dry!

 

[SeahorseDeb]

After I had been out of the water for a decade to raise my family, I recertified in a wetsuit. I did 18 dives and then went straight into a drysuit. When the water gets up into the low 60's (above the thermocline) I will don my 5/7 wetsuit. Diving dry allows me to go deeper (within my cert level), stay down longer, and extend my diving season. The drysuit is a huge investment, but one u won't regret!!! Stay warm and safe!

 

[eelnoraa]

If you are feeling cold in 7mm in 22C(71F), you should consider a drysuit if you plan to be diving a lot. Layering two 7mm suit create a bigger problem than restrictive mobility. You need to carry lots of weight at surface for you to sink, but once in depth, most of the buoyancy is lost. You are left over weighted at depth. Depend on the amount of over weight, it can be a unsafe pratice.

 

[FinnMom]

You don't mention gloves, boots and a hood. If you aren't using a hood, add at least that item! Keeping the torso & the head warm is 80% of the battle. Warm fingers are really nice too.
Our wetsuit diving is May-early Oct and 4-18C. Like most wetsuit divers here, I started with a 7mm long and a 5mm hooded shorty, plus 5-8mm gloves and 3-5mm booties. It was OK most of the time, sometimes for max 30 mins though. Mostly getting dressed & undressed plus sitting btwn dives was the bitter cold part of it all.

Diving dry was a huge improvement and changed my dive season to 1 Jan-31 Dec. When my daughter started diving I bought her a brand new (new = no leaks, proper fit) drysuit from day 1 and have never regretted a single penny.

A membrane drysuit can comfortably be worn with as little as cotton longjohns on underneath (and even less, but in that case less comfortably) and need not be hot unless you're diving in hottub. Try it, you'll like it! It's it bit difficult to learn the bouyancy but very, very much worth the trouble.

 

[Boulanger]

Well I wear 3 layers. Apart from undergarments I wear shirt, then sweater and then a jacket to keep myself warm in this winter season. I also take muffler to cover my head and face.

 

[Laurie S.]

Wow, cold at 70 degrees? I'll be wearing at most a 3 mm at that temperature, and have also worn my 1 mm suit and been okay. I wear a diveskin under my 3 mm and 5 mm. Won't wear a 7 mm since I can't stand the restrictive feeling. When we did abalone diving in northern California in early October, I did add a hooded vest under my 5 mm, along with 7 mm boots and gloves instead of my usual 3 mm. I was fine in 52 degree water.

 

[Imla]

No reason not to go dry. I have a 3mm for those vacations to where I can enjoy sun and sand. I usually leave it on the boat, and use my shorts
At home I dive dry exclusively.
Just came home from 2 dives. Drysuit. 5finger wet gloves, 7mm hood for 1C at 1m, 8C at 30, and -5 in the air...
Got two good dives of approx 45min.

 

[Mitchell Teeters]

Wow, cold at 70 degrees? I'll be wearing at most a 3 mm at that temperature, and have also worn my 1 mm suit and been okay. I wear a diveskin under my 3 mm and 5 mm. Won't wear a 7 mm since I can't stand the restrictive feeling. When we did abalone diving in northern California in early October, I did add a hooded vest under my 5 mm, along with 7 mm boots and gloves instead of my usual 3 mm. I was fine in 52 degree water.

Heh, I've dove my lavacore and been comfy in that water. Go dry!


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