Keeping warm versus bulky wetsuit (and buoyancy control issues)

[ange2014]

Hi all -

I feel cold easily/quickly… even on land and especially underwater. To give you a rough idea: with a 5mm full wetsuit in 28C (about 82F) waters, I was cold 30mins into the second dive (which was after a 1-hour break from the 1st dive, at depths of 20-25m). I got myself a 7mm top and 7mm sleeveless bodysuit wetsuit combo which keeps me nice and warm (no, I do not get overheated in this combo); however with this combo, I need to carry 10kg of weights. Consequently, that makes me super sensitive to depth changes: I have had to inflate/deflate my BCD a lot more often during a dive and I am having buoyancy control problems especially on the ascent in the last 10m of water.

How can I balance between keeping warm and having a less bulky (less than 2x7mm hopefully) wetsuit?

I would also like to be able to dive in colder waters, any tips on how to keep warm efficiently with minimal bulk would be tremendously helpful.

Thank you in advance for any tips, advice and comments.

Ange

 

[krawlings]

You could go dry . I dive all year long I can tolerate 42*-55* water temps and can stay down longer (not end dive do to cold)and after the dive I am not wet so I am able to stay warmer on the surface interval. It can be 26*air out and I can still remain warm while some one wet is freezing.

 

[chrisch]

Yes- drysuit is the answer. I can't remember the last time I dived a wetsuit - horrible things. A membrane type drysuit is good in warm water as well, just cut down on the undersuit. I see you are in France. We regularly dive Carry le Rouet in drysuit in summer. If you are in the area say hi to Patrick and Marlene - excellent centre Plongée Passion Carry-le-Rouet Marseille

 

[Redshift]

If you get that cold, I agree with the previous comments, get a dry suit.

But you mentioned being cold with your 5mm suit on the second dive. I wonder if the problem is not just the water temperature and the suit you are wearing, but also the protection between dives. Did you keep the suit on? Was it windy? Try to dry and protect yourself from the wind between dives and allow your body to get properly warm again. Also, did you eat anything? I have noticed that I get colder when not eating. Your body needs fuel to generate heat and you may have spent it during all the time of setting up gear, traveling to dive site, do one dive, surface interval, then second dive... Grab a snack, take some warm coffee / tea...

 

[KeithG]

How well does your wet suit fit? In 82f waters a 3 mil suit should be more than adequate to handle multiple dives a day.

An off the rack suit fits very few people. Consider getting a custom measured suit.

 

[AngloFish]

Another vote for wetsuit fit.. We are all thermally challenged to some degree or another but it seems odd a 5mm would be that cold in those waters. I get cold easily but have no issues with 45-60 min in 72F water in a 3mm. Dive 2 I definitely need to pull out the 3mm chicken vest though. Remember if your suit doesn't fit well, water is going to be flushing in and out negating most of the thermal properties of the suit.
Other than that the drysuit option is a good way to go. I've owned 6mm neo, 2mm crushed, tri-lam, and bi-lam. Of the lot the tri-lam is my favourite personally. As Chris mentioned they are good in any temp. just adjust the thermal undies accordingly.
Now another thing you may try before anything radical or involving spending more money..
Food/fuel

What do you eat the night/morning before? If I'm planning a longer lake dive locally I can usually expect (depending on time of year) temps 2C-8C. Those days I try for pasta the night before and oatmeal the morning of. I have noticed I'm significantly warmer when I eat hearty "stick to your ribs" food before a dive. Also try filling a good sized thermos with hot water. Pour it down the back of your suit before each dive. Pre-warming a wetsuit is a trick we use here for ice diving wet. I imagine that might work for you.

 

[Steve_C]

redshift made a crucial point.

Out of the water a wetsuit becomes a refrigerator. It is wet and as the water evaporates it soaks up heat. That is why the old desert canteens had cloth on the outside for you to dampen. It cooled the canteen.

On a hot day the wet suit coolness can be useful. If I am going to leave the wet suit on I will often toss a set of rain gear on over the wetsuit. This stops the evaporation and the suit goes back to providing insulation.

Also a snack is good. I have noticed that some women bring their shore eating habits onto the boat. We are not talking salad here. Good old carbs work best for me.

Finally, what do you wear on your head? I find an insulated beanie or a hooded vest make a big difference on later dives. On say a 4 dive day, what keeps me warm on 1 and 2 will often leave me starting to get chilled on 3 and 4.

 

[Akimbo]

I disagree with most posts. Drysuits are the definition to bulky and are relatively complicated and unreliable. Their real strength is that they don't significantly lose insulation value as depth increases like a wetsuit.

For reduced bulk I will wear one of my 7mm two-piece suits with a farmer john and pull-over jacket over my drysuit any day -- 14mm on the torso. Even though I can stay comfortable for four hours freediving in 50° F water with these suits, but I am turning blue in 15 minutes on Scuba at 50-80'. On top of that, I am over 60 so my resistance to cold is far less than my younger days.

To be fair, these are custom suits without interior lining so there is much less water circulation than on an off-the-shelf suit sold for Scuba. I have to spray a liquid lube in the suit in order to slide it on. The suit fits so well that you can see the lube hours later when I take the suit off.

I do use a drysuit out of necessity on Scuba in these waters, unless the dive is going to be really shallow.

 

[MikeFerrara]

Either way (dry or wet) you're going to have to deal with buoyancy changes with depth.

I think a key factor is having the weight and buoyancy distributed such that your trim is manageable at all depths. It's not a big deal to put a little air into the BC or take it out but it's a pain when doing so puts you vertical or upside down. LOL

 

[Michael Guerrero]

Lots of great points on this thread and I agree totally with Akimbo about the drysuit bulkiness. I can do valve drills much easier in my custom semi-dry 7mm w/ 7mm sleeveless hooded jacket than I can with my drysuit.

As was mentioned, you should take the suit off (or peel down below your torso) between dives or the evaporation will chill you. You should also eat between dives and if you can drink warm fluids.

As far as buoyancy, if you're using more thermal protection (wet or dry), you're going to need more weight. The last 30 feet are where gas volume has the biggest change, so you're going to need to fine tune your breathing and be on top of venting air from your wing.