Thermal Protection thread

[lowviz]

Lots of good advice here!

One of the things 27 years in Alaska taught me about staying warm is to layer my undergarments. If you are looking at a real cold water dive start with a layer of thin material (polyester, silk, polartec, smartwool). Follow that with a mid-weight polartec or other microfleece product.

Ended up at the same place by trial and error. I use a thin Patagonia Capilene longsleve top and bottom under my polartecs. I know that the Capilene is supposed to be for hot weather, but it makes the leaks so much more bearable.

 

[scubashawn123]

Well laugh all ya want....

I bought all my gear .... I have dove the coldest for me at 33 C and felt good.

33 degrees Celsius = 91.4 degrees Fahrenheit........no wonder your warm

Must be a typo.........thanks for the input.



SO

 

[sibermike7]

33 degrees Celsius = 91.4 degrees Fahrenheit........no wonder your warm

Must be a typo.........thanks for the input.



SO

Rats, you beat me to it! I about fell off of my chair when I read that!

 

[sibermike7]

I'm good down to the low 40's without too much discomfort. I could go lower but I've never had to. I feel that when you need power tools to get into the water, it's probably time to find something else to do for a few weeks.

A few weeks??!!! Not everyone lives in Dallas!
Water temp will be 32F here until end of March or April or until all the ice melts - learned that in H.S. Chemistry!

I picked up some silk long johns and tops (in black) from Cabelas and also some really nice spun silk and cashmere tops and bottoms. The spun silk is thick almost as thick as wool but a bazillion times warmer. And it is unbelievably soft but doesn't itch like wool. I use the black silk as the first layer to keep me from sweating and because it is a great initial insulator but very thin.

I finish my layering with a second set of silk plain black silk because it is sooo slick that I can easily slide in and out of my suit. I dove this week and was WARM, not just tolerable, but WARM. I didn't even notice the water temp except on my lips. After 5 minutes my lips were numb so I didn't notice them either!

The only draw back with diving like this is if you kiss someone on the SI, make sure feeling has been restored to your lips or you might bang your teeth together, not good for romance (or the pocket book either). My wife is making me pay for her braces. Well, they always warned me that diving was expensive!

 

[imasinker]

Rats, you beat me to it! I about fell off of my chair when I read that!

Ya typo. 33 f ....too many cold water dives my brain is froze...lol

 

[ZzzKing]

A few weeks??!!! Not everyone lives in Dallas!
Water temp will be 32F here until end of March or April or until all the ice melts - learned that in H.S. Chemistry!

You realize that you are posting in the TEXAS SWAMP DIVERS forum, right? This isn't the New England Lobsta Divahs or the Midwest Muck Divers or the Great Lkes Wrecking Crew or the Alaska Polar Bear or even the Siberian Psychopaths. "Round here, if you are good to the low 40's, your good for the whole year.

 

[Timeliner]

lower 40's F.....
that's still good for diving a wet suit.

I've taken an interest in all of the suggestions about thin One piece Spandex suits and those delightful silk undergarments not to mention the soft fine Cashmere. Of course to actually wear those things into the lake I'd have to violate one of my rules for cold water diving ( don't think about Sex )

 

[diveprof]

Hello from GA .
Five of us enjoyed our New Year's Day dive in 51 degree water (4 wetsuited, 1 drysuit). Divetime was 96 minutes. I (wetsuit - 7mm Bare Artic with hooded step in shorty) was comfortable. I believe that their are two factors operating in cold water diving: 1 - tolerence, if you have been diving regularly as the water has chilled you are better suited to the cold temps than those who haven't dove in the past three months. Secondly, to me the biggest advantage of drysuits is the ability to handle temps below 45 degree and the ability to do multiple dives. In the winter, I'm OK with one long dive... I wear a 5 pound backplate and 4 pounds weight vs the 20+ pds some others wear with drysuits.

 

[Timeliner]

I will second that idea of diving often and getting used to the water....
When you go every weekend it does not seem as bad.

I hurt my back and had to lay off the diving for a month or so and man that first cold smack in the face was a jolt !

 

[sibermike7]

You realize that you are posting in the TEXAS SWAMP DIVERS forum, right?

I do now!!
Thanks Zzz!