Vest over 3/2 wetsuit?

[rye_a]

My wife and I are off to Bonaire next week, and we need to figure out a wetsuit solution for her. She tends to dive very cold and is even cold getting out of an 85* pool in her 3/2 suit. We are heading to Bonaire next week, and I want to be sure that she is warm enough for multiple dives per day.

One option that we have considered is adding a vest over her 3/2 suit. The other is for her to rent a 5mm suit for the trip ($35 rather than a couple hundred to buy).

Any suggestions?

 

[dumpsterDiver]

Is she wearing a decent hood? A decent hood is the cheapest and most efficient use of neoprene exposure protection. I find a thin full coverage suit AND a decent hood to be more comfortable than a thicker suit and no hood, plus the suit compression issues are reduced with a thin suit.

A vest over or under the main suit may helf, another option is a hooded vest which I generally use with a one-piece back zip suit

 

[rye_a]

She has a beanie but is reluctant to go to a full hood for comfort reasons.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

A reasonably well fitting, but a little loose hood with a good bibb that can be tucked in is much, much warmer than a beanie, When the water gets below 60, your hood just has to fit tight, but for water that is 80 degrees, a hood does not have to be tight or constricting to provide a huge benefit.

 

[Kupu]

My vote goes for renting the 5mm suit as the best single solution in this case, it sounds like just a (non hooded) vest might not be enough to stay comfortably warm.

I am a big fan of hooded vests, they are a great addition to any thickness wetsuit. Many people find they are more comfortable than expected after a dive or two to get used to the feeling. The trade off for the feeling of wearing the hood vs the increased warmth tends to balance in favor of the hooded vest, and the hood can be put on or pulled back during the dive if needed.