Wetsuit, How Cold?

[Jeff Toorish]

What is the coldest water you have dived in a wetsuit? It would be interesting to know the air temperture, as well.

Just curious about this. Of course the total thickness of the wetsuit would also come into play.

Jeff

 

[MaxBottomtime]

I dived in a hailstorm at Lake Tahoe in a 6mm suit. The water temp was 46F. My feet hurt within the first few minutes of the dive. After over 800 dives in wetsuits, mostly in the low 60s to low 50s I finally got a drysuit. The only way I'll wear my wetsuit now is if my drysuit is in the shop.

 

[Wildcard]

50ish air temp and the water hit 39 in a 7mm farmer john. NEVER again. Im putting the bar down to about 55 for a wet suit.

 

[Doc Harry]

Ha!!

I get cold in a 7mm wetsuit/hood at 68 degrees if I'm doing 3-4 dives per day, day after day.

Cold :shakehead wimp!

(Mr. Cold and I do NOT get along!)
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[boogeywoogey]

Normally I used to dive in a semi dry...if HQ let me, at 1c...it was chilly...the regs were Beuchat Icebergs....

It was a 7mm full with a 5mill shorty hood

 

[DiverBuoy]

High 40s in 7mm full body integrated hood Henderson front zip wetsuit, at depth north of Monterey California. I remember discussing the dive afterwards and commenting that feel of the temperature didn't seem "a whole lot" colder than every day dives about 400 miles south of there on the coast of Southern California where I live. At the first decent thermocline (around 36 - 40 feet right now) it drops to high 50s easily throughout the winter. I think part of the oddity was diving a new area had a certain exciting appeal to keep the blood flowing and I really wasn't in the water for my usual long time.

Funny thing when it comes to being temperature sensative I can usually detect 2 and 3 degree changes nearly instantaneously, say when the temp drops from 64 to 62 as you go a bit deeper. Go figure.

 

[DiverBuoy]

I should add one more comment ... as for California diving, I really used to make a big macho deal about the wussies that complained about the temperature. But you know funny thing, after hundreds of chilly dives I've already started in motion a permanent trade up from the wetsuit. A drysuit is now in my sights as my #1 diving investment goal. Right behind that is to blow some outrageous dough on video equipment I think I have way too many non-diving friends, so I gotta have a way to share more of "my world" with them, starting first with my beloved water-hating wife.

 

[Floridawannabe]

Let see July ?, 2005 air temp in the mid 70s and when we got down to 91 ft it was a brisk 40 degrees. I had a 7M shortie and 6.5M farmer john, hood, boots and gloves 5M. I was nice and warm plus a little extra insulation of my own. Now my dive buddy forgot his hood and after about 5 minutes of that cold he pointed up made a I am cold sign, so we went up, the wimp . I could not believe in July the water was that cold but I guess in a lake it is possible.

 

[Sasquatch]

Coldest was 44 degrees. Normally dive from 48-52 year round in wetsuit. No worries.

I look forward to tropical diving a few times each year.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...warm water!

 

[Diver0001]

I made a dive once in 6C (44?) with a 7/5 wetsuit. And I was back out of the water 1/2 frozen in 20 min. Personally I think even with a very good wetsuit you shouldn't dive it in water colder than 12C (54?)

R..