wetsuit thickness to water temp

[fstbttms]

Or just get really fat and provide your own insulation.

I've been trying that most of my adult life. Doesn't seem to be working though. I still get cold.

 

[DivrBikr]

It's all good!

 

[bigdave1969]

It is personal choice, everyone is different. I, for example, dont get cold easy, if you get cold easy you will want a thicker wetsuit.

 

[miketsp]

From my little experience, I would say that, if you're a recreational diver, you should only buy either a 5mm or a 7mm wetsuit.

You'll never be HOT in a 5mm (if you are, just unzip and let the water in). So if you're not a pro and don't want to spend couple hundred bucks on another suit just for warm water, go for the 5mm

Now the line between 5 and 7 depends on the person and accessories. If you don't wear a hood, jacket or anything else, I would go for the 7mm to dive in water below 60F

For someone from Brazil, the advice to buy only a 5mm or a 7mm sounds very strange.
For the 2 best diving locations in Brazil, ie Recife and Fernando de Noronha either option would be a total overkill.
I just got back from 3 weeks diving on the wrecks in Recife and my dive computer never registered less than 28C water temperature. We only used 3mm full suits for protection during penetrations. Most of the tourists were diving in t-shirts or 2-3mm shorties.
Whenever we go to Noronha, as there are no wrecks we just dive in 2-3mm shorties.
On night dives there we just add the full body lycra under the shorty for protection against occasional brushes with the reefs and to limit the quantity of creepy-crawlies (attracted by the lights) in contact with your skin.

It's not just a question of opening the suit to let in water to cool yourself. More neoprene means more weight on your belt, more buoyancy variation with depth and a less enjoyable dive.

It's always best to use the minimum possible amount of neoprene. The whole point of diving tropical waters is the sense of freedom.

Our dive cupboard looks more like a dive shop demonstration area.
With 3 divers in the family and each of us basically has
- full body lycra (skin)
- 2-3mm shorty
- 2mm vest
- 3mm hood
- 3mm full body single piece
- 5mm full body single piece
- 7mm semi-dry
- 7mm hood
plus gloves with fingers and without fingers
plus boots.

So for Caribbean diving we generally take the skin + 2mm vest + 3mm full body +3mm hood and this lets us mix & match over the full range of typical temps from 23C - 28C.

If we're going somewhere that we know will be below 23C then we take the 5mm full body and below 20C we take the 7mm semi-dry that will be comfortable even on long dives down to around 14C.

 

[Filippo]

For someone from Brazil, the advice to buy only a 5mm or a 7mm sounds very strange.
For the 2 best diving locations in Brazil, ie Recife and Fernando de Noronha either option would be a total overkill.
I just got back from 3 weeks diving on the wrecks in Recife and my dive computer never registered less than 28C water temperature. We only used 3mm full suits for protection during penetrations. Most of the tourists were diving in t-shirts or 2-3mm shorties.
Whenever we go to Noronha, as there are no wrecks we just dive in 2-3mm shorties.
On night dives there we just add the full body lycra under the shorty for protection against occasional brushes with the reefs and to limit the quantity of creepy-crawlies (attracted by the lights) in contact with your skin.

It's not just a question of opening the suit to let in water to cool yourself. More neoprene means more weight on your belt, more buoyancy variation with depth and a less enjoyable dive.

It's always best to use the minimum possible amount of neoprene. The whole point of diving tropical waters is the sense of freedom.

Our dive cupboard looks more like a dive shop demonstration area.
With 3 divers in the family and each of us basically has
- full body lycra (skin)
- 2-3mm shorty
- 2mm vest
- 3mm hood
- 3mm full body single piece
- 5mm full body single piece
- 7mm semi-dry
- 7mm hood
plus gloves with fingers and without fingers
plus boots.

So for Caribbean diving we generally take the skin + 2mm vest + 3mm full body +3mm hood and this lets us mix & match over the full range of typical temps from 23C - 28C.

If we're going somewhere that we know will be below 23C then we take the 5mm full body and below 20C we take the 7mm semi-dry that will be comfortable even on long dives down to around 14C.

You are right. The northeast of Brazil has very warm waters. I was in Recife in december and this is how I was diving (my underwater Yoga )

However, as I said, if you are just a recreational diver, you'll probably only have 1 wetsuit and maybe a vest/gloves etc. It's not normal to own such a full wardrobe as you do

With that in mind, I think if you are going to have just ONE suit, go for a full 5mm... You can wear it on colder days/waters/trips.
For instance, I live in Rio, and love diving in Arraial do Cabo. The water is not so warm there though, it's not unusual to dive <20C there.

But, I do agree with you, and if I could I would have the exact same wardrobe as you

 

[Southern Maine Diver]

You "warm water" diving guys are killing me!!! No suits??? I don't remember what it's like to dive like that anymore.

I was stationed in Hawaii for three years, back in the mid 70's and that was absolutely the best diving I ever had! 100 ft visibility... 80 degree water temps... pretty fish... colorful seashells... sharks... I should have stayed.

Now i'm in Maine ... 34 degree water temp... 5 to 10 ft visibility... no fish to speak of...
drab, darkness... clam shells... no sharks...

You guys must be laughing your butts off at me

Have a great day,
Wayne

 

[DivrBikr]

Wayne,
I feel your pain. Hawaii is where I got my cert initially. I miss those waters... k:

But now, being in Colorado I have to adjust fire. I'm leaning at this time going with a 5mm and add a vest.
I rented a 7mm last year, had to add 10lbs of weight to overcome the positive buoyancy! I felt like a cork!

 

[scubafanatic]

.......as mentioned above, wetsuits compress with depth, losing their effectiveness, and generally the water is colder at depth too...so keep this in mind. ...additionally, the thicker the wetsuit, the harder it is to control the bouyancy, especially when you're 'shallow'...this variation in the expansion/contraction of the little neoprene air bubbles is modest at depth, but becomes much more pronounced at shallow depths.....and the thicker wetsuit, the more noticable the 'effect'.

 

[thatguyoverthere]

Here is the temperature guide from wetwear's website. These temperatures are for suits made with their nitrogen neoprene though..... not a regular wetsuit. The material and compression factors make a big difference in warmth. I crack up at the people I see wearing a 7 mm full suit in 70 degree water. If they were wearing a suit that doesn't compress as easily they wouldn't need all of that!


WATER TEMP SUIT THICKNESS AND STYLE
40 to 60 7mm Shorty over 7mm Jump
45 to 70 7mm Shorty over 5mm Jump
50 to 60 7mm Jump
50 to 70 5mm Shorty over 5mm Jump
50 to 80 5mm Shorty over 3mm Jump
7mm Shorty over 3mm Jump
60 to 70 5mm Jump
55 to 80 3mm Shorty over 3mm Jump
65 to 85 3mm Shorty over 2mm jump
70 to 80 3mm Jump
75 to 85 2mm Jump

 

[DivrBikr]

and the research continues....

Thanks to all for the info! In my quest for utilitarian warmth, comfort, versatility and the highest in Hollywood fashion (not!!!:demented, here is where I have gotten to.

I'm looking at a Body Glove EX3 Free Dive 5mm, a BG Super Rover 1mm first layer and a Pinnacle 3 mm Torso heater.