Ber Rabbit:
66F cold? Around here that's tropical
When you get below 45F THEN it's cold
Ber :lilbunny:
WHEW... when we did the "Underwater Easter Egg Hunt" my Cobra read 45 deg on the NOSE!!! Glad I didn't get into cold water!!!
But seriously folks... seems to be two factors involved in defining cold (at least from my perspective):
1: Personal comfort level and;
2: Equipment functionality level
What defines *cold* for #1 is greatly dependant on who ya' are and where you're at. When I did a dive in St. Thomas I was suprised to see the instructor's 3 mil wet suits when I was diving in swim trunks and a t-shirt... to THEM... the days water was "cool"... to me... comfee... Both of us were right.
45 deg. didn't *seem* cold to me... of course I wuz' wearing a 5/4/3 wetsuit, a 3 mil. vest, 3 mil hood, gloves, boots and warm thoughts. But there WERE folks in dry suits who WERE cold... go figure...
The thing about the hood is imporant, IMO... as they note... most thermal loss is through the head... insulating that seems wise...
With regard to #2... ummmm... I'm not a technician... I guess I'd have to rely on what a manufacturer had to say about their gear and the thermal ranges they recommend as suitable environments for their stuff... all I know is that my regs all have this cute little snowflake on em'... supposedly that is the magic talisman that makes em' functional in cold water... dunno...
... oh... and I generally find that my definition of "cold" varies... if the day is 80+... 45 deg water ain't so bad... if the day wuz' 50 deg or less... 45 deg might be a LOT less pleasant... But... for me... ANY water that is trying to imitate a Slushy... IS COLD....
