What's the best way to stay warm wet

[SkipperJohn]

I'm looking to extend my season a little and I am not looking to get a dry suit (not for a few years anyway). What's the best products out there to stay warm in the cold NY area waters? I have a 7 mil hendersons hyperstretch suit. Are there suits known for the warmth that perform better than this? How about a hooted vest or, somewhere I recall seeing some sort of heat thing you put in your wet suit.
I'm not looking to dive anything too cold. I just want to get in the water spring time where the water temps are likely to be in the 40's.

I dove one day last year & found bottom temps around 52. My body was fine but my hands were freezing in my 3 mil gloves. I've since bought 5 mil semi-dry gloves and dont expect to have that problem again. But I know that the 52 was the limit for my wet suit.

 

[parzdiver]

Dude - Just bite the bullet and go dry

Now that that is out of the way. A hooded vest is a great addition to wet suit. I have a Merino lined Pinnacle that is toasty. The one feature in a wet suit that I don't have, but would like is inner and outer cuffs on the arms and legs, something you can sandwich your gloves and boots between.

If you generally fit "off the rack" give the Down130 a try. If you need a more special fit, Waterproof seems to have the best range (short, tall, and plus sizes). Dave McLaughlin has the Fourth Element Semidry and was diving end of season at Dutch when most people were switching to dry suits.

 

[Montana Diver]

If you carry a thermos or two of warm water and pour it through the neck opening, this will prevent you from having to heat the cold water that floods the suit upon entry.
If you are doing multiple dives, an extra pair of gloves is a great investment for the second dive. It really sucks to put on cold wet gloves on the second dive. Hard to put on and my fingers don't ever get comfortable. I own a 2/3 mm full for the tropics and a CLX450 for MT diving.

There is nothing like diving dry in the cold. If you have a DUI or Fusion demo day in the area, please go.

Dennis

 

[SkipperJohn]

isn't the hooded vest going to affect the fit of my suit? LP has a 7 mill hooded vest, that seems awefully thick.

I've been eyeing the Pinnacle Kodiak Pinnacle Pinnacle Kodiak 8mm Semi-Dry Jumpsuit Mens Jumpsuit Package
or the henderson hooded velocity
Henderson Thermoprene 8/7mm Semi-Dry (although the 7 mil "panels-whatever they are- are concerning me)
Bare seems to make a nice one too
Bare 8/7mm Velocity Sem-Dry Men's Hooded Suit

Does the attached hood help much?

 

[parzdiver]

The hood is 7mm, the vest part is 3mm. The nice feature on the Pinnacles is there is a skin-out seal at the neck that "mates" with the neck seal on the wet suit, keeping water entry to a minimum.

The best thing is to try them on. It is all about fit, fit and fit.

I'd think the attached hood would have the potential to create gaps if it didn't fit perfectly.

isn't the hooded vest going to affect the fit of my suit? LP has a 7 mill hooded vest, that seems awefully thick.

I've been eyeing the Pinnacle Kodiak Pinnacle Pinnacle Kodiak 8mm Semi-Dry Jumpsuit Mens Jumpsuit Package
or the henderson hooded velocity
Henderson Thermoprene 8/7mm Semi-Dry (although the 7 mil "panels-whatever they are- are concerning me)
Bare seems to make a nice one too
Bare 8/7mm Velocity Sem-Dry Men's Hooded Suit

Does the attached hood help much?

 

[RJP]

Dude - Just bite the bullet and go dry

SkipperJohn - there is no other answer to your question. There simply is no "way to stay warm" diving wet here in the Northeast.

Sure, you will hear some people say "I dive wet and I'm warm and toasty..." but these people have obviously confused "warm and toasty" with "I didn't die of hypothermia."

Diving dry means you can dive year round here; at minimum from Easter through Thanksgiving. And enjoy every single minute of every single dive.

The worst part about not getting a drysuit "for a few years" will be that when you finally do get a drysuit you will immediately recall...

• all the dives you never planned to do
• all the dives you thought about doing but passed on
• all the second dives you skipped
• all the first dives you cut short
• all the dives that you just didn't enjoy
• all the surface intervals you spent needlessly shivering,
• all the times you donned a cold, wet, clammy wetsuit

...and you will come to the sudden realization that you should have bought one years ago.

What's your reasoning for waiting "for several years"??

If it's anything other than budget, get over it and buy a drysuit now.

If it's budget, buy a used suit or look into any of the value-priced models available from companies like BARE.

Just don't wait!

 

[SkipperJohn]

well... I am not considering dry yet because
I have 22 dives and have alot to learn yet before I add more complication. The complications being, as I see it...
another class (still working on my AOW)
Something else to complicate my buoyancy
a modification to my regulator (what happens to this hose when you dont use your dry suit?)
and yeah... $ Heck, I saw a pair of dry-gloves going for $200. The whole dry-suit thing seems a considerable investment.

 

[The Mighty Thor]

A hooded vest is the way to go if you don't go dry. Pinnacle, Bare, Waterproof, make good warm vests (although the Bare has a strange zipper placement) I suggest taking your wetsuit into your LDS and trying on some vests with the suit. You can also get thicker boots and gloves. They also make semi-dry wetsuits, which some people use. It's really the second dive that becomes a factor with keeping warm in a wetsuit. However, if you do continue to dive in the NE, you will eventually be buying a drysuit. Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated.

 

[RJP]

well... I am not considering dry yet because
I have 22 dives and have alot to learn yet before I add more complication. The complications being, as I see it...
another class (still working on my AOW)
Something else to complicate my buoyancy
a modification to my regulator (what happens to this hose when you dont use your dry suit?)
and yeah... $ Heck, I saw a pair of dry-gloves going for $200. The whole dry-suit thing seems a considerable investment.

You're definitely thinking about the right questions and issues, which is great. Every smart diver should give due consideration before adding any significant piece of gear to their configuration!

Complication: It's not that complicated (skill-wise or buoyancy-wise) and trust me when I say that overall you'll actually be BETTER OFF skill-wise and buoyancy-wise based simply on not shivering the whole dive. Seriously, think about doing your AOW navigation dive while your hands are shaking and your brain is going numb. Think about how colder-than-cold you will be going down to 90' or so on your AOW deep dive. (Cold may contribute to narcosis too) I work with students all the time who can't get their act together predominantly due to being cold and uncomfortable.

Another class: You can do your AOW in a drysuit, and then add one extra dive at the end and get your Drysuit cert as well. Talk to the LDS you're doing your training with. (Heck, the shop I DM at even does OW certs in drysuits.)

Buoyancy: Used properly, a drysuit may actually aid your ability to fine-tune buoyancy and trim in the water as it offers you more options for "where to put air."

Reg modification: I wouldn't call it a "modification" since you're just unscrewing a plug and screwing in a hose. When you're not diving dry (BTW - when exactly would that be, once you own a drysuit?) simply unscrew the drysuit hose and screw the plug back in.

Cost: No, they are not cheap. But you don't need to add dry gloves, etc right off the bat - or ever really. Especially if you go with an entry-level suit. The 5mm gloves you have now will do fine. In fact I don't use dry gloves, opting instead for a thick pair of neoprene. Most people diving around here use wet gloves vs dry. I'd say 80%-vs-20%, or maybe even higher in favor of wet.

I did my Drysuit cert dives up at Dutch Springs on an early-May weekend - as dives #12 and #13. I genuinely believe getting into a drysuit right away was one of the best moves I ever made. It's now three years later and more than 15

 

[Crush]

Something else to complicate my buoyancy
a modification to my regulator (what happens to this hose when you dont use your dry suit?)
and yeah... $ Heck, I saw a pair of dry-gloves going for $200. The whole dry-suit thing seems a considerable investment.

SkipperJohn, you are absolutely correct - drysuits can be expensive. Once a year Bare has a sale where their suits are discounted and you get the diving insulated underwear for free - you might consider this.

I am careful with my purchases, but I ended shelling out big cash for a tailor-made DUI TLS 350 Signature Series. It is by far the most expensive piece of dive equipment that I own, but nothing makes me happier than diving dry in cool/cold water. I consider myself to be a cold-tolerant, tough Cannuck, and I was diving cold (pronounce iced-over) water in a 7mm wetsuit. I found that it was not so much the first dive which was a problem, but the second and third dives where I would be struggling into a cold, wet wetsuit.

As for your other concerns:

1. Buoyancy will take a few dives to work out;
2. You do not need to take a drysuit course - I didn't. PADI may require or request a drysuit cert, but many agencies do not. You can get some pointers from an instructor and practice those skills in a safe body of water or pool, then dive some conservative dives (while practicing skills) in your local area;
3. When diving dry, I attach the drysuit inflator hose to my 1st stage reg. When diving wet, I remove it (but I could leave it dangling...); and
4. Drygloves are insanely expensive, especially considering what you get. If you start off with the gloves and rings, you can usually source cheaper replacement gloves from a safety equipment store as the original gloves wear out. You can also opt for neoprene ("wet") gloves for now and later (depending on the suit) add drygloves.