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Scuba Forum / General / November 2005Which wetsuit thickness?
Hi I'm fairly new to scuba diving (10 dives) and I'm not sure what type of wetsuit to purchase. I will mainly dive during the summer in countries where the surface temperature will be 30C or above (not too sure what the water temperature will be) in areas likes the Mediterranean. If I get more involved in diving I may start to dive during the summer in the UK where the temperatures are much cooler. What thickness of suit should I purchase? I've been considering a 5mm suit but I thought this may be too much in the warmer waters. Thanks Ben My favorite solution for mixed diving is a 3+3 that is... a 3 Mil Farmer john combined with a 3 mil short legs, long arm suit. That way you can use the top alone for spring diving and then add the farmer john so you have 6 mil on the torso with 3 mil on the extremeties... then you can add a 2 mil vest with hood to that system for colder weather. I live in FL so we dive without anything for 5-6 months, shorties in the late fall and late spring and full suits in winter and early spring. the 3+3 allows me to adjust as needed. > Hi > [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > Ben > I'm fairly new to scuba diving (10 dives) and I'm not sure what type of > wetsuit to purchase. I will mainly dive during the summer in countries > where the surface temperature will be 30C or above (not too sure what the > water temperature will be) in areas likes the Mediterranean. If I get > more involved in diving I may start to dive during the summer in the UK > where the temperatures are much cooler. Depends which part of the Med. The western Med isn't very warm. I did a dive in the UK last August in the Channel and got a temperature of 19C. Two weeks later, it was 15C off the coast of Spain. > What thickness of suit should I purchase? I've been considering a 5mm > suit but I thought this may be too much in the warmer waters. After shivering in the Maldives in my 3mm shorty in June, I'm starting to believe there isn't anywhere that's too warm for a 5mm suit. And you can always let some water in if you're getting hot. Jason  Signaturehttp://www.scuba-addict.co.uk/ for Aussie diving reports including the wrecks of the SS Yongala, Lady Bowen and the HMAS Swan > I'm fairly new to scuba diving (10 dives) and I'm not sure what type of > wetsuit to purchase. > What thickness of suit should I purchase? I've been considering a 5mm > suit but I thought this may be too much in the warmer waters. After shivering in the Maldives in my 3mm shorty in June, I'm starting to believe there isn't anywhere that's too warm for a 5mm suit. And you can always let some water in if you're getting hot. Jason Signaturehttp://www.scuba-addict.co.uk/ for Aussie diving reports including the wrecks of the SS Yongala, Lady Bowen and the HMAS Swan not wanting to be a sheep and agreeing with others. I will tell what I did instead, In the shop I had the option of a 5 long with a 5 short or a 7 farmer john. I bought the 5by5 because it was lighter to pack. I have a 3 short but that is too cold. I now wish I had got the 7 farmer john as Jason has said you can always let water in and water is always colder than you. David >Hi > [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > >Thanks I use a 3/2 in temps down to the low 70's. Works great for me in mid-80'd temps and I've spent nearly 3 hours at a stretch in low 70's water when I was taking cave training. I've seen folks from warmer climates dive 5 mm in 80+ water and claim to be comfortable but I think it would be a tad warm and I like the flexibility of the lighter suit anyway. If you decide you want to dive at home go dry. A drysuit is almost a requirement for safety if you're gonna dive double steel tanks the way so many of your countrymen seem to. The redundant buoyancy factor is a bonus with steel tanks that tend to be less than floaty. JF Don't Get Stuck On Stupid > Hi > [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > suit > but I thought this may be too much in the warmer waters. If the water temp really is 30, save your cash and wear a T shirt. Don't need to go designer, just anything to stop the BCD chafing on your shoulders. The far western med is A LOT colder than 30 at its warmest BTW. July/August in Gibraltar was 17. A two piece 3+3 as suggested is a good way, you end up with a choice of 3 suits. Northern Diver are doing a very good value "Saudi wetsuit" which is precisely this, for around £40 iirc. Ken .. >A two piece 3+3 as suggested is a good way, you end up with a choice of 3 >suits. ... Different divers have varying tollerance for cool water. You might want to consider trying various rental suits until you have enough experience to know what is right for YOU. My own choice, which has prooved satisfactory for me in all conditions I've encountered in Flrodia, the Bahamas and Carribean, is a 3/2 full suite. Long arms and legs or 2 mil, body of 3 mil. It is a front zip, so I can unzip in the water when it is warm. When it is cooler, I add a 5/3 hooded vest -- 5 mil body, 3 mil hood. SignatureCharlie Hammond -- Hewlett-Packard Company -- Ft Lauderdale FL USA (hammond@not@peek.ssr.hp.com -- remove "@not" when replying) All opinions expressed are my own and not necessarily my employer's. > Hi > [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > Ben For warm water diving you describe a 3/2 suit is probably the most you'll need. If the water and air are really warm all you need is a body suit for mechanical and sun protection. So I'd say get a body suit and a 3/2. Adam Don't get fixated on just thickness - type of suit is also a big factor. I dived in Gozo with 3mm titanium mesh full suit and it was certainly warm (water temp 24 degrees) However in Canaries at easter water was a lot cooler - used a 5mm semi-dry, this was warm & comfortable. Beauty of a semi-dry is that it is about equivalent in warmth to the next thickness up suit - as the thin neoprene seals on arms, ankles & neck is much more efficinet at stopping water flush through. Allowing a thinner suit ... which means better comfort & flexability. > Don't get fixated on just thickness - type of suit is also a big > factor. [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > neck is much more efficinet at stopping water flush through. > Allowing a thinner suit ... which means better comfort & flexability. Clever, holding all the urine in like that. >>Beauty of a semi-dry is that it is about equivalent in warmth to the >>next thickness up suit - as the thin neoprene seals on arms, ankles & >>neck is much more efficinet at stopping water flush through. >>Allowing a thinner suit ... which means better comfort & flexability. > > Clever, holding all the urine in like that. P-Valve in Semidry Overall is not a remote idea. Matthias Ben, Jason is right! I've been diving for years and I've never surfaced from a dive saying I was too hot. In the beginning Isurfaced from more than a few with the shivers. Layering works well for a lot of people. Always default to warmth. You can always shed. wayneman > Jason is right! I've been diving for years and I've never surfaced > from a dive saying I was too hot. Apparently, you've never deep in Lake Travis during the summer... Hypothermia at 60 ft, heatstroke above it... Recommended wetsuit thinkness chart: http://www.thescubaguide.com/gear/suits/thickness.aspx It all depends on the water temperature. Warm tropics sometimes have cool currents, and cool areas sometimes have warm lakes. You'll also experience temperature differently depending on your body - I'm warm-blooded and generously proportioned - I have my spare body fat to keep me warm in a shorty while others are shivering in their 1/4" farmer johns... > Recommended wetsuit thinkness chart: > http://www.thescubaguide.com/gear/suits/thickness.aspx [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > keep me warm in a shorty while others are shivering in their 1/4" farmer > johns... Fine, but is there not so much overlap as to render the chart virtually useless? It seems there is so much "individual variation" the only way to find out is to try it for yourself, in which case there's no point asking anyone - or looking up a chart even. Someone about to dive water at 20ºC (68ºF) would be advised to take one of everything there except a 1.6mm wetsuit! From the other perspective - how few garments do I need to cover the range of temps - you need just two, a drysuit and a 3mm neoprene. K >From the other perspective - how few garments do I need to cover the range >of temps - you need just two, a drysuit and a 3mm neoprene. I agree. For diving here in southern Ontario one really only needs a drysuit. The only place I've used my 3/2 is in the St.Lawrence. In the Caribbean my 3/2 has worked great for everything I've done including short cavern dives in the Yucatan. If I ever worked my way up to the extended range dives some of my friends are doing in those caves I'd want my shell drysuit. I haven't used the 7mm wetsuit since I got the drysuit. I bought a .5 mm skin and if memory serves, I've never dived in it. I always thought it would be handy if I were to go on a liveaboard or stay at a dive resort and was doing multiple dives thru the day. JF > Recommended wetsuit thinkness chart: > http://www.thescubaguide.com/gear/suits/thickness.aspx I think the lower end temp (69 deg) for the 3 mm suit is too low for many divers. When I dived in Florida during one January (low 70s), I was cold in my two piece 3 mm. Clint >> Recommended wetsuit thinkness chart: >> http://www.thescubaguide.com/gear/suits/thickness.aspx > > I think the lower end temp (69 deg) for the 3 mm suit is too low for many > divers. When I dived in Florida during one January (low 70s), I was cold > in my two piece 3 mm. The problem is precisely that - "for many divers". But not for all. So when someone new comes to the sport and wonders whether to buy a 3 or a 5 or a 7 for the impending trip to wherever, so many bits of conflicting advice are given as to be meaningless. It matters not that "the majority of divers prefer a 5mm wetsuit at that temp". All THAT diver wants to know is what (S)HE needs. I'm not suggesting that there is an answer to be had. I'm suggesting that the best advice has too many overlaps for it to be of any real use to someone who has yet to determine what his or her tolerance and comfort zones are. To give a pertinent example, I've been diving off Tenerife in February in a 3mm one-piece at 18ºC and suffered less than my buddy with a dry suit with wooly undersuit did. Ken > The problem is precisely that - "for many divers". But not for all. So when > someone new comes to the sport and wonders whether to buy a 3 or a 5 or a 7 That's easy. New divers should not be encouraged, as the typical beginner's courses are wont to do, to buy gear right away. If the shops are at all well stocked, they should be renting gear until they are comfortable with something. There are even places that will rent drysuits. Is there any disadvantage to wearing too much wet suit, other than the added buoyancy and constriction? Is it possible to become overheated in the water? Put another way, isn't it better to wear too much wet suit rather than too little? > Is there any disadvantage to wearing too much wet suit, other than the added > buoyancy and constriction? Is it possible to become overheated in the > water? Yes. If water is warm ( 28 °C), and you exert yourself in a 7mm Wetsuit. Yes, if the water is hot ( >35°) and your wetsuit is to thin. ( Like in this cave in Hungary) Matthias >> Is there any disadvantage to wearing too much wet suit, other than the >> added [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > Yes, if the water is hot ( >35°) and your wetsuit is to thin. ( Like in > this cave in Hungary) I have felt I was about to throw up with the heat. Dangerous or not, it's very unpleasant. Ken > Is there any disadvantage to wearing too much wet suit, other than the > added > buoyancy and constriction? Is it possible to become overheated in the > water? Put another way, isn't it better to wear too much wet suit rather > than too little? You can become overheated in the water. It's best to wear just the right amount. Close to just the right amount is close enough for most. Personally, I prefer a slight chill to being too warm. On the other hand, you always have the option of leaking a bit more water into the suit if you're becoming overheated. Lee It can also get very hot in the boat while you gear up and wait to get into the water. > Is there any disadvantage to wearing too much wet suit, other than the added > buoyancy and constriction? Is it possible to become overheated in the > water? Put another way, isn't it better to wear too much wet suit rather > than too little? |
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