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Scuba Forum / General / December 2006Water temps Turks & Caicos?
Hi, I'm off to the Caribbean in 2 weeks time. What water temperature can I expect? In the Bahamas in August it was warm enough at 29C/84F just in shorts but I'm expecting quite a bit cooler in January. Will I need a full 3mm suit or might I get away with a shorty?  SignatureRegards, Bob > I'm off to the Caribbean in 2 weeks time. What water temperature can I > expect? In the Bahamas in August it was warm enough at 29C/84F just in > shorts but I'm expecting quite a bit cooler in January. > > Will I need a full 3mm suit or might I get away with a shorty? This must rank as one of the silliest questions ever asked in diving. Why don't you bring both and figure it out when you get there? Water temperatures can vary from site to site, from day to day, even during the day as currents and tides and thermal changes move the water around. Even if someone is in the Turks & Caicos (which are rather spread out) right this moment, and can report the current water temperature, it might be different by the time you arrive at your dive site on a particular island. The best you can hope for is an estimate accurate within 2-3 degrees. But beyond that simple fact, the most important determinant of what sort of suit you yourself need is completely subjective. How is someone in the newsgroup, who isn't you, supposed to know whether you stay warm in a shorty in 75-degree water (as did one diver on my last trip) or whether you're chilled even after layering a 3 mm with a 3 mm "core warmer" shorty on top of that (as I was on my last trip)? Of course even that example doesn't fully explore the stupidity of your query, for one 3 mm may have completely different thermal properties than another. My layers utilized Henderson Hyperstretch, which while extremely easy to don and very comfortable to wear, have the insulating properties of aluminum foil. The cut of the suit, zipper location, and how closely its fits will all have a bearing on your comfort. Activity during the dive is another determinant. One diver may be chilled because he's sitting in one place videotaping male jawfish agititating eggs for a half-hour while another diver is overheated from kicking against a light current. How warm you stay on the boat will affect your core temperature, which will affect your underwater comfort especially on multiple dives. Is it hot and sunny, or is it overcast, raining, and windy? What about accessories? Hood? Booties or full-foot fins? Gloves? Do you pee in your suit or take a hot shower before entering the water? Oh, and finally, Turks & Caicos isn't even in the Caribbean. Duh. >> I'm off to the Caribbean in 2 weeks time. What water temperature can I >> expect? In the Bahamas in August it was warm enough at 29C/84F just in [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > This must rank as one of the silliest questions ever asked in diving. And I guess your reply one of the most patronising ... > Why don't you bring both and figure it out when you get there? Because there's more than one of us diving and flying transatlantic means space/weight is at a bit of a premium. > Water temperatures can vary from site to site, from day to day, even > during the day as currents and tides and thermal changes move the water > around. Even if someone is in the Turks & Caicos (which are rather > spread out) right this moment, and can report the current water > temperature, it might be different by the time you arrive at your dive > site on a particular island. Duh. You don't say ... > The best you can hope for is an estimate > accurate within 2-3 degrees. Which would have been helpful, however your post doesn't seem to give an estimate. I do of course realise that even for a given temperature an individual's needs are subjective. But hearing others' experiences is nevertheless sometimes helpful. > Oh, and finally, Turks & Caicos isn't even in the Caribbean. Duh. Now I think you're being nit-picky. So enlighten me. Bob > And I guess your reply one of the most patronising ... If you want milquetoast, stay on the .uk groups. Veddy polite there, old chap. > Because there's more than one of us diving and flying transatlantic means > space/weight is at a bit of a premium. How much does your shorty weigh? Wear it on the plane if it's a problem. Depending on the color scheme, you'll really impress the FA. > Which would have been helpful, however your post doesn't seem to give an > estimate. I'd hate to steer you wrong. It was 84-86 (that's Fahrenheit, not Centigrade, in case you were wondering) in September. Hope that helps. > I do of course realise that even for a given temperature an individual's > needs are subjective. But hearing others' experiences is nevertheless > sometimes helpful. It was 75-76 in Maui last week and I was wearing the same suits, yet somehow felt just as warm. The only reason I can think of is that I had to pee more often. Was it the cold that was physiologically causing me to pee, or was the cold psychologically causing me to pee, or was it that I was just drinking more coffee because we had to start out so damn early? > Now I think you're being nit-picky. So enlighten me. A map would be even more enlightening. The Turks & Caicos are merely the butt end of the Bahamas, adjacent to the Caribbean islands to the south. Just as you wouldn't say that Grand Cayman is in the Bahamas, likewise you wouldn't say that the Turks & Caicos are in the Caribbean. > > And I guess your reply one of the most patronising ... > > If you want milquetoast, stay on the .uk groups. Veddy polite there, > old chap. Sweet Jesus! Have you been sucking down "Reef Fish Pills", Greg? Or are you just trying to warm up to play Scrooge in a Christmas play this weekend? > > Because there's more than one of us diving and flying transatlantic means > > space/weight is at a bit of a premium. > > How much does your shorty weigh? More than zero. Ditto for its volume. Hence, his concern. Might not really be all that huge of an issue, but that's for him to decide. > I'd hate to steer you wrong. It was 84-86 (that's Fahrenheit, not > Centigrade, in case you were wondering) in September. Hope that helps. It was 75F in the Florida Keys last weekend. Personally, I'd expect the T&C to be around the same. > > Now I think you're being nit-picky. So enlighten me. > > A map would be even more enlightening. The Turks & Caicos are merely > the butt end of the Bahamas, adjacent to the Caribbean islands to the > south. Just as you wouldn't say that Grand Cayman is in the Bahamas, > likewise you wouldn't say that the Turks & Caicos are in the Caribbean. Actually, that's (pedantically) wrong, since the T&C are not located to the south of the Bahamas (all of them), but are instead to their East (for the trivia question of 'which one extends further south?', the correct answer is the Bahamas). In any case, to say that the T&C or the Bahamas are in the 'Carbbean' is a very, very common error, found in many (if not most) travel agent brochures, etc. IIRC, the technical dividing line between the respective bodies of waters are delimited by the larger islands to their south, ie, Puerto Rico. BTW, another good resource for water temperatures is the NOAA weather bouys. There's none for the T&C, unfortunately, but they can be illustrative nevertheless: http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/rmd.shtml -hh > Sweet Jesus! Have you been sucking down "Reef Fish Pills", Greg? Or > are you just trying to warm up to play Scrooge in a Christmas play this > weekend? The winter holiday season is no reason to let one's brain turn to mush. I suppose cold weather may be responsible for some of it given that the OP hails from a frigid clime, but even you have to admit that the question of "what sort of wetsuit should I wear in XXX" is unhelpful and annoying. > More than zero. Ditto for its volume. Hence, his concern. Might not > really be all that huge of an issue, but that's for him to decide. It's for me to advise, then for him to decide. Maybe I'm just a little guy, but my 3mm shorty is pretty negligible when packing my gear bag, yet far more important when it's layered over my full suit to keep me warmer. > It was 75F in the Florida Keys last weekend. Personally, I'd expect > the T&C to be around the same. The OP wasn't asking the water temperature. He was asking what suit he should wear. Do you know what sort of suit he should wear? > Actually, that's (pedantically) wrong, since the T&C are not located to > the south of the Bahamas (all of them), but are instead to their East [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > dividing line between the respective bodies of waters are delimited by > the larger islands to their south, ie, Puerto Rico. Pedantic or not, the T&C are not in the Caribbean. My first pedantic statement stands correct, common error or not. Would you like to bet $10,000 on it? (just kidding) > BTW, another good resource for water temperatures is the NOAA weather > bouys. There's none for the T&C, unfortunately, but they can be > illustrative nevertheless: So given that the buoy in S. Florida says XXX and the buoy in Puerto Rico says YYY, what sort of suit should he wear, Mr. Invoker of Sweet Jesus? I stand by my Scroogism. He'll never make that mistake again whereas posts like yours just encourage them. > The OP wasn't asking the water temperature. So as well as being rude and unhelpful you have trouble reading ... My first sentence in the original post was: > I'm off to the Caribbean in 2 weeks time. What water temperature can I > expect? It's funny how a couple of other people have actually managed to give constructive and helpful advice. And I mean that - based on the other posts it looks like the water temp is likely to be 75-77 so I'll take the full suit. Over here we have a saying that there's no such thing as a stupid question, just stupid answers ... > My first sentence in the original post was: > > > I'm off to the Caribbean in 2 weeks time. What water temperature can I > > expect? So it was. Obviously your second query was so ridiculous that it made me forget all about the first one. > It's funny how a couple of other people have actually managed to give > constructive and helpful advice. And I mean that - based on the other posts > it looks like the water temp is likely to be 75-77 so I'll take the full > suit. If you don't have trouble reading, you would have gained much constructive and helpful advice from my answer. > Over here we have a saying that there's no such thing as a stupid question, > just stupid answers ... That's just plain stupid. >"Greg Mossman" <mossman@qnet.com> wrote >> Bob Mortimer wrote: [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > That's just plain stupid. It's a pity that Dan did away with The Best of Rec.Scuba. > It's a pity that Dan did away with The Best of Rec.Scuba. Its still around... http://www.huntzinger.com/rec.scuba/ -hh > > It's a pity that Dan did away with The Best of Rec.Scuba. > Its still around... > http://www.huntzinger.com/rec.scuba/ Doesnt count; Now it is being hosted by a lowly American. "Scott" <pugetsounddiver@gmail.com> pounded away at his keyboard resulting in: :Now it is being hosted by a lowly American. What's wrong with Americans? Dan Bracuk If we don't succeed, we run the risk of failure. > "Scott" <pugetsounddiver@gmail.com> pounded away at his keyboard > resulting in: > > Now it is being hosted by a lowly American. > > What's wrong with Americans? Not a damned thing. America is made of all the people of all the nations of the earth who had the balls and drive to live their dreams, drop the bullshit, pack their things in a couple suitcases and come here to America and do better than they could where they were. A few of them cant leave their bullshit behind and bring it with them, and get into trouble. Most and many then have the guts and drive to volunteer to serve to help make all the people who had no such temerity, such as the family and friends they left behind, live free as well. It is only the spoiled, the historically disinclined and the "progressive" leftist nutbars that ignore the truth. Doesn't look good on their resume', and gets them berated at the leftist coffee clatch. Makes 'em feel someone gave them something, and they have to sh.t on that. As if they could do it on their own. Americans are the salt of the earth, the melting pot of all peoples. We have our problems, we have our own brand of criminals, but mostly we hold a torch high for all the world to see. No other nation on earth has as many legal and illegal immigrants. Signature"If ye love wealth greater than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest for freedom, go home and leave us in peace. We seek not your council nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen." --Samuel Adams (snip)> > I do of course realise that even for a given temperature an individual's > needs are subjective. But hearing others' experiences is nevertheless > sometimes helpful. (snip) I wear my full 3mm no matter what the water temp. Perhaps I wouldn't do that if the water was 86 degrees and I was only going to dive a couple of dives over the course of my vacation. However, when diving every day, day after day, I need the extra warmth, as do most people. I dove my full 3mm every day in Thailand and the water temp was 84+. The dive master was also wearing a full 3mm. There is another reason to wear a full suit and that is protection from scrapes and/or stings. Sure, you are supposed to control your bouyancy well enough to avoid scrapes and stingy things, but stuff happens, ya know? My advise to you, is that it is easier to cool yourself off than it is to warm yourself up. Take your full suit and one less pair of shoes, if you are worried about weight issues. Depends on you. I wear a 3+3 full suit (3 jacket plus 3 farmer john) but I am a local. Water temps are similar to Florida 70+- but it depends a lot on depth, currents and duration of the dive. If you can only bring one, take the full... you can always add water to cool down. That's why I like the 3+3 set up. I can always leave the farmer john on the boat and dive with the jacket. > Hi, > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > Will I need a full 3mm suit or might I get away with a shorty? > Hi, > > I'm off to the Caribbean in 2 weeks time. What water temperature can I > expect? In the Bahamas in August it was warm enough at 29C/84F just in > shorts but I'm expecting quite a bit cooler in January. I've no idea what the water temps in the Caribbean are at this time of year. > Will I need a full 3mm suit or might I get away with a shorty? I'm perfectly happy in a dive skin and/or t-shirt down to about 72 F. Of course, my normal operating temperature is 99.3 F. YMMV. > Hi, > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > Will I need a full 3mm suit or might I get away with a shorty? You can always check the water temps on weather.com http://www.weather.com/maps/activity/boatbeach/gulfcaribbeanseasurfacetemps_larg e.html Jay > You can always check the water temps on weather.com http://www.weather.com/maps/activity/boatbeach/gulfcaribbeanseasurfacetemps_larg e.html Thanks Jay, I hadn't found that one, just what I was looking for. SignatureRegards, Bob |
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