Scuba Divers - why do you wear a wetsuit?

[0roo0roo]

Originally posted by: HardcoreRobot
water has 23 times the thermal conductivity that air has

even 80 degree water will bring your core body temp down. this is mostly a factor when considering multiple dives.

bingo. its why room temperature water feels cold if you put your hand in it. its sucking the heat off u as long as its cooler than your body temp

 

[0roo0roo]

Originally posted by: fatkorean
I would guess this would be a reason nsfw (language)

-fk

heh comedy gold
i guess their breathing gases mess with their voices

 

[Farang]

Like others have said diving to about 16-18 meters the water gets cool enough where you're comfortable with a wet suit on. More importantly, for me anyways, a wet suit shields you from the straps of the BCD. When I wear a BCD with a wet suit, all I feel is slight pressure on my waist and from the shoulder straps. Without the suit, that shit is going to be rubbing against me the entire dive.

I think the PADI official answer would be protection form corals and other marine life.

 

[daveymark]

yup a 2mm isn't a bad idea, even in cozumel...5mm everywhere else, 7mm/dry suit in the great lakes when wreck diving (depends on depth)

 

[dug777]

I remember getting cold as a kid in 28-32'C water. It's all about thermal conductivity and your surface area to volume ratio.

Skinny little kids get cold quickest

Here in 12-22'C water, at least a 5mm is essential, with a hood unless you like a bloody cold head.

 

[mh47g]

Wouldn't you come back as one giant prune?

 

[Anubis]

Originally posted by: dug777
I remember getting cold as a kid in 28-32'C water. It's all about thermal conductivity and your surface area to volume ratio.

Skinny little kids get cold quickest

Here in 12-22'C water, at least a 5mm is essential, with a hood unless you like a bloody cold head.

when i was a kid dug i used to regulary swim in 55F water which is 12C with no wet suit for long periods of time

 

[pontifex]

Originally posted by: Rubycon

Originally posted by: spidey07

No woman looks good in a full wetsuit. They just look like the pillsbury doughman.

meh

proof?

 

[AndrewR]

I've done mostly shore diving, and clambering over coral or swimming around it requires at least a dive skin. Water temps were routinely in the 80s (this was in Okinawa, Japan), but I never dove without the skin. I remember one dive where my buddy wore a shorty and wound up being tossed onto the coral from the surf. He had some nice bleeders to show for it.

That said, it SUCKED getting into the skin on the shore when the sun was burning down. Felt really good to hit the thermocline.

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: Amused
Maybe they are ashamed of their body?

No woman looks good in a full wetsuit. They just look like the pillsbury doughman.

You must be diving with cows. I've seen plenty of women that look great in wetsuits. On my last dive, there were three that come to mind.

 

[rudder]

Originally posted by: Tsaico
80 degree water? I don't think I have ever felt ocean water that warm... I think I should go where you go...

I learned to scuba dive where the water temp was 84 degrees. South China sea FTW.

I wore a very thin wetsuit to combat all the stinging crap floating around in the water. But even that was pretty warm so I ended getting a flight suit and wearing that... but the zippers would rust pretty quickly and the stinging stuff would get in the looser fitting suit.

Eventually I just went with swim trunks and a long sleeve shirt and had some fresh water to douse off with after the dive.

 

[Al Neri]

i believe the rule of thumb is: 80 degrees of water feels like 40 degrees of air

 

[ebaycj]

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: conehead433

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: Amused
Maybe they are ashamed of their body?

No woman looks good in a full wetsuit. They just look like the pillsbury doughman.

Sorry, but at least two of the gals in my dive class looked very good regardless of what they were wearing. Luckily for me they were my dive partners.

So you got to share air then, eh?

Nah. They were his Muff Diving partners. Sharing Orgasms is much better than sharing air.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Water gets colder very quickly as you go deeper. Also, water cools your body much faster than air. You could sit in 80 degree air all day and never feel cold but 30 minutes underwater, even at 80 degrees, would take quite a bit of your energy to keep you warm.

 

[bobsmith1492]

Originally posted by: KevinC
1. Thermocline - Here in San Diego the water temp now is about 70. That's great for catching waves. In La Jolla there is a deep underwater canyon that drops to over 500'. We get some up-welling now and then. Right now the thermocline is at about 15', where the temps are in the 50s. 7mm wetsuit required.

2. Multiple Dives - The water sucks the heat right out of you

3. Protection - don't want to get stung or scraped up.

Haha, temps in the 50s. Come to Lake Huron; 50s means beach time - no wetsuits, of course.

 

[conehead433]

Originally posted by: ebaycj

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: conehead433

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: Amused
Maybe they are ashamed of their body?

No woman looks good in a full wetsuit. They just look like the pillsbury doughman.

Sorry, but at least two of the gals in my dive class looked very good regardless of what they were wearing. Luckily for me they were my dive partners.

So you got to share air then, eh?

Nah. They were his Muff Diving partners. Sharing Orgasms is much better than sharing air.

Audrey and Carol. Oh those were the days.

 

[Throckmorton]

Originally posted by: bobsmith1492

Originally posted by: KevinC
1. Thermocline - Here in San Diego the water temp now is about 70. That's great for catching waves. In La Jolla there is a deep underwater canyon that drops to over 500'. We get some up-welling now and then. Right now the thermocline is at about 15', where the temps are in the 50s. 7mm wetsuit required.

2. Multiple Dives - The water sucks the heat right out of you

3. Protection - don't want to get stung or scraped up.

Haha, temps in the 50s. Come to Lake Huron; 50s means beach time - no wetsuits, of course.

60F is enough to cause hypothermia within a few minutes IIRC

 

[evident]

ocean temperatures vary. it could be colder , beneath the surface, currents and such... and if you stay in for a long period of time your body temp will eventually drop... not good

 

[bobsmith1492]

Originally posted by: Throckmorton

Originally posted by: bobsmith1492

Originally posted by: KevinC
1. Thermocline - Here in San Diego the water temp now is about 70. That's great for catching waves. In La Jolla there is a deep underwater canyon that drops to over 500'. We get some up-welling now and then. Right now the thermocline is at about 15', where the temps are in the 50s. 7mm wetsuit required.

2. Multiple Dives - The water sucks the heat right out of you

3. Protection - don't want to get stung or scraped up.

Haha, temps in the 50s. Come to Lake Huron; 50s means beach time - no wetsuits, of course.

60F is enough to cause hypothermia within a few minutes IIRC

That's why you don't swim long and keep a sauna nearby... yeah it sucks having all that water but unable to use it much. Maybe I should get a wetsuit?

 

[dug777]

Originally posted by: Anubis

Originally posted by: dug777
I remember getting cold as a kid in 28-32'C water. It's all about thermal conductivity and your surface area to volume ratio.

Skinny little kids get cold quickest

Here in 12-22'C water, at least a 5mm is essential, with a hood unless you like a bloody cold head.

when i was a kid dug i used to regulary swim in 55F water which is 12C with no wet suit for long periods of time

:Q

That would be...cold

 

[gsellis]

Everyone has missed the other reason. When compressed air is decompressed, what happens to the temp? Now, if the air was cool to being with?

Breathing cool air that is probably in the upper 60, low 70 range will drop the body core temp too. You get cooled also by the air you are breathing.

 

[dug777]

Originally posted by: gsellis
Everyone has missed the other reason. When compressed air is decompressed, what happens to the temp? Now, if the air was cool to being with?

Breathing cool air that is probably in the upper 60, low 70 range will drop the body core temp too. You get cooled also by the air you are breathing.

I'd be surprised if that had a huge impact. Breathing the same amount of air on a much colder day doesn't make you freeze

It would have an impact, but minimal when compared to water with its vastly superior heat conductivity covering your entire body.

EDIT: & from personal experience, the air coming out of your reg isn't noticeably 'cold' compared with the water.

 

[TheNewbie]

Originally posted by: dug777

Originally posted by: Anubis

Originally posted by: dug777
I remember getting cold as a kid in 28-32'C water. It's all about thermal conductivity and your surface area to volume ratio.

Skinny little kids get cold quickest

Here in 12-22'C water, at least a 5mm is essential, with a hood unless you like a bloody cold head.

when i was a kid dug i used to regulary swim in 55F water which is 12C with no wet suit for long periods of time

:Q

That would be...cold

Things shrink when its that cold..

 

[gsellis]

Originally posted by: dug777

Originally posted by: gsellis
Everyone has missed the other reason. When compressed air is decompressed, what happens to the temp? Now, if the air was cool to being with?

Breathing cool air that is probably in the upper 60, low 70 range will drop the body core temp too. You get cooled also by the air you are breathing.

I'd be surprised if that had a huge impact. Breathing the same amount of air on a much colder day doesn't make you freeze

It would have an impact, but minimal when compared to water with its vastly superior heat conductivity covering your entire body.

EDIT: & from personal experience, the air coming out of your reg isn't noticeably 'cold' compared with the water.

I notice it right away as I have exercise induced asthma. When you couple it with the water transfer... brrr. I can handle being in the water at 75 for hours as a bodyboarder, but hook a tank on and go completely under and brrr.

Plus, a wettie is great padding for those bleedin' nylon straps on everything.

 

[Anubis]

Originally posted by: dug777

Originally posted by: Anubis

Originally posted by: dug777
I remember getting cold as a kid in 28-32'C water. It's all about thermal conductivity and your surface area to volume ratio.

Skinny little kids get cold quickest

Here in 12-22'C water, at least a 5mm is essential, with a hood unless you like a bloody cold head.

when i was a kid dug i used to regulary swim in 55F water which is 12C with no wet suit for long periods of time

:Q

That would be...cold

it was, growing up in Maine FTW
water temp in the summer very rarley made it to 60F, avg summer temp is in the 50s
i dont think we used to spend more then 30 min in at one time if it was open ocean, if it was tidal and the sun heated the mud enough you coudl spend more time in it

 

[dug777]

Originally posted by: gsellis

Originally posted by: dug777

Originally posted by: gsellis
Everyone has missed the other reason. When compressed air is decompressed, what happens to the temp? Now, if the air was cool to being with?

Breathing cool air that is probably in the upper 60, low 70 range will drop the body core temp too. You get cooled also by the air you are breathing.

I'd be surprised if that had a huge impact. Breathing the same amount of air on a much colder day doesn't make you freeze

It would have an impact, but minimal when compared to water with its vastly superior heat conductivity covering your entire body.

EDIT: & from personal experience, the air coming out of your reg isn't noticeably 'cold' compared with the water.

I notice it right away as I have exercise induced asthma. When you couple it with the water transfer... brrr. I can handle being in the water at 75 for hours as a bodyboarder, but hook a tank on and go completely under and brrr.

Plus, a wettie is great padding for those bleedin' nylon straps on everything.

That would make sense