Wet suit in uk?

[BICCUS1]

Hi
i have been diving since last august but only ever dived in sharm and local pool and was wanting to get some uk stuff in but as yet cannot afford a dry suit and training so where and when will i be able to dive in quarrys, rivers, etc in the uk with a 5 mm wetsuit and not get so cold?

shane

i live in great yarmouth norfolk so some where nearish?

[Ferg3333]

I see people in full length wet suits during this time of the year and people tend to put a shortie over the full length in winter and still dive in it all year round, they just tend to do one dive a day in the winter though when the water is a warm 4 deg! You shouldnt have any problems on dives less than 40minutes, but at depth 30m ish the neoprene is quite compressed which reduces its insulation properties so you may want to make those dives a little shorter etc

[onthetrain]

Originally Posted by BICCUS1

Hi
i have been diving since last august but only ever dived in sharm and local pool and was wanting to get some uk stuff in but as yet cannot afford a dry suit and training so where and when will i be able to dive in quarrys, rivers, etc in the uk with a 5 mm wetsuit and not get so cold?

shane

i live in great yarmouth norfolk so some where nearish?

Shane,

Sorry mate but you probably don't want to here this. IMHO You won't get conditions in the UK which will allow you dive comfortably in a 5mm suit (except maybe in a swimming pool). A 7MM semi really is the minimum even in late september when sea conditions are at their warmest.

You could maybe buy a cheap 3mm shorty and put it over you 5mm.

Alan

[BICCUS1]

I do have a shortie which i could put over top will this make it not too bad i also have a hood!

[onthetrain]

Originally Posted by BICCUS1

I do have a shortie which i could put over top will this make it not too bad i also have a hood!

Well sea temp was 14 degrees off the Isle of wight yesterday so you should be ok in 2 piece & hood.

[dry suit diver]

Originally Posted by onthetrain

Shane,

Sorry mate but you probably don't want to here this. IMHO You won't get conditions in the UK which will allow you dive comfortably in a 5mm suit (except maybe in a swimming pool). A 7MM semi really is the minimum even in late september when sea conditions are at their warmest.

You could maybe buy a cheap 3mm shorty and put it over you 5mm.

Alan

I will agree with this my missus ,who is extremely good at tolerating the cold, did part of her AOW at stoney in october last year in a 7mm semi and was starting to shiver at the end of the day. Get a cheapo 3mm shortie and stay warm.

[recurve]

Think it must all be due to the layer of blubber I carry (but could never say the same for SWMBO), but happily dived at Stoney a few weeks ago with 3mm full plus 5mm jacket. Water temp was 5 C. and the only bit of me cold was my hands. Think myself and SWMBO were the only wet suits there though! I do think a hood makes a huge difference, but your own morphology counts for more. All I can suggest is try it and if you are cold, don't do it again

My OW elements were in Nov last year and I was using a school 5mm 2 piece then and was happy as Larry too.

YMM (of course) V

[Tony F]

If you're planning on a 5mm one piece I'd recommend the Fourth Element Thermocline underneath.

It's possibly a little more expensive than an oversuit but I've found them more effective as both insulation and at restricting waterflow. They also have the added bonus that they don't add as much buoyancy.

[Neil Whitworth]

Everyone else in the club tought I was a little crazy, but I qualified for my sports diver in Jan this year in a semi-dry.

I have dived in Stoney Cove most of the year in a semi-dry. The water temp has been as low as 3 degrees, so the dives were short and only one a day.

Take plenty of hot drinks, and make sure you have a wind proof coat for afterwards (esp. if you are diving from a boat).

[applepie]

i dive all the time in a semi-dry and stay warmer than most people in dry suits and i even fin less!!

on the oceanic shadow which is amazing, love it. only problem is it adds a fair bit of bouyancy and its irritating walking around wet for 1-2hrs after first dive when your dry suit buddies go off in their undersuits.

I dont take the shortie off after my first dive else i release all the warmth I trapped but do sometime loosen the zips.