New Zealand Drysuit needed?

[Dave1w]

Does anyone know if I will be best taking my drysuit to dive New Zealand North Island next week?
I would like to think it will be nice and warm, but we have a few long boat rides to do as well.

Cheers

Dave

[gibbon]

Yes, dry suit or VERY good semi-dry.

[Richard Mason]

If you have room in your luggage, take it, otherwise the dive centre you go with should have wetsuits suitable for local conditions.

This chart is off the Australian BoM site and is showing 16-18 degrees C for the top end of North Island.

Latest NMOC Upper Anals over MSLP

[Dave1w]

Perfect thanks. Will take the drysuit!
Cheers
Dave

[JasonP]

Originally Posted by Richard Mason

If you have room in your luggage, take it, otherwise the dive centre you go with should have wetsuits suitable for local conditions.

This chart is off the Australian BoM site and is showing 16-18 degrees C for the top end of North Island.

Hmm, when I did the Poor Knights with Dive Tutukaka, they had 7mm semi dries which were OK, though I'd have still preferred a dry suit. But further north, doing the Rainbow Warrior, we were given 5mm suits which I froze in.

The water temperature can apparently change by 2-3 degrees in the north depending on which way the weather's come from.

Jason

[kevFISH]

Yeah, drysuit if you can
I've never noticed the water temp change depending on the weather at the Knights. It's been 15-16 out here for the whole winter.

[Dick Barwell]

pm FOREST DIVER he did the KNIGHTS over the winter and it was drysuit...I think
db

[Richard Mason]

Originally Posted by JasonP

Hmm, when I did the Poor Knights with Dive Tutukaka, they had 7mm semi dries which were OK, though I'd have still preferred a dry suit. But further north, doing the Rainbow Warrior, we were given 5mm suits which I froze in.

The water temperature can apparently change by 2-3 degrees in the north depending on which way the weather's come from.

Jason

Fair enough - I was basing it on what the local operators here in Tassie do. Their standard hire wetsuits are 7mm, farmer john with hood attached jacket, giving you 14mm over the torso, where you need it. They are warm as toast. The biggest problem with semi-drys is that they are just a single piece, they seem to rely more on minimising water circulation as against providing adequate insulation. I only ever see (some) semidrys in summer here, that's all they are good for.

Do divers in the UK use "conventional" wetsuits any more? All the discussions I see are for semi-dry v drysuits and from what I've seen, they just wouldn't cut the mustard, except in the very warmest months. Most of our club members still dive wet and are OK in temps down to 9 or 10 degrees (including my son who otherwise always feels the cold) - but as I said before, they are wearing "proper" wetsuits.

And having said all that, I've not dived in a wettie since I came here (1989), except when my drysuit was in drydock.

[Allan Carr]

I used a drysuit when I last dived Poor Knights in early December. However, my wife used her 7 mm semidry and was comfortably warm. My younger son was using my old 7mm wetsuit (which is older than him) and was also comfortable. However, that's not much of a testimony since he seems to be immune to cold!

[Dave1w]

Well, done the Poor Knights and used my drysuit. The guys on the boats with wetsuits were a bit uncomfortable on the 2nd dive.

Good Diving! The place seems to be full of happy brits too!

Dave