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Abe Ross
Member
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Posted: Mon Dec 24th, 2007 11:55 pm |
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I have reached the point where I get chilled if I am in the water snorkeling for more than 30-40 minutes (seem to have lost weight and my layer of blubber as I aged). I get chilled even at Melones where the water is warm. I have tried wearing a t-shirt in the water but this doesn't help much so I'm thinking that a wet suit shirt might do the job. I don't know much about them except that they do come in different thicknesses. Can any of you experienced snorkelers or divers give me any guidance as to what I should be looking for (aside from a good fit)?
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It is all too common for caterpillars to become butterflies and then to maintain that in their youth they had been little butterflies. (Vaillant, 1997)
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Jim
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Posted: Tue Dec 25th, 2007 01:09 am |
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Check with Walter at Culebra Divers but having dove and
snorkeled various waters there is a big difference between
snorkeling and free diving to 15-20 feet and diving
continuously at 30+. Also the body of water, I used to dive the
Chesapeake Bay quite often with a full wetsuit. For warm water
snorkeling probably a surf suit or snorkeling suit 2-3mm.
A regular wetsuit would be way too warm Check with Walter!
787-742-0803
I used to use a tight fitting sweatshirt, anything to hold a layer
of water next to your skin.
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"The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness." -- John Kenneth Galbraith
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Diving Debbie
Forum Expert
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Posted: Tue Dec 25th, 2007 02:20 am |
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Hi Abe - Merry Christmas!
Wetsuits come in all thicknesses and all manners of sleeves and legs. You can get a farmer john (sleeveless and ends at the crotch), which keeps your core (chest, torso, groin) warm; you can get a shorty, which keeps your core, upper arms and thighs warm, or you can go for a full wetsuit which covers everything except hands and feet. The most important thing is to keep your core warm. And your head. Add a beanie to a farmer john while snorkeling, and you're good. Any wetsuit will give you extra bouyancy.
As far as thickness goes, you can get anything from 1mm to 7mm, 1mm being the thinnest and least warm, and 7mm being the warmest. When diving in the summer in Culebra, I wear a 3/5/3 - 3mm in the sleeves; 5mm in the core, and 3mm in the legs. It's perfect. In the winter, I wear a full 7mm. I feel like the Michelin man, or some alien all bundled up in a snow suit, but it does keep me warm. The thinner the wetsuit, the more comfortable, no matter your size. I'm not a large person, and I am absolutely constricted in the 7mm above water. Under water, it loosens up a bit, but the minute I'm back on the boat, I can't wait to get it off. And them I'm cold! It's not the size; it's the thickness that makes me feel like I'm suffocating.
So, my recommendation would be something in the 1mm - 3mm range. Anything more is going to make you float too much, and may make you feel constricted.
Brands? Surfers go for O'Neills; divers go for ScubaPro, Henderson, Akona, Dacor. Buy what fits; they are all made out of the same material. Quality comes from good stitching, coupled with sturdy stress-point add-ons, i.e., rubber/silicone knee and elbow pads and sturdy, heavy duty zippers for entry. Some zip in the front; some in the back. Zippers at the ankles and wrists are helpful to alleviate the struggle to get into it. All wetsuits are a struggle; it's a matter of how much! A good wetsuit should last 5-10 years; more if you're not diving and compressing it every time you wear it.
Hope this helps. If not, ask more. . .
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Click here for Adventures of Deb and Lew
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Abe Ross
Member
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Posted: Tue Dec 25th, 2007 02:50 am |
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Thanks for the detailed information. Unfortunately I can't check with Walter because we're in Western Florida right now  staying warmish  instead of Culebra where we would like to be. I am hoping to pick something up while we're here and use it next year when we get back to Culebra. (Might even use it in our lake in mid-summer in Nova Scotia.) I will take the information with me while we shop here.
I was looking at some pictures of surf and wet suits (shirts and shorties) on the net and hope that I will look like those guys if I buy a nice tight shirt.
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It is all too common for caterpillars to become butterflies and then to maintain that in their youth they had been little butterflies. (Vaillant, 1997)
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Jim
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Posted: Tue Dec 25th, 2007 08:48 am |
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If your not into free diving but stay mostly at the surface
a surf or general water sports suit would do you fine, they
have a little more bouyancy. When I used to snorkel everyday
with my kayakers I wore a tight fitting sweatshirt with my regular
T shirt. The advantage was that some snorkelers stay in the water
for hours where as divers a relatively short time and they can
work up a sweat topside waiting for the next dive (warm climates)
The beauty of the sweatshirt was if I was getting too warm,
I just pulled it out a little and instantly fresh cooler water
saturated it. Years back we would vacation in Bahamas,
and other tropical ports for the holidays, I couldn't get
enough and literally went out for 8-10 hours straight. Poor
Barbara. Even in Venezuela with Pat and Jackl, once I was in the
water, who knows when I would be back. One time in the
Virgins I went out mid afternoon to shoot supper, I had bad
luck, but hung in there, I came back after dark, with fish!
Long haul kayakers usually wear 2mm water sport vests.Last edited on Tue Dec 25th, 2007 08:52 am by Jim
____________________
"The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness." -- John Kenneth Galbraith
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