Water Temp and Exposer Protection

[CWSWine]

We are going to Key Largo on the 6th of Sept to the 15th of Sept to do some diving. I have a Bioply by Pinnacle and a Henderson full 3mil - which would you take for mostly shallow reef diving?

[Kingpatzer]

The 3mm, no question.

Water conducts heat 20x better than air. Even if the water is 80*F, the typical external body temp of a healthy adult hovers around 91*. Under water you will not only be in an environment with great conductive heat loss, combined with more effective convection driven by your motion in the water, you will also not be the recipient of any radiant heat energy from the Sun (which is heat additional to air temp supplied on the surface).

[TJDiver]

I just checked the data bouy at Molasses Reef near Tavernier/Key Largo...water temp is 87.3 F. That means a 1/2 mil or skin for me...maybe a 3 mil shorty at the most...your comfort level may differ.

[ektess1]

Swim suit for me. I may be more hot blooded than most. I seldom dive with more than a swim suit in the summer.

[Tassie Diver]

Water temp here is 13 deg C. That's 900gsm of polar fleece, drysuit and hood

[jupitertreasures]

I'm like Extess.
Board short and a shirt all summer and 3mm during the winter.
I usually dive bare skin until the water temps hit 75 or so.

[jupitertreasures]

Sorry Ektess1...my typo.

[navyhmc]

Originally Posted by Tassie Diver

Water temp here is 13 deg C. That's 900gsm of polar fleece, drysuit and hood

Yeah, that's almost drysuit water for me. About 55.4f


Tassie, Tassie, Tassie...we got to get you on board with the standard scale-just a little. 1.8* temp C +32.