gulf diving questions...

newbie making my first dive in the gulf near Sarasota in couple weeks...
what type of wetsuit should I need? I have a 3.2 mm full suit,, I have 7 mm
boots & which I need for the open heel fins I own.. a I suspect a 3mm
shorty w/ full foot fins would be ideal,, should I wear my gear or will I
be miserably hot?
--
Rob

On Thu, 20 Jul 2006 17:49:11 GMT, "longshot" <longshot@aol.com> wrote:
> newbie making my first dive in the gulf near Sarasota in couple weeks...
> what type of wetsuit should I need? I have a 3.2 mm full suit,, I have 7 mm
> boots & which I need for the open heel fins I own.. a I suspect a 3mm
> shorty w/ full foot fins would be ideal,, should I wear my gear or will I
> be miserably hot?

Each person has a different cold tolerance... Personally, I would
probably just dive it with a t-shirt and trunks... A front zip shorty
would be plenty and it would allow you to easily unzip it underwater
if you started feeling too warm... Or to be more precise, you could
start the dive with it unzipped most of the way and if you got to a
depth where it felt cooler, you could zip it back up...

longshot wrote:
> newbie making my first dive in the gulf near Sarasota in couple weeks...
> what type of wetsuit should I need? I have a 3.2 mm full suit,, I have 7 mm
> boots & which I need for the open heel fins I own.. a I suspect a 3mm
> shorty w/ full foot fins would be ideal,, should I wear my gear or will I
> be miserably hot?


Water temp will be 84.7 degrees F two weeks from now. Viz will
be really crappy.

m

longshot wrote

> newbie making my first dive in the gulf near Sarasota in couple weeks...
> what type of wetsuit should I need? I have a 3.2 mm full suit,, I have 7
> mm boots & which I need for the open heel fins I own.. a I suspect a 3mm
> shorty w/ full foot fins would be ideal,, should I wear my gear or will I
> be miserably hot?

Plan on a long boat ride along most of the west coast.

The water's in the 84 degree range here in Ft. Lauderdale at the moment.
It's probably similar in the Sarasota area. I'll be diving this weekend in
a lycra skin. YMMV.

Lee

"longshot" <longshot@aol.com> wrote in message
news:rmPvg.4987$RV.2694@trnddc08...
> newbie making my first dive in the gulf near Sarasota in couple weeks...
> what type of wetsuit should I need? I have a 3.2 mm full suit,, I have 7
> mm boots & which I need for the open heel fins I own.. a I suspect a 3mm
> shorty w/ full foot fins would be ideal,, should I wear my gear or will I
> be miserably hot?
> --
> Rob


If you're a bone rack, the 3.2 will do nicely.

If you're a man of substance, you'll be hot.

Get a .5mm skin.

The 7mm boots are overkill, but warm feet never bothered me.

5mm would be better, buy, don't rent, if you can.

--
Popeye
"Best thing for him, really, his therapy was
going nowhere." -Dr. Hannibal Lector.

www.finalprotectivefire.com

On Thu, 20 Jul 2006 17:49:11 GMT, "longshot" <longshot@aol.com> wrote:

>newbie making my first dive in the gulf near Sarasota in couple weeks...
>what type of wetsuit should I need? I have a 3.2 mm full suit,, I have 7 mm
>boots & which I need for the open heel fins I own.. a I suspect a 3mm
>shorty w/ full foot fins would be ideal,, should I wear my gear or will I
>be miserably hot?


I live in Sarasota and everybodys answers have been right on.
Depending on your body type and cold tolerance, anything from shorts
and a T to a 3/2 shorty will work. And sadly the vis. may well be
"crappy".

But when I was last out a couple of weeks ago it was pretty good for
around here. I could see the bottom of the boat (dimly) at 45 feet.
And on one wreck I saw a school of at least 500 Snook and 3-4 big Jew
fish. Plus I came home with 3 sash style float weights lost by others.

longshot wrote:
> newbie making my first dive in the gulf near Sarasota in couple weeks...
> what type of wetsuit should I need? I have a 3.2 mm full suit,, I have 7 mm
> boots & which I need for the open heel fins I own.. a I suspect a 3mm
> shorty w/ full foot fins would be ideal,, should I wear my gear or will I
> be miserably hot?

I am always cold and I never wore a suit in the gulf. I did wear boots,
and that was fine, but a 3.2 full suit will probably be too warm.

Emily wrote:
> longshot wrote:
> > newbie making my first dive in the gulf near Sarasota in couple weeks...
> > what type of wetsuit should I need? I have a 3.2 mm full suit,, I have 7 mm
> > boots & which I need for the open heel fins I own.. a I suspect a 3mm
> > shorty w/ full foot fins would be ideal,, should I wear my gear or will I
> > be miserably hot?
>
> I am always cold and I never wore a suit in the gulf. I did wear boots,
> and that was fine, but a 3.2 full suit will probably be too warm.

I'm in a 3 mm at 85°F even in a pool. Always chilly.

That said, I haven't dove water above 55 but for brief stints on the
surface over in Hood Canal, in nearly 3 years (other than the South
Pacific tank at the aquarium).

So, go with your cold tolerance here. Consider the 3/2 or the shorty.
I'd want booties too, 5 mm. You can always add or lose the suit, or
swap out suits for a second dive.

*

longshot wrote

> I was thinking it might be a good excuse to buy a set of full foot fins :)
> either that or small water shoe type booties.
> BTW:the dive is only 20-30 ft..

Mares Avante TRE fins if they will fit you. Apparently they don't fit
people with narrow feet very well. That's not a problem I've ever had (EEE)

Lee

"William Dryden" <william_dryden@sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:fj0wg.10906$2v.6447@newssvr25.news.prodigy.ne t...
>
> "GWB" <gwb3483@eatel.net> wrote in message
> news3q0c2dtsj8k60sklh0duutrlmhihsbnph@4ax.com...
>> On Fri, 21 Jul 2006 05:24:40 GMT, "chilly" <slarson@shaw.canada>
>> wrote:
>>
>> >When the water is 77 to 79, I can be cold but I usually compensate that
> by
>> >wearing a banana on my head.
>>
>> Like Carmen Miranda?
>
> I was going to ask how to keep it from rolling off the side of you head.

You peel it first. Duh.