Neoprene thickness - or not?

"Adam Helberg" <sendspamhere@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:Ot4Yd.6659$cN6.4680@newsread1.news.pas.earthl ink.net...
>
> "Ken" <ken@k1at.freeserve.co.uk> wrote in message
> news:d0p3rc$i4c$1@news6.svr.pol.co.uk...
>>
>> "Adam Helberg" <sendspamhere@yahoo.com> wrote in message
>> news:drMXd.4670$oO4.4146@newsread3.news.pas.earthl ink.net...
>>>
>>> "Ken" <ken@k1at.freeserve.co.uk> wrote in message
>>> news:d0o0cr$d6l$1@newsg2.svr.pol.co.uk...
>>>>
>>>> "Adam Helberg" <sendspamhere@yahoo.com> wrote in message
>>>> news:tqLXd.5779$cN6.76@newsread1.news.pas.earthlin k.net...
>>>>>
>>>>> "Dr. Yak" <DrYak@nospam.com> wrote in message
>>>>> news:bYuXd.49431$755.42035@lakeread05...
>>>>>> Here on around Maryland, I dive with a 7 mm Farmer John which puts 14
>>>>>> mm over my core.
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> I use a Henderson Gold 7/5 one piece with a 5mm hooded vest over the
>>>>> suit which gives 12 mm over the chest. It's fine for diving here in
>>>>> Southern California with water around 60F at depth at this time. The
>>>>> farmer john has more neoprene over the abdomen and upper thighs.
>>>>
>>>> The more I read the more I think I'm a freak. I've been diving last
>>>> week in 17 - 18ºC (~62ºF) water in a 3mm one-piece, no vest, no gloves
>>>> and never felt cold (av 47min dives).
>>>>
>>>> Ken
>>>
>>> There is more to it than water temp. I used to dive in water a little
>>> colder than that at La Jolla Canyon with a 3mm suit and hooded vest, but
>>> that dive required a long strenuous swim, so although I was a little
>>> cold underwater I was more comfortable during the swim. There is also
>>> air temp and personal differences incl body fat. Also you may be cold
>>> and not realize it because of all the distraction, but it may show up as
>>> increased air consumption.
>>
>> All true confounding factors in the choice of neoprene thickness. The
>> dives were RIB dives, so no great long swims required. It rained a bit on
>> the way out and back on the boat, so there was a bit of wind chill
>> additionally prior to the dive. Air temp was not too different from water
>> temp. My air consumption was raised during the first dive in which I was
>> inadvertendly overweighted, but this was corrected for subsequent dives.
>> What is undoubtedly the case in my case is the presence of appreciable
>> bioprene.
>>
>> What's the difference between Ken abd a walrus? Well, one is fat, ugly,
>> hairy and smelly - the other one is a marine mammal. :)
>>
>> Ken
> In the water you come into your own and don't need thick neoprene.

My desire to take up scuba diving was born of a desire to spend more time
with the fishies when as a child I snorkelled exensively. I was bored with
having to come up for air all the time and dreamt of the day I might grow
gills. I just grew the blubber instead. But hey, it was hard work eating all
that food!

Ken

In article <d0qkc9$b7d$1@news7.svr.pol.co.uk>,
Ken <ken@k1at.freeserve.co.uk> wrote:
>
>"Adam Helberg" <sendspamhere@yahoo.com> wrote in message
>news:Ot4Yd.6659$cN6.4680@newsread1.news.pas.earth link.net...
>>
>> "Ken" <ken@k1at.freeserve.co.uk> wrote in message
>> news:d0p3rc$i4c$1@news6.svr.pol.co.uk...
>>>
>>> "Adam Helberg" <sendspamhere@yahoo.com> wrote in message
>>> news:drMXd.4670$oO4.4146@newsread3.news.pas.earthl ink.net...
>>>>

>>> All true confounding factors in the choice of neoprene thickness. The
>>> dives were RIB dives, so no great long swims required. It rained a bit on
>>> the way out and back on the boat, so there was a bit of wind chill
>>> additionally prior to the dive. Air temp was not too different from water
>>> temp. My air consumption was raised during the first dive in which I was
>>> inadvertendly overweighted, but this was corrected for subsequent dives.
>>> What is undoubtedly the case in my case is the presence of appreciable
>>> bioprene.

Bioprene. That's a good one. Must start to bring that word into
general use.

>>> What's the difference between Ken abd a walrus? Well, one is fat, ugly,
>>> hairy and smelly - the other one is a marine mammal. :)
>>>
>>> Ken
>> In the water you come into your own and don't need thick neoprene.
>
>My desire to take up scuba diving was born of a desire to spend more time
>with the fishies when as a child I snorkelled exensively. I was bored with
>having to come up for air all the time and dreamt of the day I might grow
>gills. I just grew the blubber instead. But hey, it was hard work eating all
>that food!

Look at it this way :

To grow a kg of fa^H^H bioprene you need an extra food intake of
7800 kcal. A Liter of beer contains at most 450 kcal. That is 17
liters of beers. Lots of old divers should be put in safe keeping
with these beer prices. And you need around 90 kcal / day extra to
maintain the extra weight too; that is two pints a week.

The specific weight of bioprene is around 0.78, so you need another
kilo of lead for every 4 kgs of bioprene.

-- mrr

Ken <ken@k1at.freeserve.co.uk> wrote:

>
> The more I read the more I think I'm a freak. I've been diving last week in
> 17 - 18ºC (~62ºF) water in a 3mm one-piece, no vest, no gloves and never
> felt cold (av 47min dives).

Quite a lot has to do with how often you dive and how many dives you
have done.

For me during my open water and advanced with a water temp of 25deg C I
was happy in a swim suit and T-shirt.

Now with a few more dives, to be comfortable I want a 5mm full suit and
maybe hood as well at 25deg C. this is more true when I have been doing
4 and 5 dives a day for more than a few days.
--
>replace spamblock with my family name to e-mail me

On Thu, 17 Mar 2005 23:01:30 +0700, Jerome Meekings wrote:

> For me during my open water and advanced with a water temp of 25deg C I
> was happy in a swim suit and T-shirt.

Tell me about it. First 5 times I went to the Maldives, I was fine in a
T-shirt and shorts in 28C water. Then I got a shorty for the north
Caribbean and started using it there too.

This trip I was shivering on some of the dives. Probably going to get
myself a full 5mm suit though possibly with 3mm arms. The worst bit was
the cold on my arms and legs. I could see goosebumps.

Jason

--
http://www.scuba-addict.co.uk/ for Aussie diving reports including
Stradbroke Island, Terrigal, Jervis Bay and Portsea

"Jerome Meekings" <warm-water-diver@spamblock.net> wrote in message
news:1gtgvxi.1ej78t2mg2gd4N%warm-water-diver@spamblock.net...
> Ken <ken@k1at.freeserve.co.uk> wrote:
>
>>
>> The more I read the more I think I'm a freak. I've been diving last week in
>> 17 - 18ºC (~62ºF) water in a 3mm one-piece, no vest, no gloves and never
>> felt cold (av 47min dives).
>
> Quite a lot has to do with how often you dive and how many dives you
> have done.
>
> For me during my open water and advanced with a water temp of 25deg C I
> was happy in a swim suit and T-shirt.
>
> Now with a few more dives, to be comfortable I want a 5mm full suit and
> maybe hood as well at 25deg C. this is more true when I have been doing
> 4 and 5 dives a day for more than a few days.
> --
>>replace spamblock with my family name to e-mail me

It makes sense. The more dives you do in one day the longer your stay in the water
and the more heat you lose. Your body temp is 37 so in 25 degree water you lose heat
to the water. Also when you surface you lose heat to evaporation and get further
chilled.

Furthermore as you become a more experienced diver you slow down your movements and
relax and are also more likely to chill.

Adam