Mrs. D and I will be living at 9.37 degrees north of the Equator from November thru May starting this year. I will be snorkeling and, after I get lessons, scuba diving. While looking at wetsuits on ebay I realized I need advice, especially concerning what thickness to get.
Thanks in advance!
What are the water temps where you’ll be living? Just latitude doesn’t really tell you much - the Caribbean for example averages some 5-10 degrees F warmer than the Galapagos Islands, even though the Galapagos are closer to the equator.
Having said that, my advice would be to work out a long-term rental deal with a dive shop where you’ll be living until you know what you like.
I would also wait. You may just like snorkeling, or one of you may not like Scuba. Ask the dive master what their opinion is, but you have to speak up because experienced divers may have hearing loss.
I shoulda paid attention last time I was there. “There” is the Philippines. I’ve been there when snorkeling was a little chilly after some time in the water. I observed that all the divers had wet suits. Obviously the water would generally be cooler at greater depths.
Getting a long-term rental deal seems like good advice, but buying it in the US would be less expensive.
It depends on how much you feel the cold. We had 3mm shortie wetsuits when we dived in Vanuatu. My partner was fine with that, but I would have preferred a full suit. If you get cold snorkelling, then maybe go for a full suit, because diving is definitely colder. You could also add a hood or even get a 5 mm suit.
Quick google shows temp ranges of ~72-84°F in the Philippines. I think a 2.5-3mm suit is a good place to start. You may want to add a heavier suit at some point, but I think 2.5-3mm will see a lot of use, regardless. I can’t imagine diving in 80° plus water in a 5mm suit.
I was in Puerto Galera (Oriental Mindoro) diving in January. The water (at that time - not sure about year round) was a bit cooler than other places I’ve dove in the south pacific.
A lot depends on how many dives you’ll do in a given day. (I did 3 to 4 a day, and it caught up to me in a 3mm shortie).
I would recommend more than one wetsuit:
I also use a “cap” - not a full hood, but like a swimmer’s cap that is made out of neoprene.
I prefer a dry suit myself, but that’s because I’m usually wearing a tux or dinner jacket underneath it. On the other hand, it’s more difficult to adjust the straps and stuff for my parachute over the dry suit. But for that wrinkle free look, it’s worth the bother.
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