Scuba Diving With A Cold

scuba diving with a cold

The Trusty Wetsuit

The wetsuit is the accessory that symbolizes today’s scuba diving, along with fins and a tank. They have come a long way since their earlier days of suit pioneers like the O’Neill brothers and their Santa Cruz surf suits to being made from a combination of neoprene rubber and synthetic fabrics. Wet suits today contain a combination of a wide variety of fabric weaves, designs, colors, and different types of material densities. There are loads of brands to choose from, each offering their own unique properties on one of the most important parts of the scuba diver’s outfit, especially if diving in temperate or moderately deep waters is planned.

History

Rubber skins were what the first wetsuits were made of. These were worn to keep in heat and protect the skin. They soon gave way to more advanced suits made of neoprene, whose cellular construction allowed air and water to be trapped allowing heating that was better than rubber. However, the early editions of neoprene had its downside. It became easy to tear and quite a struggle to put on. Often dressing required applying talcum powder to the inside of the suit. After several generations, breakthrough lines such as Sharkskin and Turtle skin brands added a layer of nylon sheeting to the inner suit and textured surface to increase strength and durability.

Modern westsuits use combinations of Lycra or other synthetic materials to replace nylon sheeting. Some brands, such as the Pinnacle Aquatics lines, feature combinations of titanium weaves and natural Merino wool to increased durability, warmth and to reduce odors. These modern suits also use layers of thicker materials to protect sensitive spine and neck areas, and have reinforced knee and elbow pads to protect the diver against chafing against rocks and coral heads.

How They Work

There is one basic principle of the wetsuit; water flows into small pores of the neoprene foam of the suit where it is trapped, it is then warmed up by the body heat and energy of the diver. This layer of warm water then acts as a thermal suit by keeping the cold water from getting to the skin. Wetsuits are actually designed to let water come into contact with the skin, unlike the drysuits which are sealed to keep water out. When temperatures range from 40 to 60 degrees, the average dive temperature, wetsuits are preferably used because there are hardly any intense temperatures for the body to be protected from. Drysuits are used for low exceedingly low temperatures to protect the body from potential freezing.

Types of Wetsuits

Besides the well known full suit, there are many different types of wetsuits available. The “Shorty” suits do not cover the entire leg and arm areas but only the torso. These suits are best for warm water conditions. The “Farmer Johns” has a thickened "pants" layer that goes up around the shoulders, but doesn't cover the arms; this type is good for surfing applications where knee protection is important. Now there are specialized “thin suits” for competition swimming and light dive applications. These suits offer streamlining and abrasion protection more than they do temperature control.

Hoods

The hood is the next important accessory to a full wetsuit. It’s important because over 25% of body heat is lost through the head. They are often made of similar materials to a wetsuit but are thicker to prevent loss of heat around such a sensitive area. Most of the hoods have long bibs that tuck within the neck of the wetsuit to protect against a gush of cold water down the neck

Booties

Even though some wetsuits commonly have built-in feet, most use separate booties. These booties are drawn up over the legs of the wetsuit. To facilitate standing or pushing off against the bottom of rough surfaces booties are usually reinforced and corrugated.

Gloves

The last important accessory. Gloves must not only protect against cold water, but also must stop sharp coral and rocks from damaging the skin. Gloves often have textured fingertips to help in handling gear or other objects during a dive.

As you can see, wet suits have come a long way since the early primitive rubber casings of the early 1950's. With new materials and special computer-aided designs, wetsuits will continue to improve and offer the divers of the 21st century many new options for their diving experience.

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