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Cold water acclimatisation

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Pinniped72

Well-Known Member
May 18, 2013
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Hello all:), has anyone tried acclimatising to cold water so that they can use a thinner suit? I will be in the market for a suit soon and would rather use a 3 or 3.5mm than a 5 if I can get away with it. I have been going out in a normal surfing suit for a few weeks and I do seem to be getting longer times in the water before I have to get out. The first time was not too good, had uncontrolled tremors in the legs and the exhaustion didn't creep up on me, I was ok, then I was weak! Anyway learnt that lesson and took it slowly, slowly. Just interested if anyone has tried this and if so, how did it go? Swimmers do it so I cant see why it shouldn't work for divers. I just prefer the feeling of thinner neoprene:D Anyway thanks in advance for any info.
 
I cant see why it shouldn't work for divers

For the most of us, it doesn't.
Swimming involve a lot of physical activity, a lot of burned oxygen and as a consequence a lot of body heat generated, that it will give you comfort in a cold environment.
When diving, you try to consume minimum oxygen, therefore not so much body heat produced. Wearing the same protection layer (neoprene suit) as in the previous case, less or no comfort.
In order to have the same comfort in both cases, when diving you need better protection, like thicker suit.

But... there are some people that can withstand cold temperatures for extended periods of time without a significant draw of their body temperature. So, it's possible. See link s hereafter:





If you will be successful, please share!
 
Many thanks for the reply :) I do yoga so you never know........................... :D I am gonna give it a go and will let you know how it goes, my body shape is against me, 6'5' and about 85kg so have a large surface area for my weight but we'll see! Thanks again.
 
Aloha! Just remember that cold water has certain, serious physiological effects that are mitigated by the wearing of insulating material. I wear an open-cell 5 mm, two-piece suit w/hood. It is quite comfy for up to 2 hours in 60 degree F water...but as my core temp lowers, the body begins to work exceptionally hard to maintain core temperature...and one becomes, fatigued, disoriented, and the risk for DCS goes up exponentially. So no, I would say there is no "acclimating" to the cold water...you can learn to tolerate it for longer periods, but I would ask you why? Unless you plan on challenging Stig's Speedo under Ice free dive, of course.
 
Speedos and ice just seems wrong, various body parts could move permanently north:D Seriously though, what an achievement, the mental side of that must have been mammoth. On the body fat side, about 4 years ago I was carrying an extra 49kg (yes that's 7 stone!) of manoprene............................... ok I was fat!:) but boy, as the weight came off did I notice the cold. I did an hour in the surfing suit the other day in 9 degree centigrade and was ok although it was sunny and that seems to make a big difference. I have read some articles about cumulative hypothermia which were really interesting, you know, in and out the water, wind chill etc. Thanks for the replies all.
 
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An update :D I managed to do a couple of hours in the surfing suit but decided to get a 5mm suit in the end, I decided that to add a bit more lead is worth the price if it means longer outings and keeping safe in winter ;) Its my first proper spearo suit and I love it, I put off getting a spearo suit for a while, thinking "they cant be that different", boy was I wrong! to all those thinking the way I used to..... if you've got the spare cash, get one, you will not regret it. Its not just the warmth, the whole comfort level is in a different world for spearing. Also I didn't need that much more lead, with the 5/4/3 surf suit I was using a 4Kg belt with 1Kg ankle weights and with the 5mm open cell interior Cressi suit I only needed an extra 2Kg which I wear in a home made back pouch and inner tube harness. I do have a Ray Odor spear as well that adds about another 1Kg I reckon so that's about 8Kg in total. More comfort and better warmth is definitely worth a couple of extra Kg. I wasn't using the Pole Spear with the surf suit, so including the back weight and pole spear only pay a price of 3Kg which I don't notice on the back or in the hand......................... I will save the surf suit................... for surfing....................... and bodyboarding :D
 
)))), 9 month in year I am hunting in cold (0-8C) water, usually 6-8 hour. My wetsuit - 7 and 9 mm from Yamamoto-38 individual tailoring.

Hi again. Glad to help with the picture elsewhere on this forum.

Interesting to see that you wear "modern" gear when you go spearfishing, including a thick neoprene wetsuit. I've a research interest in the history of diving equipment worldwide and I've been browsing through Vitaly Vinogradov's 1998 book ПОДВОДНАЯ ОХОТА В РОССИИ (Underwater hunting in Russia), which is online at http://www.fishhunter.kiev.ua/g06/vinbook/01.htm. He writes there about the use of Tegur and Sadko drysuits from the Soviet era when braving the cold waters of Russia to go spearfishing. We now see these suits being auctioned on eBay. I was wondering whether any older hunters still go spearfishing with them in Russia?

DRW
 
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Hi again. Glad to help with the picture elsewhere on this forum.

Interesting to see that you wear "modern" gear when you go spearfishing, including a thick neoprene wetsuit. I've a research interest in the history of diving equipment worldwide and I've been browsing through Vitaly Vinogradov's 1998 book ПОДВОДНАЯ ОХОТА В РОССИИ (Underwater hunting in Russia), which is online at http://www.fishhunter.kiev.ua/g06/vinbook/01.htm. He writes there about the use of Tegur and Sadko drysuits from the Soviet era when braving the cold waters of Russian to go spearfishing. We now see these suits being auctioned on eBay. I was wondering whether any older hunters still go spearfishing with them in Russia?

DRW
Hi, I write about equipment in Russia later -tomorrow (about dry suit "Chayka", "Manta" and many over, guns RPP2, "Neptune", "RPS" ...I speak English not so good )))...
I know Vitaly - his is my friend...and I know many old Russian spear fishers, ...
Sorry I can go away...
 
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