Suitable wetsuit for quarry dive and steep themocline.

[J Campbell]

I'm going on a quarry dive to Dutch Springs Pennsylvania for a freedive outing. It has a steep thermocline there,
warm on top, cold on bottom (95 feet). I'm fine with my 5mm wetsuit, even a little warm when the sun comes out.
But my buddy worries that a 3mm wetsuit won't be enough.
So my question is for folks who have dived in similar conditions - steep thermocline, 75 degrees at top, 45 at bottom.
Is 3mm enough? Any comments welcome.

 

[Nathan Vinski]

I did a 50m dive yesterday in a 18->5 degree quarry in a 3mm. I noticed the cold but there as no "bite" on the skin or any real shock when hitting the thermoclines. No worse than. 5mm really.

Sorry I don't have Fahrenheit temp but it's similar

 

[J Campbell]

Nathan -Thanks for the answer. Do you think you think you would still be warm after 2 or 3 hours?

 

[Nathan Vinski]

Nathan -Thanks for the answer. Do you think you think you would still be warm after 2 or 3 hours?

It depends on the surface temperature. When te quarry was 21 surface I was teaching beginner courses in a 3mm, now it dropped to 17 surface and I'm cold after 1 dive. Yesterday I actually finished the session with a second 5mm top, so 8mm total.

 

[J Campbell]

OK, thanks.

 

[cdavis]

Surface temp is the determinant. If you are pleasantly warm on the surface, super cold on the bottom is no problem. You feel it, but its not long enough to really chill you down.

I did some diving in a Wisconson quarry, 75F on the surface, two thermoclines, down to around 34
F at 80 ft. Several hours of diving each day and I'm skinny. A new, custom 3 mil Elios was fine.