Hi everybody!

I'll be in Bonaire next week (April 6th to 15th). Its gonna be my first trip in Bonaire, but also my first dive trip in the Caribbean. I'm use to dive in cold water, I have a two pieces 7mm wet suit as you can see on my picture.
I would like to know if I'll be ok only in bathing suit or I should bring one piece of my 7mm wetsuit? Or should I buy a shorty 2mm or a full 3mm?

Thanks!! And this site is very helpful! Thanks to all experience Bonaire talker!

Simon

Simon, I'm used to cold water diving as well (diving often in The Netherlands). I prefer a 3 mm shorty or a 3 mm suit when making repetative dives (2 or more a day, more than 3 days in a row.) See you in a few weeks, and don't forget Gibi's...

Simon, Welcome to the boards!

I am just one and a half hour south of you, and am used to diving the cold water as well.


However, like Martin when in Bonaire I use a shorty or full suit (3mm equivalent) and have to admit to using a light hood or beanie when I dive over 3 times a day.

I have over the years seen many northern divers try to dive Bonaire wearing the top of their 7mm just to save money. If they were not suffering with the heat it would have been funny.

Have a great time, and do say hi to Gibi for me.

I am jealous of you both;-{)}

Tom

Hi Simon,

Couple things.
It depends on how fast you lose body heat (heavier people = less)and how much diving you are planning on doing.

I am moving to Bonaire at the end of April for a year and a half. And all my experience is in the Caribbean so I can only give you my experience.
A 3mm shorty is the average for most people who dive daily. I personally am going to a 1.5 mm full suit due to the fact that there are a lot of little "stings" the a person gets doing a lot of diving in the Caribbean also my legs are the first thing to get cold. Accidently rubbing your leg on fire coral doesn't feel good.

7mm suit is definitely too hot.

Mike M.

As another approach I have a dive skin and a neoprine vest that I wear under my 7mm when I dive and when I go warm water the skin and vest are fine and it is also nice to wear the additional protection in cold water. I have a full 3mm and I brought it to bonaire before but did not wear it. I have only used the 3mm in Hawaii and needed it there.

I have a 3 mil suit full suit, and afer about 55 minutes I still get cold, particularly on the second or third dive of the day. That doesn't mean I get out of the water immediately - I give it 10-15 more minutes... the air's pretty nice and warms you up fast.

Hi Simon,

We just got back from Bonaire. I used a fleece lined skin all week with not problems. My wife wears the same but adds a beenie. I do suggest some form of full length suit. Not for thermal protection but for protection from scrapes, sunburn and the occasional jellyfish tentacle.

Simon,

Simon,

As you see lots of advice. Guess what it means is you have to decide what is right for you. The full length idea is a pretty decent one though. Will help save you from scrapes and scratches. The thermal protection doesn't hurt either when you are doing multiple dives. After a few days the cool temps of the water seem to make many a little tired. Takes more calories to build heat.

Enjoy,

Pat

P.S. I wore a 3mm in Bonaire and was comfortable. In fact a few people questioned me about it and by the end of the week they had also purchased full 3mm suits. They were just too cold in 3mm short suits after repetitive dives on consecutive days.

When we first started going to Bonaire, I was plenty comfy in a 3mm suit. Last trip, I was still a wee bit cold in 3mm suit plus 2mm vest, so I'm thinking next trip I'll want a 5mm full suit... (and take the vest along just in case). I'm older, blood is thinner, and I dive a bit more efficiently than I did in the first few trips.

Here at home I do drysuit with lots & lots of warm snuggies underneath, as a comparison. Water temps around here range from 36-56 degrees F most years. I stopped doing the 7mm wetsuit when I hit one too many thermoclines that dropped the temp from 55 to below 50...

Faith

Hi Simon,
It really does depend on how quickly you cool down, and everyone seems to be different, so
I'll add one more piece of info that might help...the prices of 3ml wetsuits in Bonaire are really reasonable for us Canadians...I bought one last year as I was getting really chilly in my 1 ml skin, don't think I could have found a better deal here in Toronto. So, you could always make a purchase when you're there if you need to.
Bought mine at Wannadive next door to City cafe, but all the dive shops seem to hae a decent selection.
Hope this helps, have fun,
Jill

Welcome aboard Simon,
I too am a cold water diver doing most of my dives in the Puget Sound, WA area. I'm 5'11, 250lbs and in relatively good physical shape (don't smoke, run daily). When diving at home I dive a dry suit with hood, silk underwear and polarteck (sp?)jumpsuit underneath. Of course the average water temp is 42 degrees in the winter time. When I dive Bonaire I usually just wear a 3mm full suit which keeps me warm throughout most dives. In between dives during surface intervals I make sure to wear a wide brim hat (for sun protection) and a long sleeve tee shirt. You have to remember the ambient air temps are usually 80 -90 degrees during the day.

One of the other things most people don't talk about is hydration. The usual water temp at 60 fsw during mid September is about 84 degrees...think about how much fluid you're losing even on any easy dive. so I would recommend going with a full length 3mm suit, booties (all the shore diving is tough on the feet) and a swim cap (again I'm just used to wearing a hood).

I hope this is useful to you. I will be back on the island myself this fall.
Mike

We were in bonaire mid-March and I only wore a dive skin and hood and was completely comfortable. On the other hand, my husband wore his skins and a 2 mil sleeveless shorty over it and also with a hood. But overall, the water was quite comfortable staying around 81 degrees according to our computers on every dive - all on the west side.

Mike,

Yes, I forgot to mention booties. With shore diving this is almost a must. I like full foot fins better (lighter) but I dive with booties and open heeled fins in Bonaire.

So Simon have we helped or are we making the water even less clear? Well hope the water is clear for you when you get to Bonaire.

Enjoy,

Pat

Thanks everybody!!!

It is very clear, I guess like to water in Bonaire!

bathing suit = you get cold at the end of your first dive and you get lots of scratches and bruises.

2mm shorty = you get cold at the end of your second dive and you get few scratches and bruises.

3mm full = you don't get cold even after 3 dives and don't get any scratches, still few bruises.

7mm full = you don't get cold, you don't even remember what cold means, but you don't get scratches and bruises.

Thanks again. See you in ~ 84 hours!!!

Simon, I've used a .5 mil Scuba pro wet suit and it protects from coral and adds a little warmth while being extremely flex a bull. Just think warm thoughts. Have a great trip.

I'm going to go naked with my gear and just tie a towel around my waist. Along with my shower shoes.

Mike M.

Mike M, when we did our first dive briefing on the island, the fellow at Capt. Don's who did it said, "we don't mind if you want to go skinny-dipping, but the gentlemen should keep in mind that some folks have been feeding the fish around here, and have been feeding them hot dogs..."

So be careful if you do go naked...

Faith

One thing you don't have worry about when you hit the water around Bonaire is an ice-cream headache. You have to go to Lover's for one of those. You will roast in a 7mm if that's what you use for your cold water diving. I wear a 7mm 'skin in' year most of the year here on the lower left coast, and a 5mm when the ocean warms up in late summer. I am comfortable in a old 3mm that is down to a -1mm in warmth and a light weight hood in 75-85f water. The hood is mostly because I am used to wearing one and my mask is tie-wrapped to fit a hood.

Faith,

Thanks for the tip. I'll try to avoid he fish lickin' their lips.

Mike M.

I certified in the Chicago area where a 7mm suit was a must, even in August. In the Virgin Islands, the BVIs and Bonaire, my wife and I are comfortable diving 3-4 times a day in T-shirts or dive skins--dive skins primarily for sun protection.

Back home already!!

I had such a nice trip!!!
Dove in a 2mm shorty for a week.. 17 dives in 7 days. Little too cold. I could've do more dives if I had a full wetsuit, but I've noticed only at the end of my trip, the cold was the reason why I wasn't able to do more than 2 a day or 3 (30 minutes) dives.

So for anybody who want some advise, Spend a little more to have the proper wetsuit, your dive trip will be cheaper per dive.

Simon