By Neil Brunton (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #8) on Monday, August 1, 2005 - 5:13 am: |
Hi
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By Jeanine Clark (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #492) on Monday, August 1, 2005 - 6:29 am: |
Hi Neil! I'm sure some of the more experienced Bonaire divers will chime in, but here is how it went for me last November. We dove 3-4 times a day, not once did I hit a noticeable thermocline. My max depth for the trip was 97 feet. I dove mostly with a 3 mm full suit, except for the day I left my suit hanging out to dry on the boat doc (by accident) and that day I dove a little past 65 feet (I think) without any problems or a wetsuit. I also did two boats dives with my core warmer only. I stopped doing that because my BC rubbed my arms and the core warmer provided no protection.
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By Walt III (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #242) on Monday, August 1, 2005 - 6:39 am: |
Thursday @ 200 ft/60 meters temp was 73F/22C The surface temp was 84F/29C. The thermals were below 100ft/30 meters.
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By Lydia S. Segal (BonaireTalker - Post #73) on Monday, August 1, 2005 - 6:45 am: |
On five trips: Feb/March and Aug time periods,
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By Neil Brunton (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #9) on Monday, August 1, 2005 - 6:48 am: |
Jeanine
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By Brian (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1129) on Monday, August 1, 2005 - 7:08 am: |
Neil
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By Tish (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #328) on Monday, August 1, 2005 - 7:11 am: |
Neil,
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By Neil Brunton (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #10) on Monday, August 1, 2005 - 8:20 am: |
Thanks everyone for your help. It looks like we will both be taking 3mm shorties. We don't plan to dive much more that twice a day and will be sun bathing between dives.
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By Andy & Dave Bartlett (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #336) on Monday, August 1, 2005 - 11:35 am: |
We both dive in Polortec full suit or .5mm full suit. we take both just in case. Both of us have plenty of natural insulation so don't need anything heavier. Have not found much if any thermocline. If I remember right the lowest temp we have recorded is 80F. We usually make between 3-4 dives per day. If I find myself getting chilly I will put on a hood and that is usually all I need. You may find you are doing more than 2 dives a day. Have fun with your son.
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By Ron Gould (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #227) on Monday, August 1, 2005 - 5:24 pm: |
Do yourself a favor and wear a full suit cover of what ever you like. The sun is intence on the Island and any part of your body that is not protected from the sun will burn..Ron
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By Tish (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #329) on Monday, August 1, 2005 - 5:33 pm: |
Excellent suggestion, Ron, but Neil can do that with a dive skin rather than a wet suit.
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By Ted Halkyard (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #7) on Monday, August 1, 2005 - 5:50 pm: |
I'm a skin person - have been diving Bonaire for years in all seasons, never been uncomfortable - hate the constriction of even 3mm of neoprene. My wife, on the other hand, needs 3 inches of neoprene in 82 degree water!
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By Neil Brunton (BonaireTalker - Post #11) on Monday, August 1, 2005 - 5:58 pm: |
We are used to wearing a 7mm suit with 7mm oversuit plus gloves and 7mm hood here in the UK so a 3mm shortie will be luxury.
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By Ron Gould (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #228) on Monday, August 1, 2005 - 8:34 pm: |
We use a 3m Polartech wet suit and that material doesn't change your buoyancy. Keeps your core warm after many dives and dries quickly... Ron
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By Dr. Director (BonaireTalker - Post #90) on Monday, August 1, 2005 - 11:13 pm: |
Water temps in October tend to be 82 - 84 F depending on the year, and when in October. I usually just dive with a lycra skin at that time of year (mainly for sun protection, plus protection if we brush anything), while my wife usually uses a 3/2 Seaquest wetsuit (3 mm in the torso area and 2 mm in the arms and legs). This past October, with the water a consistent 84 F, she shifted to just a skin and a 1 mm sleeveless vest and found it just fine. No noticeable water temperature difference with depths to about 70 ft.
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By Randy P (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #364) on Tuesday, August 2, 2005 - 1:44 pm: |
As a fellow 7mm Farmer John wearing cold local water diver, I wore a .5 mil full suit and a beanie and it was just about perfect for all day diving. I also brought along a 3mm shortie just in case for night dives.
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By Cam (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #458) on Tuesday, August 2, 2005 - 7:09 pm: |
Hi Neil
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By Ron Edison (BonaireTalker - Post #69) on Wednesday, August 3, 2005 - 11:36 am: |
In late September/early October, the temperature was 82-84F down to 99 feet. We wore skins or just T-shirts and were comfortable for 3-4 dives per day. My wife got a little chilly after 5PM and during our night dives, but even at night, the water was warmer than the air temp--you notice right away if you're standing around the dock in a dripping dive skin. After struggling into a 7mm farmer john with 30 lbs of weight to certify in an Illinois quarry, I swore off anything but tropical diving. I might invest in a 3mm for Hawaii or the Bahamas. Then too, I might feel differently if I lost 20-30 lbs. of insulation.
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By Jason Puskarich (BonaireTalker - Post #96) on Tuesday, August 9, 2005 - 8:01 pm: |
At 500ft the water temp was a tad chillier.....
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By Walt III (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #243) on Tuesday, August 9, 2005 - 9:08 pm: |
At 425 ft we recorded a temp of 63F. Even in my 5mm semi-dry with hood and gloves it was damn cold.
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By Freddie Hughes (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #6347) on Tuesday, August 9, 2005 - 9:17 pm: |
WaltIII don't tell me you are a woozie warm water deep diver??? LOL 65 degrees today at 50 feet for 1 hour 10 minutes in a 5mil and hood/gloves and toasty!!! If we hadn't been in the ocean I would have gone without a hood...{beach dive to 30 feet} I am a deep water woozie that doesn't mind the cold shallow water...
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By Glen Reem (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #2135) on Tuesday, August 9, 2005 - 9:32 pm: |
I'm with you, Freddie (before my 1/4 inch Farmer John shrank around the waist). We never had 63 degrees on the surface in high summer in MA. Walt has been in the tropics for too long!
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By Jason Puskarich (BonaireTalker - Post #97) on Wednesday, August 10, 2005 - 12:12 am: |
Well, a 5mm semi-dry even with hood/gloves at 63F is not enough protection IMO. I'm sure you werent at depth for any length of time...but thats atleast 7mm hood/glove material.
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By Neil Brunton (BonaireTalker - Post #13) on Wednesday, August 10, 2005 - 2:45 am: |
I did my Advanced Open Water last weekend with my 13 year old son. The first day was in a 6m lake for the Navigation and the water temp was 62 degrees. For this I had my 7mm Farmer Giles bottoms and just a 3mm shorty on top. No arm cover and no hood and I was fine. For the second day we went to a different lake that drops down to 40m. For this I wore 7mm bottoms + 7mm oversuit + hood. We did a 22m dive and and at exactly 13m we hit a major thermocline and the temp dropped from 62 degrees to 43 degrees. This was cold. My son was shivering like mad and his lips went blue. Luckily we only stayed down for 5 to 10 minutes before slowly ascending. The feeling at 13m when coming up was fabulous.
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By Tish (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #354) on Wednesday, August 10, 2005 - 7:45 am: |
Neil,
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By Jason Puskarich (BonaireTalker - Post #98) on Wednesday, August 10, 2005 - 10:31 am: |
Tish,
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By Walt III (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #244) on Wednesday, August 10, 2005 - 2:43 pm: |
Tish I don't joke around about deep dives here is the download of a dive we made to 393 ft./120 m. The temp on the bottom was still falling (notice the temp line is a spike it had not leveled out yet) as we started our ascent but was reading 68F/20C. This dive was done Oct. 2nd when water temps are at there warmest. Temp of water above 120ft./36m was 84->85F/29+C.
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By Cynde (BonaireTalk Deity - Post #14109) on Wednesday, August 10, 2005 - 3:00 pm: |
Walt, as always, a pleasure to see you pop in Find anything new or interesting down deep lately? Have any cool pics you'd like to share? I always love the pics you get
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By Cam (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #478) on Wednesday, August 10, 2005 - 3:09 pm: |
Walt
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By Cynde (BonaireTalk Deity - Post #14112) on Wednesday, August 10, 2005 - 3:32 pm: |
Cam...did you see Walt's profile pic?
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By Cam (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #481) on Wednesday, August 10, 2005 - 3:37 pm: |
Yeah...looks heavy....I'd kill myself trying to get into the water...where's his thong?
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By Kelly Baum (GDLW) (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #2979) on Wednesday, August 10, 2005 - 3:49 pm: |
Walt our tech diving hero... nice to see you pop in!
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By Tish (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #361) on Wednesday, August 10, 2005 - 4:43 pm: |
No, Walt, I did not mean you were joking about your deep dives. I know you're a tech diver.
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By Neil Brunton (BonaireTalker - Post #14) on Thursday, August 11, 2005 - 2:12 am: |
I don't think that we will be doing many 100m dives during our visit. The deepest dive I have planned is Hilma Hooker at 30m. This should test the limits of my experience.
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By Cynde (BonaireTalk Deity - Post #14117) on Thursday, August 11, 2005 - 10:42 am: |
Neil, have a great trip, and please let us know how you like Bonaire! One of the best things about diving the hooker (as a cold water diver you will appreciate this) is that when you are doing your safety stop, you can see the wreck crystal clear 80 feet below you, so it makes the time fly as you have lots of things to see!
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