Hello everyone!

I have been a quiet observer on the board for a month or so and have appreciated all the information I have been able to gather to plan my 1st anniversary trip for me and my husband to Bonaire this November. We are so excited!!!

My husband and I are planning to get our open water in the next month so needless to say we are serious newbies but have snorkeled and surfed all over and love the ocean. My question is in regards to average water temp in November and recommendations on wet suits (if we will need one, what kind we should think about - shorty or full length etc...) I know everyone is different in regards to their tolerance to cold etc... To help out I will add that we are from the mountains in Colorado and neither of us (especially my husband) get chilled easy - as we both whitewater kayak the freezing waters around our home. But with that said I want to be prepared...

Hope I did not babble too much and thanks for any help/suggestions you can offer!

Jennifer

Jennifer: As you state, everyone is different, but I can tell you that my wife and I use 3 mil Henderson Hyperstretch suits. We perfer the full suits to help protect against cuts and scrapes. When I first started to dive Bonaire I used a 2 mil suit but was getting chilled on late afternoon and night dives - bumped it up to 3 mil and that has turned out to be just about right.

Thanks. I actually was just reading about jellies and am thinking I will definitly go with the full 3mil and a hood for added protection. This is assuming that a 3mil protects against stings??

Jennifer, welcome to Bonaire Talk! I wear a skin, full 3mm, and hood. And toward the end of my trips I usually get a little chilled the last dive of the day...of course, no dive is less than 65 minutes My husband on the other hand wears shorts and a t-shirt. I've gotten "zinged" by the string jelly things around the mask skirt a couple of times, but it didn't last long..it was usually just after entering the water. My husband got "zinged" by the jelly string things this last trip on a few dives, but it didn't last long, and wasn't bad enough to make him put on his skin! I don't think they can penetrate a 3mm

Have a great trip, and a wonderful anniversary!

Hi Jennifer & welcome. Everyone has a different body mass which affects their tolerance to cold. I get cold in 80 degree water diving after 50 mins.
Generally speaking, the more experienced divers are affected more by the cold than "newbies". I suspect this has something to do with excessive amount of motor movement underwater by a newer diver (when I dive I'm usually pretty comatose)..

Notwithstanding the above, at a minimum wear a full skin to provide some protection from the sun & accidently brushing up against something you should not be touching. More importantly, make sure you have good hard soled boots if you plan on shore diving.

My husband and I bought full length wet suits. If you are planning on doing more than 1-3 dives I would definitely come with one! The more time you spend under the water - each dive gets just a little colder. Seems people are usually in Bonaire at least a week...

Full Skin - 2mm Full Suit - hood - cold water boots (for better soles) - voila'!!

We take both a fleeced full skin and a 1 mil full wet suit. We wear the skin early in the week and then the 1 mill later as we begin to get chilled toward the end of our trip. Also you will need hard sole booties if you plan on doing shore dives, most of the dive sites have lots of dead coral as beach material and at the entry points, so protect your feet. Have a good time and get lots of dives in.

Andy

Full 3/2mm with hard sole boots and I'm comfortable for several dives a day. Have a great trip.

In Bonaire and USVI/BVI, wife and I (Chicago area natives) wear either T-shirts and swim suits or dive skins only. My wife gets slightly chilled when diving after 5PM or after 2-3 consecutive dives. The skins are mainly for sun and sting protection, not temperature, which was a constant 82-84F our whole trip (Sept-Oct).

hi jennifer, welcome to bonaire talk. the water temps should be in the low to mid 80's at that time of year...in november it will have peaked and will be heading toward the 79-80 range of february/march/april. i wear a polartec lined skin and am usually pretty comfortable. my wife wears a 3mm hyperstretch and is also comfortable. i might be opting for the hyperstretch this year tho.

have a good trip.

I really like my Henderson Microprene 1 mm full suit. I provides a little more protection and warmth than a skin or polartec, but doesn't overheat me. It's also thin enough to wear under a shorty if you need a little more on the torso.
I just received a pair of the Seasoft Sunray booties. I've never seen a better Bonaire booty, and without the wieght and floatation of a cold water boot.

(Message edited by bandit on August 30, 2006)

Thanks for all the help. I am going to definitly check out the 3mil fulls and then an added sleevless hood for added warmth/protection... I already have booties as my dive shop warned of the beach entries in Bonaire... Only 85 more days!!!

You said you don't chill easily. 3mm plus is going to be too much in my opinion. Take something thinner too, so you can strip down if it gets too hot. It's easier if you layer instead of jumping to the 3 mil.

(Message edited by bandit on September 2, 2006)

I use a full 3 MM wet suit and a hoodie.
After an hour and a half in the water I get cold.

I know some who dive with a 5mm and others with shorts and t-shirt. Things to consider: a) how many dies per day and how long; b) how active are you underwater; and c) your general sensitivity to cold.

I love the freedom of no wetsuit -- but I get cold after about dive #4. So, I either wear a fleece or only do four dives.

FWIW, I would probably start with a full length 2 or 3 mil. If you are going to all of the hassle of a shorty, why not get the added protection (sting, abrasion, thermal) of a full length?

I use a 3mm full wet suit, and just invested in a dive goddess hood (which I have to alter because the one-size-fits-all doesn't take into account pea-heads with short hair. )

I like to take it slow and watch the denizens of the reef go by, and usually am in for a long time - at least an hour, often more, depending upon whether I go a bit deep for a while. I don't treat diving like an aerobic sport (gotta go, gotta go, gotta see how far I can go before 1500psi... isn't my style), so I get cold.

When I first got certified, I was wearing just a skin down in Bonaire. I hadn't yet truly relaxed so was generating enough heat to keep me warm. Once I started to relax I started to get cold.

Personally, I'd rather be a little warm than cold underwater - the longer you're in the water, the more the water will affect your body temp (it's still less than 98.6 after all) so you eventually will become chilled. The more wetsuit, the later that will be...

You mean I'm not staying down long enough to get cold on my 120 minute dives?

I have 8 trips to Bonaire. 3 Mil has never been too much neoprene for me. I agree with Susan.

Ross, you must also be a racer-diver. Stop finning for a while, maybe you'll get cold then. Though why you'd want to be is beyond me.

Ross,
Try going deeper then 30fsw on your 120 minute dives. Becareful if you go deeper you wouldn't want to break your deco limits!! ;-)

Photographers are not fast divers. My profiles start at 90 and come up, finish on top until the tank runs out. Face it, not everyone needs 3 mil in 82 degree water. The lady said she didn't get cold easily.

Heh, well my brother's bigger than yours!

I dive with 63s if I can get them, dive a normal profile (go deep then come back up slowly to the shallows), stay in at least an hour and I'm 51 and get hot flashes.... and I still need the 3mm and it's the being cold that gets me out, not the lack of air - I often have 700-900 psi left. So there!

51 here as well. My policy is, if I'm going to get dressed and get in the water, I'm going to stay awhile
http://www.oldbonairetalk.com/newsgroup/messages/1022/291834.html?1155672203

(Message edited by bandit on September 4, 2006)

(Message edited by bandit on September 4, 2006)

hello jen.

nice to see a fellow coloradoan making their way to bonaire. my wife and i live just west of denver. i'm taking my henderson 3mm. it's been good for me in cozumel, so i'm thinking it should do the trick. have a great time!!!
ron(rocktherockies)