Hey guys

I'm heading down for the Digital Shootout on June 6 and I'm obsessing over my wetsuit options. Can anyone give me the current water temp and as well, is it really hot topside right now?

Many thanks!

Karen, welcome to BT I got an email from a friend who lives on island and the water is around 81F to 82F. Yes, it's HOT topside right now. 90s...remember that's Caribbean 90s...and that Bonaire is three feet from the sun....

I always wear a 3mm on Bonaire regardless of the water temps. It's really more of a personal preference. My husband is hot in 78F water and wears only a skin...

Last week we found water temps from a low of 77 (once, with a rare and visible thermocline) to a more usual 81 at all depths. I've found that a beanie will make a world of difference in thermal protection, and it weighs next to nothing.

do you need to have a propeller on the beanie? It could help with propulsion....

Water temp for most of May was 79. At times it was a bit lower. I wore a 5mm and froze my butt off. (I am always cold) we were doing 1 1/2hr dives 2-3 times a day. By the end of the second week I brought out my beanie. Everyone laughs at me! No fun to dive if you are cold.

I just finished a dive - it is 79 degrees. In fact every dive since May 16 has registered 79 degrees.

Sorry, I missed the topside portion of your question. It is hot! I looked at a thermometer in the shade yesterday and it read 92 degrees. I'm loving it!

My Suunto Cobra computer registered 81 degrees, my wife's Oceanic said 80, and a fellow diver got a steady 79 on his Oceanic. Your pick.

Hmmmm, I'll take 82, please.

On our equipment, the temperature last week was consistently at 81 degrees. On Sunday it bumped up to 82 for the first time, and has been moving between 81 and 82 ever since.
It would seem that gauging temperatures should be an exact science. Apparently it isn't.

Thanks everyone! Can't wait to get there!

Hey Karen...just for you, I looked at the thermometer topside today. It was around 4:00 in the afternoon and it was directly in the sun. Are you ready? 102!!!!

Don't worry, there is a great breeze here!

That's colder water than I was expecting. Good thing I'm taking the 5mm. I was hoping for 84 degree temps. But I haven't seen that since the Bahamas.

Irene, 84 degrees is usually during Aug., Sept, Oct.

Last year during the first two weeks of July we had a steady 80 degree reading on our computers. 3mm full was enough suit since the sun was shining and it was easy to keep the core temperature up by sitting in the sunshine.

Arguing about 79 versus 81 degrees is not warranted based on what your computer says. There are three big sources of error:
(1) the temperature sensor in most dive computers is only accurate to +/- 2 degrees C, or 4 degrees F. It will likely be precise (meaning it will give the same number each time, if the water is the same) but it will not be accurate.
(2) there is a time lag in the measurement of perhaps 5-20 minutes, depending on the computer. So if you drop through a thermocline (not easy in Bonaire!) the computer won't catch up for many minutes. And if you come back up through the thermocline before the computer has come to equilibrium, the "lowest temperature" it shows on the dive won't be as low as the one you felt. The same is true of going from the sunny, hot conditions at the surface to underwater; the computer needs 5-20 minutes to adjust to the water temperature.
(3) two people comparing their readings have to actually be in the same water, at the same time, with their computers both equilibrated to the water temp (see (2) above). If one computer is at 1 ft depth and the other at 4 ft depth, there might be a degree or two difference in the actual water temperature at those two depths, especially in the afternoon with the sun shining.

So, yes, measuring temperature IS an exact science, but not the way we do it as divers!

So what you need to do is:
(A) calibrate your dive computer. Put it in a water bath for half an hour with a good mercury thermometer and see what the two read. Best to do this in the 65-85 degree range we normally dive in.
(B) use your computer as a relative measure. If it shows 78 and you are comfortable in a 3mm suit, then it doesn't matter that the water is actually 82, or 74; use YOUR computer and YOUR comfort zones.

So, how do you plan a trip? What if someone tells you the water is 78 where you are planning to go? how do you use that info? Typically, you have three ways to use this info:
(i) assume your computer is accurate and look in your dive log and see what you wore the last time the water was 78, and were you cold or warm.
(ii) calibrate your computer, then use (i) without having to make the assumption
(iii) Use (i) or (ii), but bring a beanie, a hood, a vest or a hooded vest, and layer as needed.

And remember, it is always better to err on the side of being a bit warm than a bit cold...

Good luck!

mmm 102 topside! I think I am a distant relative of the iguana.

Mel, I think you need a vacation! :-)

I believe most folks know their computers vary a little from diver to diver. I didn't get the impression anyone was actually "arguing" about it, just replying to another enthusiastic traveler to Bonaire.

Thanks everyone...now GO FOR A DIVE!!!!!

Note to self: Plan next trip to Bonaire for August :-)

The waters warmer in August, but you have hurricanes to pass through, and the topside temp is even hotter, if that's even possible.

irene, when we were in the bahamas (san salvador) the water temp was about 68....that was mid-march about 10 years ago. all of us wore 7 mil suits...and if you hadn't brought one they gave you one, no rental fee...the temp was so unusual that they had never thought to recommend thicker suits.

Pat~~~~ I'm going to San Sal on June

19th....wasn't planning on wearing a a thick

suit......what do you think???????????????

We went to San Sal as part of a liveaboard. That was some of the warmest water temps (80-82) I've encountered but it was late June. THE warmest was on a different liveaboard in the Bimini/Cay Sal Banks, Eleuthera sites in July. Temps were around 82-84.I always wear a 5 mm because I do 4-5 dives a day they all last 60-70 mins. I usually get cold around the 45 min mark.

michelle, you should be fine. the temps we encountered were much earlier in the year and the operators agreed it was very unusual (that's why they gave out thick suits without charging rental fees). i guess it wouldn't hurt to contact the operator you'll be diving with and ask for a current temp report. i wear a 5 mil on bonaire and been comfy...while those i dive with wear everything from tee shirts to 7mil suits on the same dive and are also comfy.

Thanks, Irene and Pat, I just wear my skin and a

therma-guard top underneath when in Bon'. I

also, dive between 3-5 dives per day and will

have to admit I get a bit chilled by the latter

dives...

I am not a wet suit person..but, if it comes to

being warm I will wear one!

Great idea Pat...I'll contact the dive op and

get some info. on water teemps...Thanks again

y'all!!!! :~)))

We got back on the 31st and it was 79 the whole time we were in Bonaire. I wore a 3/2 full suit, 1mil polartec and a core warmer. I was chilly.