Can I get by with a thin lycra skin suit over a top with hood wetsuit that is a 3 mil?

no such thing as too much neophrene

i think most get by with 3 mil...the longer your trip, the more you dive - maybe use the outer jacket portion of a 6/7 mil two piece...that's where i'm at now...

full coverage might protect you a little better on shore diving entries if you tend to fall down a lot...i just beat the heck out of my knees (and my camera strobe )

Not sure I can agree with that first statement. While I have been cold way more times then hot, you can be to hot underwater. It happened to me once while chasing mantas in the back channel of Bora Bora in a teashirt. I remember thinking that I would be sweating like a pig if I had not been 80' underwater.

Back to the original question, it depends on your own thermostat and somewhat skill level.

If that is what you have, bring it. If you find yourself getting cold, you can rent or buy a different suit while there. I have found that the quality of the rental gear is good and prices in the dive shops are pretty good, too.

Barry,

Your suit rig sounds fine if you don't chill easily. I dive in shorts and tee shirt for 90 minutes; 2 of the gals here dive with full wet suits and hood and are cold in 30 minutes (they both have no built-in insulation at all!!). Jake now dives with a 'tropical dry suit' w/o a hood. I would certainly be warm in your gear. Very individual thing.

Well, the chicken ( armless hooded wetsuit top?) will keep the blood in your brain warm, the lycra will give you (some) exposure protection, and you can always get more neoprene there if you need it, there as John says. And only you know how much diving you might want to do in a day.
If you like to dive a lot,and can borrow a suit or get a good deal on one at home, go for it. Bonaire is an easy place to get gear as John says.
There is a great deal to be said for repeat diving the same reef morning, nooon, afternoon, and night.

My first trip to BON we woke up at 2 am and went diving because we were awake, to look for parrotfish in cocoons.We didn't find any and came out in 15 minutes, but we were rewarded with an incredible display of meteors.

Barry, it depends on how big a cold weenie you are...

On our December trip to Grand Cayman, where the coldest water temp I saw was 82, I was cold in a 3mm fullsuit with 2mm vest under it and 1/2mm hood.

In the past, in Bonaire, I've been quite comfy in 79 degree water in a 3mm fullsuit, no vest, no hood.

The differences? I'm a better diver now (less flailing, less effort), and I'm a bigger wimp as far as temp is concerned now, too... Oh, and the air temp probably makes a bit of difference, too...

Faith

As far as I have to travel to get to Bonaire, I am going to live underwater during my stay. As far as how cold resilient I am, I can handle the cold. But I suppose it has a cumulative effect if you dive, dive, and dive some more. This will be my first dive trip in the ocean, but I am as comfortable in water as I am out of it.

How are the prices in Bonaire for new equipment? Pretty competitive?

I think the prices on Bonaire are good. Lots of divers and lots of competition keeps the prices down. Also, it will save you money if it turns out you don't need a thicker suit. The only exception I want to mention is if you have a body type that makes finding a suit tough (I am tall, so finding a a wetsuit that fit right wasn't easy), you might want to buy a suit before you go. Otherwise I think you'll do fine buying a wetsuit in Bonaire.

Live underwater=3 mm suit
I suggest the gold cores or similar fabric free insides are pretty nice, quick drying and easier to get on/off

Since the current water temp is 37* I think everyone should be looking at dry suits!!!

We were in Bon in August - the water temp is not much different now. I wore a 3mm full for the first 4-5 days, then added a vest and hood for the last 2 days. I was still cold. I swear that having nitrogen in your blood acts as refrigerant. I've since bought a 3mm farmer jane, so I can do more layering as needed on our next trip. On the other hand, my husband happily dove in a 3mm shorty all week - go figure.

Part of the variation in these anecdotal notes can be attributed to fit, as opposed to thickness.

A snug-fitting (but not TOO tight), good-sealing 1mm full suit is just as good - if not better - than a loose or leaky-around-the-openings 3mm, 5mm or 7mm. When in Bonaire I wear a great-fitting .5mm Scubapro diveskin (the thinnest neo available, as far as I have seen) and have never felt too cold , even on dives below the occassional thermocline.

My buddy, on the other hand, stole my brand new 1.5mm Henderson because it fit her VERY snugly (we are nearly the same body size) and thus killed the chill better than her "3mm equivalent" Parkway Titanium that had become a bit loose around the neck and chest.

So, don't count on just the thickness of the suit as the criteria for what to wear. I would rather arrive with one excellent fitting suit - of any thickness - than potentially having to pile on two or three.

-LS