Nothing ruins an otherwise great day of diving more than being cold does. It’s unpleasant, and the distraction it causes can be dangerous.
In a previous article, we addressed what you need to stay warm underwater. The bottom line? Wear a minimum of a full-length wetsuit, at least 5 mm thick.
However, what you wear underwater is only part of the equation. It’s equally important to stay warm before, between and after your dives. If you are already chilled when you enter the water, you will become colder faster and have to cut your dive short. You will also be pretty miserable.
In this article, we look at five ways to beat the cold and have a much more enjoyable time.
1 Know before you go
Winter temperatures in north-central Florida can be all over the map. For example, on Christmas Eve, the air temperature barely got over freezing after starting the day in the low 20s. One week later, on New Year’s Eve, we reached a high of 80. We’ve also seen days with morning temperatures in the 30s and afternoon temperatures in the 70s.
Too often, visitors assume that because this is Florida, we enjoy tropical weather year-round. We don’t. In rare circumstances, it can even snow here.
We can’t tell you the number of times we see people show up in a t-shirt and shorts despite air temps in the 30s. This is just asking for a day of misery. And it’s completely unnecessary.
Your smartphone came with a weather app. Use it. Start checking several days ahead of time to see what the forecast will be for the days you will be here. On the morning you arrive, check the hour-by-hour forecast to see how temperatures will range over the day. This will allow you to select which clothes and outerwear to bring.
Remember the importance of layering. It’s warmer and will allow you to shed successive layers as the day warms.
2 Your wetsuit can also be a drysuit
Let’s say you arrive at the Grotto, only to discover that the clothes you brought aren’t adequate. However, if your wetsuit is still dry, you may be in luck. A dry wetsuit can be an excellent insulator out of water.
Just bear in mind that you do not want to be standing around in a wet wetsuit on the surface. If you do, evaporation will cause your suit to be much colder than dry clothes would be.
If you will be out of the water for any length of time, get out of your wetsuit and back into dry clothes. Put your wet wetsuit inside your car, truck or SUV. This will help prevent it from getting colder. The windows may even create a greenhouse effect, helping to warm the suit further.
3 Discover “The Coat of Many Wonders”
You may not be familiar with the term boat coat. You should be. A boat coat is typically a knee-length, insulated, windproof shell designed to be worn over your wet wetsuit. It will immediately prevent heat loss through evaporation and can warm you right up.
A boat coat can also prevent the need to get out of a wet wetsuit following a dive, only to get back into a cold, slimy suit later on. Most importantly, it can help prevent you from getting chilled before getting back in the water.
A good boat coat will set you back about as much as a night in a hotel. You can get them through most dive centers.
4 There is nothing like a warm shower
Among the features visitors like about Blue Grotto is that our bath houses have warm showers inside and out. Let the water run for a minute, and it will not only be warm but hot. In fact, you may need to back the temperature off a bit to prevent being scalded.
If you exited the water cold, the feeling of hot water filling up the inside of your suit is absolutely heavenly. Just bear in mind that this is only a temporary reprieve. As soon as you step outside, you will begin to get cold again. Still, the experience can provide instant relief if you are cold.
Many divers who must don a wet wetsuit will do so in the warm shower. If you do so, just ensure your scuba unit is assembled and ready to go. You will want to be in the water as soon after getting out of the shower as possible.
5 “I have made fire!”
This iconic line from the Tom Hanks movie Cast Away is something we can relate to. On most cold mornings, we build a fire in the parking lot’s fire pit. Don’t be shy about standing next to it. It will help warm you right up.