HOW DO SENSIBLE DIVERS MANAGE THE COLDER WATER NOTIFICATION
There are a few things you can do to manage the cold when the temperatures plummet. Besides dressing in warm layers to start off with, (very important) it is ABSOLUTELY important to make sure you aren’t cold before going in the water. Make the transition from dressed in your warmest to the wetsuit layers or drysuit as quickly as possible. Jump up and down on the spot if it helps!
Once you’re out of the water, do the same in reverse.
During the colder parts of the UK season, (November to early May), our Scuba Diving gear should include a thicker suitable semi-dry wetsuit. With some semi-dries you may even be able to pop a shorty wetsuit over the top, hood, thick gloves, merino wool type socks or neoprene socks and adequately thick neoprene boots. Or, if you are suitably trained and qualified and have access to a drysuit then this becomes the other, and, more ideal option. We recommended WATERPROOF SWEDEN gear. All the team at SCUBACO use this top spec gear and it has served us well over the years. https://waterproof.eu/
Thermal under gear is important when wearing a drysuit as the outer suit keeps you dry but it’s what’s underneath the drysuit that potentially keeps you warm! We highly recommend the under thermal under gear from https://weezle.co.uk/
We shall be donning the Mares Heated Vest under our drysuit. I, in-particularly feel the cold when diving most of the time so I shall have to move up a gear (or two) in the thermal stakes (and defo jump up and down on the spot). This fabulous piece of heated vest kit comes fromhttps://www.mares.com/en_GB/
Don’t start taking off gloves or hood until you’re ready to take off the whole deal and get back into your “civilian” clothes. Bring a fleece hat and gloves that you can easily put on while wet. A fleece will not only keep your hands and head warm (most of our heat loss is through the head) and helps wick cold water away from your skin and help it dry. One of our Scoobie Divers, Scoobie Trevor, has a purposeful fluffy dressing gown that he dons over his wetsuit to keep him snuggly warm at all times. Quite the trendsetter. In fact, I must take a photo of him in said fluffy gown as proof. Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it!
Also, bring warm drinks such as hot, sweetened tea or hot chocolate to warm up on and get some sugar into your system (within limits of course). Protein bars are good to nibble on. The cold takes a lot of energy out of us, so replenishing heat and glycogen is a great strategy.
AND REMEMBER YOUR DIVE KIT CONSIDERATION FOR BREATHING
Cold water is a different setting than warm water from a dive kit perspective.
If you decide to try the cold waters, first make sure your regulator is in fact cold water safe.
The flow of compressed air cools in particular the first stage, which can cause it to freeze up and start free flowing. Most high quality regulators are approved for use in cold water, but check your reg before making the plunge. If you’ve purchased your regulator set from us then you will be advised correctly. When it is time for servicing you will have access to our highly qualified service engineer and top guy, Chief Scoobie John.
See you out there, scuba diving.