or: It’s not quite winter yet; a bit longer until layering neoprene

I thought yesterday may have been my official start of winter. I’m pleased to say I was wrong and it was the winter tease that many tropical places seem to go through.

I may be able to put away the jumper I wore yesterday and my slippers. Second thoughts, I’ll keep the slippers out. They’re great on the tiles!

I enjoy winter and the opportunity to wear wool, jumpers and jeans, and on those occasions where I need to wear shoes, boots. I also like snuggling under the doona / duvet and it’s even better if I can hear wind howling around outside or some rain. Perfect reading weather. This is one of the good things about not diving at the moment; I can spend a bit of extra time in bed in the mornings. I’m going to enjoy this while I can!

The thing I don’t enjoy about winter quite so much is having to wear extra neoprene when I’m diving. And the boat trip back to shore after a dive, with the wind whipping at my hair. This is not the best time for me.

The extra neoprene itself isn’t so bad.

It’s the putting on and taking off of it, particularly when I’m busting for the bathroom (there is a high chance for this after feeling cold toward the end of the dive and / or on the boat) is a bit cumbersome and not possible to do quickly. That said, this part is where I can get really warm! In summer, I start to undress on the boat if I know I need to get to the bathroom that fast. Come the middle of winter though, I may have been able to take off a few layers of wetsuit (I am a person of extreme cold underwater so one thicker wetsuit at that time of the year is not enough, I literally layer neoprene) but there is no way I’ll be fully out or even half out of all of it.

The extra neoprene is awesome underwater and keeps me as warm as what I would be if I was still in bed.

Each year, I try to put off moving to thicker wetsuits, and then layering, for as long as I possibly can. If I do it too soon, there is only so much, I won’t have enough wetsuits / layers to add because our bodies are awesome at sharing our heat with the ocean and they become more efficient at doing it with the more times you dive and are doing it. It’s temperature transference practice and I’m awesome at it. Unfortunately.

If I change gradually, by the middle of winter, I should be at my maximum layers and not need anymore for the remainder of the season. If I layer too soon, by the middle of winter, I will be cold again and not have the ability to physically wear anymore.

The same happens in reverse in terms of getting rid of layers as the water gets warmer.

It is very easy to become trapped in the awesome cocoon of neoprene as the ocean warms up. As long as you don’t have too much on while on the boat, because overheating is a problem, being this warm underwater can feel great. And that is a problem because when winter roles around again, I’d be back to the situation of not having enough layers to add for maximum warmth by the middle of the season.

This year I did a fantastic job in getting rid of layers. My last dive was in my new 3mm shortie. It was great. Fabulous wetsuit, I was warm enough though starting to get a little cool toward the end (fairly standard for me anyway) and knew that I could do a few more 3mm shortie dives before going back to a 3mm long wetsuit.

This is the first time in years I’ve worn a shortie.

I was on track to be fine for winter.

After nearly three months out of the water and no indication from the government yet of when we will be able to dive again (we hope it’s 1 June since this everything else is open except for the Tourist sector and I’m not sure how they can justify keeping it closed past this date), I’m a little bit concerned about what I should be wearing going back in.

If it’s soon, I’m going to try to brave the 3mm long for as long as I can.

Then I’ll go to my 5mm long.

Then my thermal layer.

I will stay this way for as long as possible.

Then my 7mm layer. I’ll keep the thermal layer at this point too because the hood on it is great.

Then a 3mm shortie over the top.

Then either a 5mm shortie rather than the 3mm or add a jacket.

My plan is not to go beyond this for this winter.

Hope it works.

Still will be a challenge for my post-dive toilet stop.

Now for those of you reading this who are thinking of or who may be diving here this winter and are slightly freaked out about how cold the water is, please don’t panic. It will be around 22-23 degrees Celsius.

I’m extreme for feeling the cold and remember, I usually do at least two dives per day, six to seven days per week so my body never really has the opportunity to get back to full warmth before it’s in the water again. It’s also very efficient at sharing its heat due to the amount of diving that I’m doing. You will not be the same unless you’re built like me, similar metabolism and diving this often too.

Don’t worry!

For me, it’s a small price to pay though I’d prefer to not have to pay it!

Thanks to Khalid for the title to this post.