How to keep from freezing your tail off
Posted By Cliff Etzel on 1 April 1997
Now that we're fully into winter, it seems as though that the die hards are the only ones willing to go into the water, no matter how cold they become. For many freedivers, the prospect of jumping into 55 degree water (or less in many areas) is about as pleasant as going to the dentist.
The cold rush of water down many a wetsuit, or the proverbial "icecream headache" is enough to make most divers jump right back out.
There are several ways to tolerate, and in many instances enjoy, the coldest part of the year for many of us.
How do we get cold in the first place.
Traditionally, a vast majority of exposure suits range in thickness from 5mm to 7.5mm. Freediving in a traditional wetsuit tends to be the biggest offender in the area of cold water rushing into a divers suit and causing the immediate chill that comes with the water. Most divers assume that by going to a thicker wetsuit, that this will eliminate there being cold.
This is not necessarily the case.
While adding more neoprene will help some, the tradeoff is the added buoyancy created by the extra neoprene, as well as the reduced freedom due to the excess neoprene. Who wants to wear more lead weight to dive?
We as freedivers participate in this sport to feel the freedom we have not being encumbered by excess lead weight and other gear.
Let's take a look at the design of a typical wetsuit.
These suits have a farmer john and zippered jacket without an attatched hood.
The zipper allows water to seep in quickly, and also allows water to exchange freely, thus never allowing the diver's body heat to warm the water in the suit to keep him (her) warm. As a result, the diver becomes chilled in a short period of time. Next, since there is no hood attatched to the top, water also seeps in throught the neck opening, allowing still more water to exchange back and forth. Another common feature of many wetsuits is the plush lining inside to make them easier to put on and take off. The downside of the ease of donning and doffing is that it also allows a small amount of water to exchange in and out of the suit, due to the small amount of air space between the divers body and the actual inside skin of the suit. All of these factors contribute to a less than ideal day of diving in cold water.
Suits designed for freediving take a different approach to their philosophy in design and construction.
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