Staying warm between dives

[segundo3000gt]

I'm going to be up diving the Madeira and the Hesper this weekend with Air Down There.  I went last year and had a great time but I was cold by the time I finished the dives.  Does anyone have any tips on how to stay warm between dives?

[DiverQueen]

Wetsuit or drysuit?  Drink warm beverages like Hot Cocoa or Apple Cider.  Wetsuit...Pour warm water inside before you go in and during surface interval.  Put on a fleece coat or poncho if it is breezy!  Air moving across the wet neoprene cools you off quickly.  Drysuit.  Put air into it so it acts like a snow suit.  Or take the top portion off and put on a jacket.  "Use your head!!"  Put on a ski cap to keep your wet head warm and dry!  Wrap a scarf around your neck...Just don't let your buddy use it to choke you! 

[SmithDiving]

All great ideas from Lisa.  I would add that you will probably be warmer if you do your surface interval in the parking lot at the madiera.  I always feel a lot warmer up there.

[DetectorGuy]

If you wear all your gear up the hill at the Madeira, I will guarantee that you will be warm when you get to the top.

[jasondbaker]

If you are lucky enough to dive on a nice sunny day you can always lay out on the big rocks surrounding the shore.  Just pretend you are a lizard.   

[DetectorGuy]

I have heard of divers doing this and I have never tried it before. When I asked this knowlegable guy about this, he told me that it is a myth. He said that when your body is cold, neurons near the surface of the skin trigger a signal to the brain. The brain tells the body to send extra blood towards those cold areas. When you pour hot water in your wet suit, the neurons tell the brain to send less blood to the falsely warmed areas and therefore when the warm water turns cold your really really cold. This made sense to me, but I could see how this could take the chill off after a cold dive. I am undecided...

[nellamit]

In my experience, from my days of cold water wetsuit diving, the idea was to use warm water, not hot water. The idea is to pre-fill the wet suit with warm water to prevent the surge of cold water when you first enter the water. This way your body does not waste heat enrergy in the initial heat exchange. The water you pour in your suit should only be a little warmer than body temperature.

[segundo3000gt]

Thanks for the ideas guys.  I agree that hauling gear up the hill at the madeira might help in warming us up.  Now I'm picturing someone driving past the parking lot and seeing a big group of people in wetsuits doing laps around the parking lot to stay warm.

[Shooter]

I have heard of divers doing this and I have never tried it before. When I asked this knowlegable guy about this, he told me that it is a myth. He said that when your body is cold, neurons near the surface of the skin trigger a signal to the brain. The brain tells the body to send extra blood towards those cold areas. When you pour hot water in your wet suit, the neurons tell the brain to send less blood to the falsely warmed areas and therefore when the warm water turns cold your really really cold. This made sense to me, but I could see how this could take the chill off after a cold dive. I am undecided...
[/quote]

I have tried it and it works well.  You can actually keep some of the warm water in your wetsuit throughout the dive. It wasn't that effective for me though, because now I dive dry ;D

[mcdiver]

Assuming that you are diving wet, there is a constant flow of new water throughout the suit, though usually minimal if sized correctly. Your body has to reheat this "fresh" water all the time.

When you exit the water, you are basically wearing nothing but a "wet sponge" and when the wind blows off the lake, it dramatically cools the body because you are wrapped in this "wet sponge." Get out of the suit between dives. If you are that cold, it really doesn't pay to go back into the water immediately after changing tanks, you are asking for nothing but trouble.

I have seen some divers pour warm water into the wetsuit between dives, I think this gives the diver a false sense of warmth/security, sure it felt good, but the bottom line is that you are still wearing this wet wetsuit and the wind and cool temperatures are your enemy.