Our bodies can retain its own heat till 32 degrees and below this temperature needs some support, especially when being exposed to wind and water conditions. Water conducts heat away from the body 5 times faster than air and that’s the reason why we need additional thermal protection while having fun with water sports.
When choosing wetsuit thickness we should consider many factors. The most obvious is the water temperature, but we should also consider: air temperature, wind, cold sensitivity and type of our activity in water.
The water temperature doesn’t give too much to think about – simply the colder the water, the thicker the wetsuit. There are 3 main thicknesses of wet suit: 3 mm, 5 mm and 7 mm, determining their thermal properties. They are suitable for different temperatures and roughly they can be used as follows:
3 mm suits are ideal for the tropics
5 mm steamer suits are ideal for the Red Sea and similar areas
7 mm suits are suitable for colder waters summer diving
This is true when considering good quality neoprenes, as DuPont neoprene, while imitation neoprenes have usually poorer thermal properties.
The air temperature factor is usually overlooked and most of the people assume it is synchronized with water temperature. But that is not always the case, there are places on Earth where cold ocean currents flow past hot desert coastlines and the air is much hotter then the water. The thickness of the wetsuit could be adjusted to those conditions, and usually thinner wetsuit would do well in such places.
Wind cools the surface of your body and increases the feeling of cold. It is almost certain you will be surfing in the windy weather that is so common in the costs. However, but this very important factor is not usually considered in temperature charts of wetsuit manufacturers, so you should adjust the proper thickness for the windy conditions yourself, choosing a thicker wetsuit than the temperature chart suggests.
Cold sensitivity is a very personal factor and you should answer yourself this question whether your cold sensitivity is under, over or at an average level. It makes a choice of the wetsuit thickness even more tricky, but is a very good example how the temperature charts can’t be relied on without your own corrections.
Type of activity is another personal factor and only you will know whether you are going to be very active, moving while surfing or canyoning, or you are going to dive where it’s not advised to be too active.
Wetsuit quality will also reflect how we can rely on temperature charts but we shouldn’t get too impressed by too good thermal specifications as this is also part of the battle of manufacturers trying to attract their customers. Good stitching or the quality of neoprene preventing water entering your suit will definitely do the job and will protect you better, and this is reflected in the price. When the water is going to be colder you should also think about buying booties, gloves and a hood.
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