Scuba Diving Wetsuit Thickness Guide by Water Temperature
This chart gives you an estimate of what is adequate exposure protection for various ranges in water temperature.
Sport Diver Illustration
A wetsuit is a neoprene-insulating suit, and it works by trapping a layer of water between your body and the suit. The tighter the suit fits, the thinner the layer of water — and thus, not as much heat is “robbed” from your body, and this smaller amount of water doesn’t take as long to heat up. Thicker neoprene will lose less heat than thinner neoprene — in other words, a 5 mm wetsuit will be warmer than a 3 mm one.
It’s important to understand that there is constant heat loss through the neoprene if the water you’re diving in is cold. And while the heat loss will be more gradual, even immersion in tropical water will pull heat from your body.
How thick does your wetsuit need to be to keep you warm? The definition of cold and how it affects someone differs from diver to diver.
The chart above gives you a rough estimate of what is adequate exposure protection for various ranges in water temperature.
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