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What to wear when you’re diving – a global discussion
Deciding what to wear for a dive is often difficult, especially if it is a new environment to you. Getting the warmth level right can make or break a dive. We asked five of our Dive Pioneers and Ambassadors what they would typically wear for each dive location…

Meet the divers:
Byron Conroy – Underwater photographer, technical diver and dive instructor based in Iceland.
Maria Bollerup – Technical diving instructor and underwater cave explorer based in Denmark.
Jill Heinerth – Cave diver, underwater explorer, writer, photographer, and filmmaker, based in Canada.
Gideon Liew – Global Underwater Explorers (GUE) technical instructor and cave instructor, based in Singapore.
Kay Burn Lim – Award-winning photographer, drone cameraman and underwater cinematographer based in South East Asia and Australia.
Q: What would you wear to dive in tropical waters, approx 26-30C, for example Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia or the Philippines?
BYRON:
I’d wear my J2 baselayers and my drysuit, I do this in Egypt for example. If it was going to be longer deco dives I’d add an X-Core vest and X-Core trousers for a little more warmth
MARIA:
I’d wear my 3mm Xenos wetsuit suit – mostly with a 3 mm hood. I find that the hotter I am on the surface, the colder I get in the water. I also prefer to hang out on the same spots for longer, spending time checking for macro, so a hood for me is a standard on most tropical dives. Perhaps not on the first day of diving, but definitely on consecutive days. I bring the Thermocline suit for snorkelling and I add it underneath the 3mm Xenos if I start getting cold.
JILL:
I prefer to dive wet in a really warm place. I use a 3mm Proteus wetsuit or a combination of Thermocline layers if I don’t want any buoyancy. I love diving the Thermocline because it gives me the most water contact. I love the feel of the water in warm places.
GIDEON:
i personally use Xerotherm as a baselayer under a drysuit. I find the J2 by itself too cold and damp. It doesn’t wick water from the skin as Xerotherm does. I also find it more challenging to manipulate the gas in the suit, i.e. dumping gas. I do use J2 as a baselayer under Xerotherm or other types of undersuit though. It works better when used with other undergarments.
KAY BURN:
In temps from 28 to 30, which is almost 90% of the time, I’m in my Thermocline top and bottom 2 piece. It’s the best there is. Warm, tough and long lasting. At times when temps are 27 to 28, or when on extended repetitive dive days, I’ll layer up with another Thermocline vest with hood. For what I do as a cinematographer, I appreciate how using this neutrally buoyant suit doesn’t compress and change buoyancy mid dive. This is a godsend as my hands are full operating a camera at shifting depths. Quick drying attributes also allows me to pack up quickly after an assignment. No production company pays for a day to dry gear!
For temps between 25 and 27, I’ll shift to the 3mm Proteus wetsuit or Sipadan equivalent (only available in Asia). Much greater warmth and protection.
21 to 26 and it’s the 5mm Proteus. I dive that in Australia much of the time. The seals are fantastic. Below 23C though and I generally can dive roughly for an hour in that.

Q: What about for more temperate waters, around 18-25C, or for longer durations – such as cave diving in Indonesia or Mexico, or shallow diving in temperate countries in the summer?
BYRON:
So in Mexican cenotes or Malta in summer I’d be wearing my Arctic top and bottom underneath my drysuit. I’m fine with that for up to 4 hour dives.
MARIA:
5 mm Proteus with a 3 or 5 mm hood depending on the length of the dive. I top up my gear with the Tech Shorts to keep any extra gear stored away (I LOVE them!). On many consecutive days of diving, and as the dives become longer (cave diving in Indonesia) I top up with the Thermocline vest.
I’ve never needed more, Proteus is such a comfy toasty suit!
JILL:
I still consider this range to be on the warm side in my diving world. In this case, I generally wear the Halo 3D or Halo A°R with J2 baselayers.
GIDEON:
I use the Arctic undergarments with my drysuit. Depending on duration and temp changes, I may add layers for comfort. Usually Xerotherm or X-Core vest. I must say the X-Core vest is a very helpful addition to allow even more versatility.

Q: What keeps you warm in colder temperate waters, around 12-18C or longer duration cave/deco dives in Australia or the Mediterranean?
BYRON:
Here I’d be wearing my J2 baselayers and my Halo AR undersuit beneath my drysuit.
MARIA:
I would switch to my Argonaut drysuit with Xerotherm as a baselayer and the Arctic top & bottom undergarments on top of that. I’d opt for a 7mm hood.
JILL:
This is still nice and toasty and the Halo 3D or Halo A°R undersuit with the J2 baselayers works well beneath my drysuit. If it’s a little cooler I will wear a Xerotherm layer instead of J2.
GIDEON:
I now use Halo A°R or Arctic Expedition as my undergarment choice beneath my drysuit. Again, I would bring Xerotherm and/or X-Core to layer for additional comfort if needed. I used to use Halo 3D, which I liked, but had to add significant weighting to compensate. This is also where gloves start to become essential to protect hands from the cold. Fourth Element wetsuit gloves are very good at this level.

Q: Ok, let’s get to some cold water, say 4-11C, for places like Scandinavia, Baltics, Northwest USA or Alaska?
BYRON:
Here I’d be wearing J2 baselayers with X-Core vest and Halo A°R undersuit beneath my drysuit.
MARIA:
I would select my Argonaut drysuit with J2 baselayer, then Xerotherm top and bottom. I’d add an X-Core vest on top of that for extra boost and then Arctic top and bottoms.
This is getting a little crammed, and I am therefore ordering my next suit slightly larger, to fit this underneath… However, I do hope to invest in the Halo AR this year…
JILL:
I use the J2 baselayers, and then above those, the Halo 3D or Halo A°R and the X-Core vest works really well. If my legs are cool, I wear the Xerotherm pants beneath the Halo.
GIDEON:
Halo A°R or Arctic Expedition is a must beneath the drysuit. I usually have to layer with Xerotherm undergarments or X-Core or both. Dry gloves are also essential.

Q: And finally, what would you wear beneath your drysuit if you were ice-diving?
BYRON:
I’d wear the same for this as I would for the regular cold water. Note that if any dives here are going to be going past 1 hour then I would move to a heated system without doubt.
MARIA:
Same as above, but I would also considering a heating system. I was getting cold on my winter dives, but then I acquired new Arctic gear and that solved the problem. My previous ones were very old!!
JILL:
For the longest and coldest dives I wear the J2 baselayer, X-Core pants, Halo 3D or Halo A°R, and X-Core vest on top.

Any other top tips for staying warm?
BYRON:
With gloves, I’d have no gloves down to 18 degrees, then switch to drygloves with the normal single layer inner gloves down to 12 degrees. After that, I’d switch to the Halo A°R gloves for below 12 degrees. For dives more than one hour in 2-4 degree water and I’d move to heated gloves.
JILL:
I always wear my beanie before the dive and stash it inside my drysuit during the dive so I can put it on right away when I remove my hood. I also have a pair of waterproof gloves in my drysuit, right against my chest. When I get out of the water, I remove my dry gloves and put the liners inside the dry gloves to keep them dry for the next dive. I slip on waterproof gloves for all the wet work of swapping tanks and handling gear.
JILL:
One bit of advice for people working in cold water… We often take off our drysuit after diving but before unloading the boat. If you wear a Storm Poncho or Tidal Robe that comes down over your bottom, you can wear your wet harness off the boat without getting undergarments or clothing damp. Working in the Arctic environment is always about keeping dry things dry and minimizing the items that need to be dried before the next dive.
GIDEON:
Tolerance of cold can vary greatly between individuals. Having said that, it is interesting for me to note that many divers that are new or inexperienced are very unwilling to add loft to get more comfortable when cold. I think it is linked to the common misconception that more loft would mean more difficult to control buoyancy or to dump gas. I feel it is actually easier to manipulate gas in the drysuit with loft.
