Apparel

     What you wear on a dive is a large part of temperature control. You can wear a normal nylon bathing or diving suit, or you can choose either a wet or a dry suit. Diving apparel such as diving suits are designed and insulated to keep you as warm as possible.

     Wetsuits are designed to trap a thin layer of water between the rubber suit and your skin. Your body heats up the water, providing you with the warmth you need. Wetsuits are available in short or full length.

     Dry suits are full-length suits made of a double-walled material with insulating airspace in between the layers. For insulating purposes, air is much more effective than water, and therefore dry suits are way warmer than wetsuits.

     Your choice of suit depends on the temperature of the water in which you will be diving. For warm water, you can either go bare-skinned with a regular bathing suit, or a simple nylon diving suit. For slightly cooler water, you should go with a short wetsuit. For colder water, opt for a full-length wetsuit. For the coldest water temperatures, nothing less than a full-length dry suit will do.