Since I experienced my first warm water diving I would like to give my opinion on warm water versus cold water diving.
Water Water in Cozumel
First, warm water – love it! The water where I dove, Cozumel in May, was 85 degrees. The visibility was unbelievable. The blue water and colorful coral reefs were a sight to see. Not to mention all the colorful fish, which made the experience priceless.
What I like about warm water diving is the fact you do not need a hood and gloves like you do in cold water. When getting geared up for diving in cold water putting on the hood is somewhat of a pain. Once in the cold water though you are happy to have it on. Same goes for the gloves, it takes some getting used to when reaching for your dive equipment with the gloves on, but you are glad you have them on mid way through the dive.
Now as much as I like warm water diving I do have to say I still like cold water diving as much. And as soon as I get my dry suit I know my cold water dives will be just as good as the warm water ones because you don’t get wet in a dry suit. What a concept! Being able to be in water and not get wet.
You need to be just as safe in warm water as you do in cold water when it comes to hypothermia. Depending on your preference, you should wear at least a one to three mil wet suit when diving in warm water. Yes, I mean hypothermia in warm water! As stated in the NOAA Diving Manual: ”Divers also have to be wary of hypothermia in warm environments. A phenomenon called ‘warm water hypothermia’ can occur even in the tropics, especially during long dives and repetitive dives made without adequate re-warming between dives. In warm water hypothermia, long slow cooling can take place in water temperatures as warm as 82 degrees F – 91 degrees F. Although warm water hypothermia is not easily recognized as its cold water counterpart, it definitely warrants attention.”
Cold Water in Monterey
When I dive in cold water I can tell when I’m ready to get out of the water, I start to shiver. Not so much in warm water. I didn’t feel my body get cold. I only did two dives a day for five days in Cozumel, but if I would have dove more than twice a day I might have gotten cold in warm water.
In conclusion, since experiencing both cold and warm water my consensus is that I like both.
