Essential Tips for Avoiding Excessive Cooling Underwater: Stay Warm and Safe
Introduction
Diving is an exhilarating activity that allows you to explore the underwater world. However, staying warm is crucial to ensuring a safe and enjoyable experience. Excessive cooling underwater can lead to hypothermia, diminished mental capacity, and overall discomfort. Here, we provide simple and effective tips on how to avoid excessive cooling underwater.
Wear a Well-Fitting Wetsuit
Your wetsuit should fit snugly without restricting your breathing. A properly fitted wetsuit minimizes water accumulation, which can absorb and transfer your body heat to the surrounding sea water. Loose areas allow water to move freely inside the suit, reducing its insulating properties and causing rapid heat loss.
Wear a Hood
A significant amount of body heat is lost through the scalp due to the numerous arteries passing under it. A hood can help retain this heat. Wet suit users should ensure the hood fits tightly around the neck for better insulation. If it feels too tight, carefully cut the opening at the face. Dry suit users often have hoods designed for easy head movement and minimal compression around the neck.
Dive Shallower if You Feel Cold
Shallower waters are generally warmer, and your wetsuit will not be as compressed, maintaining its insulating effectiveness. Below 18 meters, a regular wetsuit can be compressed to half its original thickness, significantly reducing its ability to keep you warm.
Exit the Water When You Start Shivering
Shivering is a sign that your body is losing heat faster than it can produce it. At this point, your mental capacity can be impaired, increasing the risk of making poor decisions. Exiting the water is the safest option to prevent further cooling and ensure your safety.
Focus on Keeping Warm While Resting on the Surface
After removing your wetsuit, immediately dry yourself with a towel or put on a diving jacket to avoid wind chill. Make sure to dry your skin and hair thoroughly and change into warm clothes to maintain body heat.
Buy Your Own Wetsuit
Investing in your own wetsuit is worthwhile if you frequently dive in water temperatures below 27 degrees Celsius. Rental wetsuits can become deformed and lose their insulating properties over time due to repeated use and compression of the nylon material. A well-maintained personal wetsuit provides better fit and insulation.
Avoid Urinating in Your Wetsuit
While urinating in your wetsuit might feel warm initially, it actually causes further heat loss. The urine expels body heat and the sensation of warmth triggers the hypothalamus to dilate blood vessels, increasing heat loss. Instead, if you feel the need to urinate, do so in the sea.
Tropical Regions Can Be Deceptively Cold
Even in tropical waters of 27 degrees Celsius, the high heat conductivity of water can make it feel like 6-degree air. Divers in tropical regions may experience silent hypothermia, feeling tired and losing enthusiasm for diving without shivering. Wearing a thinner wetsuit can help maintain body heat and prolong your time in the water.
