Water conducts heat away from the body approximately 25 times faster than air. Without adequate exposure protection, even warm-water diving can lead to hypothermia over extended sessions. Choosing the right wetsuit or drysuit is not just a comfort decision — it is a safety decision.
Temperature Reference Guide
| Water Temperature | Recommended Protection | Typical Locations |
|---|---|---|
| Above 29°C (84°F) | Rash guard or 1–2 mm shorty | Maldives, Red Sea (summer), Caribbean (shallow) |
| 26–29°C (79–84°F) | 2–3 mm full wetsuit | Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Hawaii |
| 21–25°C (70–77°F) | 3–5 mm full wetsuit | Mediterranean, Canary Islands, South Africa (summer) |
| 16–20°C (61–68°F) | 5–7 mm wetsuit + hood and gloves | UK (summer), Pacific Northwest (summer), New Zealand |
| 10–15°C (50–59°F) | 7 mm semi-dry or drysuit | UK (winter), Norway, Northern Europe |
| Below 10°C (50°F) | Drysuit required | Arctic, Antarctic, Baltic Sea (winter) |
Wetsuit vs. Drysuit
Wetsuits work by trapping a thin layer of water against your skin, which your body heats and retains. Thicker neoprene means more insulation but also more buoyancy, which requires additional weight. Wetsuits are simpler, less expensive, and easier to maintain than drysuits.
Drysuits keep you completely dry by sealing at the neck and wrists. They use air (or argon for better insulation) to maintain thermal protection. Drysuits require a separate certification course to use safely, as buoyancy management differs significantly from wetsuit diving. For cold water (below 15°C), a drysuit is strongly recommended.
Find Your Ideal Suit
Use the interactive tool below to get a personalised exposure suit recommendation based on your destination's water temperature.
Exposure Suit Selector
Enter the water temperature at your dive site to get a suit recommendation.