Recent cruisers...water temps for Roatan, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel?

[theplaceofh]

I have another quick question. Our cruise leaves in 8 days (yay!), and I was wondering if the water is warm in Roatan, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel? I'm planning on packing our shorty wetsuits only, and I'm hoping they will be enough.

 

Thanks!

[Latitude 20]

I have another quick question. Our cruise leaves in 8 days (yay!), and I was wondering if the water is warm in Roatan, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel? I'm planning on packing our shorty wetsuits only, and I'm hoping they will be enough.

 

Thanks!

 

We've dived GC and Coz at all times of year in lycra diveskins only but we're used to really cold water. One dive master was wearing a 7 mil full wetsuit on the same dive.

 

So it just depends on how cold you get. Coldest water temp we've experienced is mid-70s and it can go up to mid-80s. Water temp in Cozumel today is 78.

 

Kathi

[theplaceofh]

Thanks, when dh and I did our checkout dives the water was 65-70, and I FROZE! I'm really cold natured, though. I think maybe we'll be ok with shorties at that temp.

[Latitude 20]

Thanks, when dh and I did our checkout dives the water was 65-70, and I FROZE! I'm really cold natured, though. I think maybe we'll be ok with shorties at that temp.

 

Then you might be cold in a shorty even in high-70s water. Do you have dive boots? I've found that if your feet are warm, the rest of the body kind of follows along.

 

Hopefully some of the other "cold-natured" folks (Bruce--where are you?) will respond. I'm at that age where almost nothing is cold to me :D

[texswamper]

DH and I were just down there on a cruise and dove in Coz, Roatan and Costa Maya. The water temps were all from 76-78 and all of the women wore either 3 mil full with a hood (Cozumel) or a 5 mil (me) because I get cold very easily. Many said on the 2nd dive that they were getting cold and I started to become uncomfortable about the last half of the 2nd dive. My philosophy on diving is I don't want to be thinking about how cold I'm getting. I want to be enjoying and thinking about what I'm seeing. Some of the men wore shorties.

 

Have a great time, we did!

[theplaceofh]

Hmm, maybe I should pack my 5 mil full suit. I do have boots, and I've found that it's much easier to get cold in the water than it is to overheat, so I'll probably take both our long and short suits, just in case. They compress pretty well in the luggage. :p

 

As a side question, how much more weight do you have to carry to make up for the salt water? I've only dove fresh water so far.

[texswamper]

I weigh approx. 111 lbs and with my 5 mil suit I use 13 lbs integrated in my bc. I don't have any experience diving in fresh water.

[theplaceofh]

Thanks. I weigh 130 lbs., and I usually wear 10 lbs. when diving fresh water in my 5 mil full suit. Our first stop will be shore diving in Grand Cayman so I'll be able to get my weight issues sorted out there, and feel more comfortable in Cozumel and Roatan.

 

I'm glad you said that you wear a good bit of weight, even though you're thin. I've had instructors tell me there's no way I need that much weight, and then I can only get the top of my head under the water's surface, and go no further down without more. :eek:

 

Dh, who weighs 180 lbs., can dive with no weight at all; he has excellent buoyancy control, and more muscle too, I guess.