Dive gear for archaeologists part 4: Wetsuit
Perhaps no other piece of dive equipment is more personal than a wetsuit. It’s what keeps us warm under water, protects from cuts, scrapes, and stings, and provides sun protection on the surface. Choosing a wetsuit is not as straightforward as choosing other pieces of dive equipment. While a mask, BCD or computer can be used in anything from warm tropical water to the freezing Arctic, a specific wetsuit will only work well in a limited temperature range.
That brings us to the first question: what suit thickness should you get? The short answer is: get a suit for every range of water temperature you’re going to be diving in. However, a good quality wetsuit is expensive, so buying three different suits might not be a realistic financial option. Wetsuits generally come in 3, 5, and 7mm thickness. There are a few less common thicknesses, such as a 2.5mm shorty or an 8/7mm semidry wetsuit. A 2.5mm shorty is only suitable in the warmest tropical waters, 28°C / 82°F and up. Even then, you will likely get cold at some point as water conducts heat away from your body 25 times faster than air. Moreover, a shorty does not protect you from any cuts, scrapes, or stings. As underwater archaeologists, we are often working on or close to the bottom, so a shorty is not ideal. Even in the warmest tropical waters, we advise against a shorty. A 3mm full suit is a much better option when you are planning to dive in warm waters.
A 5mm suit is perhaps the most versatile of all. It can generally be used in waters as warm as 28°C / 82°F and as cold as 21°C / 70°F. Thicker suits, such as a 7mm or an 8/7mm (meaning 7mm at the limbs and 8mm at the torso), are generally suited for water temperatures between 21°C / 70°F and 13°C / 55°F. Some people actually use these suits in much colder water, but it all depends on how tolerable you are to the cold, how long your dive is, and how many dives you do in a day. You can add a great deal of flexibility by using a hood or a hooded vest. A hooded vest usually adds an additional 2mm of neoprene to your torso, and either 3, 5, or 7mm on your head. Adding a hooded vest to your wetsuit will keep you warmer during the dive, and allows you to dive in slightly colder water.
There are several other considerations when it comes to choosing a wetsuit. Zipper placement is one. Most wetsuits have the zipper on the back, but some have it on the front. This is a matter of personal preference. Some thicker wetsuits feature zippers that are placed horizontally across the chest, which usually feature a system that minimizes water coming in through the zipper. As you’re shopping for wetsuits, you will see ones that have zippers on the ankles and wrists. These feature ankle and wrist seals, and are usually a little bit warmer than their zipperless counterparts.
Flexibility is another consideration. Not all neoprene is created equal. Some wetsuits are very stiff, while others provide a lot of flexibility. The more flexible a wetsuit is, the easier it is to put on and the better it usually fits on your body. Flexible wetsuits are more expensive though. We’ve tried numerous wetsuits over the years, and one of the most flexible suits on the market today is Fourth Element’s Proteus II. In our opinion though, this suit is very warm, but its extreme flexibility makes it hard to put on and take off.
Some wetsuits, such as those made by Waterproof, have a computer strap at the wrist, which keeps your computer in place. It also allows you to attach other things to your wrist, so this is a very handy feature for archaeologists who often use lots of tools under water. Wetsuits vary in the amount of padding they provide, but most suits feature knee pads, which are a must for underwater archaeologists who spend a lot of time on their knees at the bottom. Some suits also have integrated pockets on the upper legs. This provides useful storage for tools and research materials. However, these pockets are usually quite small. A better solution is to add a pair of tech shorts, which tend to have much larger pockets.
If you are going to be diving in a variety of environments and temperatures, and can only invest in one suit, our recommendation is to get a 5mm full wetsuit with a hooded vest. What’s most important in a wetsuit is excellent fit; without it, water will move in and out more easily and the wetsuit will fail to keep you adequately warm. Therefore, spend a little more money and get a wetsuit that has great flexibility and is not too stiff. For us archaeologists, tech shorts are a great addition that allow you to store a lot of tools and research materials. Our top wetsuit picks are Aqualung’s Aquaflex for a great fit and flexibility, and the Waterproof range of wetsuits which are packed with features and can withstand the rigors of underwater archaeological research.
