Scuba divers, who participate in scenic deep dives in open water, tend to wear a specific attire. Accompanied by their strapped-on oxygen tanks and dive boots, these divers don a fitting wetsuit that almost appears as a second skin.
As scuba divers essentially have to survive in underwater conditions that are more favorable for fish rather than humans, they must-have equipment and attire that best suits being underwater.
Scuba divers wear wetsuits in open water so that they can adapt to the underwater temperature, glide through the water with ease, and be protected from specific hazards that may accompany deep-diving such as rocky reefs or jellyfish stings.
The way wetsuits are designed and constructed is purely to protect and help the diver navigate a water-filled environment. So we can take a closer look at what makes a wetsuit special for deep-sea diving.
Why is the wetsuit suited for open water diving?
A wetsuit is a tight-fitting swimsuit that gives thermal protection while wet because water conducts heat away from the body almost 20 times faster than air. That has the risk of inducing hypothermia if a diver is not well protected.
Wetsuits help to insulate divers and aid them in retaining body heat since it is easily lost in open water. Wetsuits are entirely constructed from neoprene, which is a rubber-like material. The thick layer of neoprene is filled with tiny air bubbles, which help with the insulating effect.
How does the wetsuit keep the diver warm?
How it works is the wetsuit will trap a thin layer of water between the diver’s skin and the neoprene so that they are always wet. The diver can stay warm because body heat will warm up that layer of trapped water almost up to body temperature.
This works well only if the fit is correct, as the better the fit, the less amount of water will need to be heated by the body, and the warm layer of water will not readily flow away from the diver’s body.
The thickness of the suit does contribute to its thermal abilities, and wetsuits are usually designed to be between 2 to 6 millimeters thick. It is true that the wider the wetsuit, the warmer the diver will be; however, if the suit is too thick, the diver does not have as much flexibility in the water.
With the different thicknesses available, scuba divers will choose based on the conditions of the water they are exploring. Divers in more tropical areas do not need to worry about having an extra thick suit. However, divers in icy cold waters may benefit from wearing thick wetsuits or even drysuits which do not allow any water to penetrate.
Do wetsuits help scuba divers swim better?
Another significant design element of wetsuits is the hydrophobic outer layer. This is a layer of treated rubber, which has an effect similar to Teflon’s. This creates a slippery surface that reduces drag while swimming and allows a diver to glide freely through open water.
As the wetsuit is made to give any diver a sleek profile in the water, scuba divers do not have to worry too much about losing their form as they become more tired in the water. The neoprene used in the wetsuit helps make the diver’s body more streamlined to swim faster.
Do you have to wear a wetsuit to scuba dive?
Essentially, it is possible to scuba dive without wearing a wetsuit, but the water has to be in a hot location, and the nature of diving needs to be quite casual.
Many tropical resort islands allow tourists to scuba dive leisurely without wetsuits, but that is only because the diving is not too deep and the hot water conditions.
For professional scuba divers, who tend to spend a longer time in the water and are swimming intentionally for exploring purposes, diving without a wetsuit would lead them to use up more of their oxygen more quickly. As a result, they will find it harder to breathe and swim as they dive deeper.
Takeaway
Wetsuits come in various styles, from the whole body to shorter styles; however, their function is still the same for all scuba divers: thermal protection.
Besides not being able to breathe underwater naturally, scuba divers also do not have the natural ability to retain heat underwater, even in the warmest deep-sea waters.
Thus, wetsuits are built to cater to the body’s needs in such deep-sea explorations, including temperature, the flexibility of movement, and protection, making them the attire of choice for scuba divers.
