You'll want an exposure suit of some kind on all dives to protect you from heat loss and from abrasion. As covered in Chapter Four, water conducts heat from your body about 20times faster than air at the same temperature. Because of this, you can become dangerously chilled in water temperatures that would be comfortable in air. In very warm water you may not need thermal protection, but you still benefit by wearing something to protect you from incidental scrapes and stings.

You'll want an exposure suit of some kind on all dives to protect you from heat loss and from abrasion. As covered in Chapter Four, water conducts heat from your body about 20times faster than air at the same temperature. Because of this, you can become dangerously chilled in water temperatures that would be comfortable in air. In very warm water you may not need thermal protection, but you still benefit by wearing something to protect you from incidental scrapes and stings.