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5mm wetsuit (or more likely drysuit given that he's a diver) saved his life far more than anything else. That's some serious insulation, though barely enough ov

5mm wetsuit (or more likely drysuit given that he's a diver) saved his life far more than anything else. That's some serious insulation, though barely enough over such a long period of time. The article doesn't go into much detail in terms of the psychological aspects of the ordeal -- your life flashing before your eyes for days, can't imagine.

piva00 9y ago
Why would it be barely enough? I'm not being snarky, asking because I used to surf and wearing a wetsuit would seriously make me warm, to the point where surfing on 10C would require me to unzip the wetsuit every half an hour to make me comfortable. After my body warmed up the water inside the suit I didn't feel at all the cold of the water except on my feet/head, like I mentioned, I actually felt overheating after a while. With that said I never calculated or researched how well do these wetsuits insulate for a prolonged period in water, have any data on that?
- virtualwhys 9y ago
  It's the duration that gets you. For example, if you go out in a 3/2 (3mm torso, 2mm arms/legs) when the water temps call for a 4/3, sure, you can surf for 45 minutes or so, but after that you'll start getting quite chilly. This guy spent 75 hours floating in the water, not paddling around expending tons of energy competing with the pack for the next set wave :)
narag 9y ago
drysuit given that he's a diver Divers' suits are not dry. There's water between the skin and the suit. Actually that warmed water layer is what isolates the body against the cold outside.
- philbarr 9y ago
  No that's wetsuits. Dry suits don't let water in.
  - narag 9y ago
    Exactly, wetsuits like, you know, the ones we're talking about: Prolonged soaking in seawater, along with the friction from his wetsuit and fins, damaged Hewitt’s skin pretty badly.
    - philbarr 9y ago
      What? You said: > Divers' suits are not dry Wetsuits are wet. Drysuits are dry. Sometimes divers wear wetsuits, and some of the more experienced ones wear drysuits.
      - teddythetwig 9y ago
        It isn't that the more experienced ones wear drysuits, it is that they are diving in colder water, which requires more experience + a dry suit.
      - narag 9y ago
        It's getting ridiculously difficult to write something in HN without receiving some absurd answers like that. The comment I responded to said that divers use drysuits so this guy should be wearing one. No matter how you put it, the article says that the guy used a wetsuit. Please, stop for a moment and let this little fact sink: the guy wore a wetsuit and the article clearly states this much. Yes, I could have said that NOT ALL Divers' suits are dry. But the fact is that MOST of them aren't and in the single specific case THAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT, the suit wasn't dry. So why the hell do I need to clarify these obvious things? I have no idea. Oh, and the fact that people use downvoting to "win" these petty fights.
        andrewflnr 9y ago
        You were trying to explain the difference between dry and wet suits to people who obviously already knew the difference, because they brought it up themselves. Now you're pointing out that the article specifically mentions wetsuits to people who obviously already knew that and chose to discount it. So yeah, if you make context-oblivious comments, you're going to get downvoted.
teddythetwig 9y ago
I think it is more likely that he was in a wetsuit... Dry suits aren't measured in thickness since the purpose is to just keep the water out, as opposed to providing insulation like a wetsuit. Most divers wear a wetsuit unless they are in particularly cold water.

piva00 9y ago

Why would it be barely enough? I'm not being snarky, asking because I used to surf and wearing a wetsuit would seriously make me warm, to the point where surfing on 10C would require me to unzip the wetsuit every half an hour to make me comfortable. After my body warmed up the water inside the suit I didn't feel at all the cold of the water except on my feet/head, like I mentioned, I actually felt overheating after a while. With that said I never calculated or researched how well do these wetsuits insulate for a prolonged period in water, have any data on that?

virtualwhys 9y ago
It's the duration that gets you. For example, if you go out in a 3/2 (3mm torso, 2mm arms/legs) when the water temps call for a 4/3, sure, you can surf for 45 minutes or so, but after that you'll start getting quite chilly. This guy spent 75 hours floating in the water, not paddling around expending tons of energy competing with the pack for the next set wave :)

narag 9y ago

drysuit given that he's a diver Divers' suits are not dry. There's water between the skin and the suit. Actually that warmed water layer is what isolates the body against the cold outside.

philbarr 9y ago
No that's wetsuits. Dry suits don't let water in.
- narag 9y ago
  Exactly, wetsuits like, you know, the ones we're talking about: Prolonged soaking in seawater, along with the friction from his wetsuit and fins, damaged Hewitt’s skin pretty badly.
  - philbarr 9y ago
    What? You said: > Divers' suits are not dry Wetsuits are wet. Drysuits are dry. Sometimes divers wear wetsuits, and some of the more experienced ones wear drysuits.
    - teddythetwig 9y ago
      It isn't that the more experienced ones wear drysuits, it is that they are diving in colder water, which requires more experience + a dry suit.
    - narag 9y ago
      It's getting ridiculously difficult to write something in HN without receiving some absurd answers like that. The comment I responded to said that divers use drysuits so this guy should be wearing one. No matter how you put it, the article says that the guy used a wetsuit. Please, stop for a moment and let this little fact sink: the guy wore a wetsuit and the article clearly states this much. Yes, I could have said that NOT ALL Divers' suits are dry. But the fact is that MOST of them aren't and in the single specific case THAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT, the suit wasn't dry. So why the hell do I need to clarify these obvious things? I have no idea. Oh, and the fact that people use downvoting to "win" these petty fights.
      - andrewflnr 9y ago
        You were trying to explain the difference between dry and wet suits to people who obviously already knew the difference, because they brought it up themselves. Now you're pointing out that the article specifically mentions wetsuits to people who obviously already knew that and chose to discount it. So yeah, if you make context-oblivious comments, you're going to get downvoted.

teddythetwig 9y ago

I think it is more likely that he was in a wetsuit... Dry suits aren't measured in thickness since the purpose is to just keep the water out, as opposed to providing insulation like a wetsuit. Most divers wear a wetsuit unless they are in particularly cold water.