.<SNIP>
> The brackish, 8-9 degree water was sizzlingly cold through hoods and
gloves
> as we jumped in, and even by the time we'd settled to a hover over a metal
> deck at five metres, was starting to chill through our suits.  Visiblity
was
> three to four metres, and my buddies were dark green monsters turning
tricks
> in the gloom during the exercises.  I was a bit apprehensive about the
> feet-first ascent, but even starting from five metres I'd controlled it by
a
> couple of metres before the surface.
>
Positively balmy.  Doing dry suit dives in such tropical waters shouldn't
count. ;-)

When I did the dives in the dry suit course, ice formed on the outside of
the suit as soon as we hit the surface.  Water temp was around 44F and air
was around 28F.

CH

.