Unlike most other continents, there is no bad time to go for a dive in Australia. Even though winter is here, and the temperatures are significantly lower, that doesn’t stop most Australian and divers from all over the world, to visit our warm waters and explore some of the greatest diving sites in the world. July is typically considered as the “dry” season, as there are lower day time temperatures, less rainfall and lower humidity levels.

If you aren’t used to diving in lower temperatures, but want to spend some time underwater this time around, fear not, there’s a way to stay completely comfortable and cozy – by buying diving equipment like diving water shoes, gloves and wetsuit with enough thickness to keep your body warm.

Typically, most quality water shoes, wetsuits and gloves are made of neoprene. They’re typically around 2-7 mm thick (the thicker the warmer it will keep you) and as a rule of thumb, you want all of your diving apparel to be around the same thickness. For this time of the year, you generally want your gear to be thicker than 5mm.

However, there are a lot more things to consider besides the thickness of your diving gear, especially for winter diving. For instance, you want them to be the perfect fit, so that they don’t allow cold water to breach through small gaps and you don’t want warm body heat escaping easily. Finding the right fit might be time consuming, but it’s essential.

Diving boots come in whole sizes and are only quoted in men’s sizes. You can use your regular shoes as a guide and then round off the size. Female divers on the other hand, should subtract 2.5 or 5 cm off the boots so they can get the right pair. Try multiple sizes to get the right one. Your toes curling on the ends won’t make diving pleasant and comfortable.

Once you do buy the right diving gear, it’s important you keep it well maintained to prevent wear and tear. Once you’re done diving, make a habit of rinsing it with fresh water. Neoprene can lose its flexibility from the salty water, not to mention the bad odour unrinsed neoprene can have. Don’t be afraid to use special shampoo to wash it every once in a while.

And lastly, inspect it for rips and tears before each dive. Most rips and tears can be easily fixed when small, but become much harder, if not impossible to fix when larger. Nothing can ruin a dive like getting in the water and noticing that your gear is faulty.