complete wussies :-) especially me. -The boys do/did 'polar bear' -which means a dive into the dam every tuesday at 6 AM. - we've had -13C at that time midwinter, and yes, they did break the ice. They ARE crazy. Me I love wetsuits. I have a 3 mm I use even when the water is 24. I also have a 7mm and 5mm hooded vest I used to use when I did a bit of commercial diving in the Cape west coast in 10C. I had 5mm farmer john and a 5 mm jacket I used for crayfishing there.
If we got to live in Tassie - I am going to have to get a new 7mm. I dived there this last winter and the water was 15. Beautiful dive, just hell on hands and feet and ears. But catching spiny lobster, spear fishing or even abalone means spending a long time in the water.