* Divers to try and investigate suspected plane wreck on sea floor
* Experts say plane likely intact when hit water
* Data shows plane climbed steeply before disappearing (Adds latest on search operation)
By Fergus Jensen and Wilda Asmarini
PANGKALAN BUN/SURABAYA, Indonesia, Jan 1 (Reuters) - A break in bad weather raised hopes on Thursday that divers would be able to investigate what is believed to be the sunken wreck of an AirAsia jet off Borneo and retrieve the black boxes that should explain the cause of the crash.
The Airbus A320-200, carrying 162 people, fell from the sky while trying to climb above stormy weather early on Sunday, during a flight from the Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore. The pilots did not issue a distress signal.
So far, at least seven bodies have been recovered from waters near where sonar has detected a large, dark object on the ocean floor, lying just 30-50 metres (100-165 feet) deep, but heavy seas have so far prevented divers from investigating it.
"They will try again this morning," said Siahala Alamsyah, a naval officer involved in the search. He said that on Wednesday night, bad weather had prevented a team of 47 Indonesian Navy divers from even flying out to warships at the crash site.
The plane's black box flight data and cockpit voice recorder should help solve the mystery of the crash. Investigators are working on a theory that it went into aerodynamic stall as the pilot climbed steeply to avoid a storm.
Bodies recovered from the Java Sea are being taken in numbered coffins to Surabaya, where relatives of the victims have gathered, for identification. Authorities have been collecting DNA from the relatives to help identify the bodies.
Some of the bodies recovered so far have been fully clothed, including a flight attendant still wearing her AirAsia uniform. That could indicate the Airbus was intact when it hit the water and also support the aerodynamic stall theory.
Most of the 162 people on board were Indonesians. No survivors have been found.
HUNT FOR "BLACK BOX"
Strong wind and waves hampered the search and with visibility at less than a kilometre (half a mile), the air operation was called off on Wednesday afternoon.
"The weather today was really challenging in the field, with waves up to 5 metres high, wind reaching 40 km per hour (and) heavy rain, especially in the search area," Fransiskus Bambang Soelistyo, the head of the search and rescue agency, said.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo said his priority was retrieving the bodies.
Relatives, many of whom collapsed in grief when they saw the first grim television pictures confirming their fears on Tuesday, held prayers at a crisis centre at Surabaya airport.