wetsuit

[irtrogdor]

hey everyone, how it goin?

i've never posted before, but i've been reading threads and articles on deeper blue for a bit now and wanted to ask a question concerning buying a wetsuit.
what kind to i need?

i'm in mexico right now, so i only really need a wetsuit for winter/spring (otherwise i can just skindive...)

lets see... I'll just steal the question's someone made on a different


% SCUBA: 15 (maybe?)
% Freediving: 85 (i guess...)

Where do you dive? Sea of cortez

How long do you dive? hmmm... anywhere from 2-6 hours
How deep do you normally dive? 15-50 feet freediving.... 30-70 scuba

How much mobility do you need? enough to spearfish
How cold do you get? i generally get cold the fastest in my group of divers... but most of them are veterans so i'd still put my cold resistance slightly above-average.

How cold does the water get? i want comfort at 45 degrees F. My friend says it only gets to low 50's here, but i want some wriggle room.

i've looked at diveskin.net, and i really liked their stuff. specifically the oceanos grey. i read the other thread about these suits, but nobody seemed be able to give a good estimate as to how long they would last... two years? four? five? a month? i haven't the faintest idea. i'd like to get a couple years out of it, at least three.

yeah, that's it.

[Flackie]

Depends on how you wear them and what for, I haven't tried one of the suits you mentioned, but open cell jacket and pant suits are extremely warm and mobile. If the water doesn't get that cold you would be best in a 3mm, that way you won't get too hot, which can sometimes cause you to feel a little nautious.

[Flackie]

oops, I saw 40-45f there, if it gets down to that temp you're probably best with a 5mm.

[bgill]

Irtrogdor -

I'm also checking out the Oceanos Grey in 5mm...Seems like a good deal for the money...I won't be getting mine until spring...If you get yours before me let me know if you like it or not!

From what I hear 3-4 years of GOOD service is all that should be expected out of ANY quality "open cell" wetsuit. The only bad things I've heard about the Dive Skin brand or Oceanos suits is that the fit isn't AS perfect as an Elios...And that SOME people had issues with the glued seams I think...That info however is a few years old...I wrote Dive Skin to ask if this is still an issue...No response yet.

Never heard or saw a peep of bad info about an Elios brand suit though but the price is nearly double. And you'll still only get 3-4 years out of it if you use it 2-3 times a week - supposedly.

[irtrogdor]

ah yes, i'd forgotten about this thread. I was really considering the Diveskin wetsuits, until i found out they ship from spain or somewhere in europe... so that jacked shipping up to about $50 (usd). a little bit to much in my opinion seeing as that's almost a third of the price of the product....

so i think i'll just go with either a 3/2 mm or a 5mm suit from either scuba max or body glove.

speaking of which, anyone know of a good body glove dealer online? thanks.

[bgill]

Only "Open Cell" or a "Dry-suit" will keep you comfortably warm in 45 degree farenheit water. A regular wetsuit will not be as warm as you think...From what people say about "open cell neoprene wetsuits" it's like night & day when it comes to warmth as compared to a lined or closed cell neoprene wetsuit. Like a Scuba Max or a Body Glove wetsuit will most likely be.

[ILDiver]

I can wear my Henderson Hyperstretch 5mm down to 60 comfortably with hood and gloves. I've worn it down into the high 40's and it gets cold. Whopperhead (from this forum) wore his 3mm open cell suit for 6 hours in low 50's water. Up here we are a little more use to colder weather and water. My guess, you will be much happier in a 5mm open cell for water mid 60's and lower.

[sheepeck]

No doubt about that - I was diving with surfing suit several years - 2/3 mm with short sleeves and plus that I used 2mm long sleeve shirt and I was always cold after an about 40 minutes or even earlier. Here in Czech the temperature in lakes are like between 60F up to around 70C in summer and dropping waaaaay down in autumn and winter of course. The temperature in deep (about 8m and bellow) can be even in summer around 50F.

So - now I have opencell inside suit and I can tell you - it's another league, you simply cannot compare.
But - I have to admit that I didn't try last versions of surfing suits - you know - those Rip Curl and Billabong stuff so I don't know - maybe they are better now. But - they aren't so cheap I guess.

So - for freediving I wouldn't recommend nothing else then opencelll.

[irtrogdor]

hmmm.... well, i'm a little torn here then. do i get an open cell suit (more $$$) and dive all through winter, or do i get a normal suit (less $$$) and miss a few months before summer kicks in? cause here in the sea of cortez its like a bath in the summer i guess its gets a bit chilly in the winter though, low 50's.
maybe i'll just ask for an open-cell suit with a hood built in a keep that around for winter. I'll probably be glad i have it when i move north for college anyways.

so a 5 mm open cell will keep me toasty?

[sheepeck]

BTW - what's the price difference between opencell and normal?

[jacques shuran]

Hi!

I'm sorry to drop in like this 'cause my question is not really related to the topic, but i hope you can help anyway... I bought my first wetsuit few weeks ago, i've mostly been skindiving since water is pretty warm here, and i am not really sure how to wash it after diving in salt water- sea? It's made out of classical neopren, but i'm not sure if i should just rinse it with water or should i wash it really good with shampoo????

Thank you all in advance!!!

[Pastor]

Anyone from Croatia is most most welcome Did you see the football last night awesome, simply awesome

Seriously, I just wash mine out thoroughly with a hose pipe inside and out and dry. Some people use a shampoo too. I think making sure it has some kind of wash and ensuring it is properly dried is the most important thing to keep bacteria at bay

[irtrogdor]

why dont you just start your own thread with that question?
that way it wouldn't be out of place and you would probably get more responses...

[jacques shuran]

yeah, you're right irtrogdor! I should have made a new thread, sorry it won't happen again.

Thanks Pastor! I just wasn't really sure if i was doing the right thing washing it with water only!

And of course i watched the game even though i'm not a big football fan, but i really enjoyed it! Not only because we won, but because it was one of the most exciting matches i've ever seen!

Cheers!!!

[ozz]

A little bit late reply... I bought an XCEL Vortex 7/6/5. They also have a 5/4/3. I live in San Diego, CA. The water currently is around 60 F and dropping. Last weekend I put it on and went body boarding. I played for about 40 minutes in the surf. The water was 61 F and it worked just fine. I got a few drops of water in here and there but 99% of the time it as great.

I bought my wetsuit without really doing too much research. I asked about the brand and I heard good things and bought it. Now, since spearfishing is also getting in my plans I hear open cell wetsuits should be the choice. But, I'm quite happy with my wetsuit.