Buying my first suit

[Saloooh91]

So I just got back from Sharm El Sheikh lately and I enjoyed the sea other there and thought about joining a freediving club here in Kuwait and learn the sport. I already have a mask, snorkel, fins and fin socks. However I don't have a suit because they're a little expensive here and I didn't think about buying one till I try the sport which I did and enjoyed it. Anyways, my questions about the suits are:-


What's the difference between a dry suit and a wet suit ?

Will Freediving suits work for scuba diving too ?

Which suit should I buy in order to learn free diving for a beginner ? dry or wet suit ?

What are some good suit brands for beginners ?

 

[Saloooh91]

I almost forgot to mention that I weigh 115 Kg ( 251 lbs ) and my height is 180 cm ( Around 6 feet ) I'm planning on losing 35 kilos ( 77 lbs ) will that let me buy a new suit ?

Oh and what is suit thickness ? What's it's use ? The thicker the better/heavier ?

 

[landshark sa]

Hi Lucy,

As people have different tolerances to water temperature you will have experiment a bit to see what will make you feel the most comfortable in the water. However, as the average sea temp for the Persian Gulf is around 30 degrees Celsius, you are lucky that unless you spend extended periods in the water you should be able to freedive without a suit or at most a very thin suit.

What's the difference between a dry suit and a wet suit ?
As the name suggests the one is dry and the other wet. Drysuits work on the principal of keeping all the water out of the suit which allows the diver to wear warm insulating clothing under suit and in this way keeping the diver warm. They are mostly used in VERY cold water and by scuba divers only. Wetsuits work by letting water in between your body and the suit and then allowing your body to heat the water and so creating insulation against the cold.

Will Freediving suits work for scuba diving too ?
Yes.

Which suit should I buy in order to learn free diving for a beginner ? dry or wet suit ?
You want a wetsuit. Drysuits are bulky and unwieldy. When it comes to freediveing you want the suit that, while keeping you warm, still provides excellent flexibly and allow you be as streamlined as possible.

What are some good suit brands for beginners ?
There are so many brands on the market that you are really spoilt for choice. Well known brands such as Cressi, Omer, Elios all make many different models to choose from. Go to your local dive shop and see what they have and try a few different suits to see what will work for you.

The thicker the better/heavier ?
Not necessarily better. In wetsuits the thicker the warmer, but a thicker suit will be less flexible and more restrictive.

I suggest you do a freedive course. You will learn a lot and also meet people that be able to guide to what diving kit is available and works well in your area.

 

[Victor Winqvist]

The person above me awnsered the questiones pritty good. I just wantet to add that you CAN'T freedive in a drysuit due to that they are filled with air. Wich means u would need alot more led to even sink. And in kuwait u defenetly do not need one. I dont even use one when i scuba dive during the winter in sweden... and then we got -20 celcius in the air....

As a beginner in your waters i would recomend a 2mm Cressi apnea (i think the model is called). Can be ordered from ie. Diveinn.com (they can be a bit slow and do not have the best support IMO, despite that i normaly order from them).