Freediving VS Scuba diving

[Saloooh91]

I have a question about the gear for both free and scuba diving.
Are both gears the same or what ? I mean can I use the same fins or suits or masks for scuba and free diving ?

 

[Lehmann108]

Yes you could, but the gear is designed for different purposes.

 

[wawmd]

Quite a bit of difference in the gear.
A brief summary:
http://scuba.about.com/od/Freedivers/tp/Freediving-Equipment.htm

 

[REVAN]

Most scuba equipment doesn't work so well for freediving. The wetsuits are too restrictive, the masks too big and the fins too inefficient.

I think freediving gear works pretty well for scuba diving. The exception is for competition style slick wetsuits. Those are a bit too fragile for scuba diving. But, I've used a training suit with the lycra outer skin very effectively for scuba diving. It is actually very comfortable and warm.

 

[Piotrek]

If you're looking to economize, you're not likely to. A low-volume freediving mask is useful in scuba diving as well. An integrated freediving/spearfishing wetsuit could also be used for scuba (though I think many would prefer to keep it separate and go for a simple one-piece scuba wetsuit plus potential hoodie). Recreational scuba divers are commonly told that they need a snorkel. And that's about it, I think.

 

[cdavis]

Specific to fins: scuba fins are miserable for freediving. Medium to soft long fins work well for scuba, especially if you are needing to go some distance or work against current. They require more ankle and leg strength and are cumbersome relative to scuba fins. Those scubies who don't need what long fins offer, usually don't like them much.