Is a wetsuit necessary?

[Levi Arendsen]

Going to be spearfishing for 3 weeks for the first time, going to vacation in South France. But I do not have a wetsuit is this necessary if you don't swim to far away from coast?


Thanks.

 

[Bill McIntyre]

While I wasn't spearfishing, my wife and I did some swimming while on a bicycle trip along the coast of the South of France. As I recall, we were quite comfortable in bathing suits. In fact in Nice we saw one woman swimming laps parallel to the beach with no bathing suit at all.

I suppose that you might get chilled if you stayed in for a long time, but I think you could get by without a suit.

 

[SubSub]

What month are you going? Later in the summer and into the fall the water is warmest in the Med.

If you're gonna be doing some spearfishing you are normally in the wet for hours. Even if you have some extra kilos like me it get's cold after a while and that does not have a positive effect on you dive time.

 

[Mr. X]

... In fact in Nice we saw one woman swimming laps parallel to the beach with no bathing suit at all....

My son and I swam lengths parallel to shore in Pevensey, Sussex, UK last Summer; we wore trunks . It was perfectly ok after the initial shock but I wouldn't want to spear like that. S. France should be considerably warmer*. Perhaps a cheap shortie surfing wetsuit might be sufficient for your needs? That's what I started with in the UK in August but I was very cold after an hour and three quarters, it would have been dangerous to stay in longer. I note that Italian spearos generally wear full spearo wetsuits (perhaps thinner, 3mm?).

*BTW We are having a bit of a heat wave in the UK currently, 33C yesterday - warmer than Rome - and it looks like we will likely have 5 days or more of 30C+ temperatures, which will make it the hottest June for 20 years by some measures. Great for bringing in the fish and spearing

 

[3joern]

I remember July 2015 I was snorkeling in cassis at the beach. Water was warm 25c or so but only 4-5m depth. 2 days after we take a boat trip at the calaques. Super nice place 15-20m depth and with a small cave to can swim or dive in, buuuuuuut it was so cold at surface, that after 10min all my finger was white with no blood (ok I'm pretty thin). I guess 16-17c ... so I recommend a wetsuit for more then 10min deep dive

 

[Brianna Landsborough]

Hi there, next month I am going to spend a vacation with my friends and some of them will decide for Spearfishing. We decided to stay on the beach I am planning to buy a swimsuit to play water sport. I heard good reviews about www.dollboxx.com.au from my friends. Do you have more options?

 

[Mr. X]

.... 2 days after we take a boat trip at the calaques. Super nice place 15-20m depth and with a small cave to can swim or dive in, buuuuuuut it was so cold at surface, that after 10min all my finger was white with no blood (ok I'm pretty thin). I guess 16-17c ... so I recommend a wetsuit for more then 10min deep dive

Do you mean the Calanques? A great place for sunny, limestone sea cliff climbing too, apparently - just be prepared for your car (if you have one) to be broken into, at least that used to be the advice.