Orca Breathe arrival and Trubridge Videos - update

[azapa]

from what you say mat, having an RS1 as I do (stitched seams), the Free (blind glued) will be 3x warmer, which for me, would almost be worth the difference alone, i get cold quick.

Having said that, being tight, I am buying the breathe too

 

[mattbigblue]

Well, RS1 was all over body with stitched seams, Breathe is mostly blind glued seams with difference on shoulder panels and arms where are stitched seams. After all it should be much warmer than RS1 also because of colar and water not going inside.

 

[azapa]

that is interesting matt (and good). maybe then the breathe will be lots warmer than the RS1?? I love my RS1 but its about as waterproof as a teabag those mesh panels..

 

[ericvrp]

Hi,

I bought a Breathe (size MT) the other day because my Orca Apex2 doesn't glide anymore and my Aquasphere Aquaskin (size M) became to big for me. I am 192cm, 76kg, 99cm chest (frc) (105cm with packing). I will be using it 95% of the time in the pool and was looking for something just a little warmer then the Aquaskin (anyone want to buy it?).

The suit was hard to get all the way up, the Apex2 (size MT) (anyone wants to buy that one perhaps? ) was even tighter though. The Breathe was more tight around my waist. I had a hard time believing it would fit me but as it turned out the size is perfect! It is the first neoprene suit I would consider using for max dynamics (being a BlueSeventy NeroComp fan with that really). Perhaps I did not look to well at the description of the suit beforehand but I thought it would be a little thicker and not let so much water in though the seams (I never had an RS1). But the suit is very flexible and at high speed dynamics with my monovin some water entered at my thin wrists only. The neck seal worked perfectly so I will wear elastic band around my wrist whenever I feel foolish enough to sprint again.

I hope this suit will not get larger like the Aquaskin and stay like this for a long time.

I think I will need .5kg extra around my waist to be properly aligned compared with no suit or the Aquaskin, I will try that tomorrow evening. Streamlining was effortless and much better then with any other neoprene suit that I tried. I was hoping for an even better glide than the Aquaskin but my subjective feeling was that this was not the case. I will let you know how my DNF goes tomorrow in a 25 meter pool because it could be that the slight dis-balance today played a role here.

In short: excellent suit, works for me: loving it! Not as warm as some will hope for.

- Eric

P.S. pool temperature was 26C today.

 

[efattah]

For performance dives I would not use more than 0.5mm or 1mm. I use an RS1 which I'm very happy with, no problems at all, no neck seal issues.

However, the Orca breathe at 2mm, and more waterproof, sounds like a good option for longer training sessions (i.e. more than one dive).

The problem with the RS1 is that I'm pretty much good for a 10 minute breathe-up and then a deep dive, followed by O2 recompression. If someone needs me to spot them, I'll be very cold by then. The 2mm suit may be a good compromise and more reasonably priced than the Alpha.

 

[noa]

i'm also thinking of getting either the breath or the free, great to be able to read all this info here.
still somewhat confused as to why the free is almost double the price, which like most others has me leaning towards the breath.
a side by side comparison by someone (or by Orca) would be very helpfull for many of us wanting to buy one of these suits.
if i have understood anything, the breath would also potentially make a better everyday alround training suit.
last but not least, at 178cm height and 71-73kg weight what size would be recomemnded ?
thanks for the help. all the best...

 

[Will]

Hey Noa,
Simon will probably give you a more thorough explanation, but the Orca Free has basically a lot more attention to detail, e.g. in the neck seal and other critical areas. There is no through-stitching, which means it stays warmer also.
Sounds like you would be best in a size 6.
Cheers, Will.

 

[noa]

hello Will,
thanks a lot for your reply and info.
there are very few sports where a world champion will post a reply to a question and that is certainly one of the things that make freediving such a great persuit to be involved in.
i'll get in touch with Simon and see what he says. the main thing that would concern me with the Free (besides the price...) would be it's use for everyday diving.
maybe a breath would stand up better to the rigors of training and even if it didn't, one would mind less as it's so much cheaper.
thanks again, all the best...

 

[tcrusson]

Sizes are definitely different depending on the suit. I am 179cm&78Kg, and have:
- An Orca Alpha size 6: the best for DNF because of very flexible arms, but a lot of water rushes in which makes it not so good for the other disciplines as you go faster.
- An Orca Free size 7: definitely the best suit I've used for Freediving, both in the ocean and the pool (beating 2 piece 3mm wetsuits hands down). you still have water penetration from the wrists, the lower back, and sometimes from the neck, but it's a lot less than with any other suit of the same type.

One thing to be aware of: the neoprene on the Orcas deteriorates VERY quickly in chlorine pools: the suit loses its shiny colour, the smoothskin starts breaking after a couple of months (easy to repair, but I end up having to glue one spot every week). You'll get none of that if you just use it in the ocean. Any idea on how to clean the suit after pool training to prevent the damage the chlorine is making?

I'm thinking of getting a couple of "Breathe" to train, as they're cheaper, and using the Free only for pool comps and ocean dives.

 

[noa]

Hi Tcrusson,
thanks for your info. fortunately i'm pretty much going to use the suit only in the ocean so i'm a little less worried about chlorine (nasty stuff). how long have you been using the Free and how has it stood up from ocean use ?

 

[nyspear]

As I posted previously, I returned my size 6 and requested a 7, which arrived today. I wish it was a bit tighter in the legs, but that isn't a problem with the suit - I just have very skinny legs. The torso is a much better fit than the 6, and the internal collar doesn't feel like it's choking me anymore. Just for reference, I'm 75kg and 178cm in height. My chest is 104cm.

I'm looking forward to trying it in the pool. Thanks to Simon and Erin for their excellent service.

 

[tcrusson]

Hi Tcrusson,
thanks for your info. fortunately i'm pretty much going to use the suit only in the ocean so i'm a little less worried about chlorine (nasty stuff). how long have you been using the Free and how has it stood up from ocean use ?

I got it last July, and used it for 7 weeks of ocean diving (every second day), for deep dives. It didn't move.

 

[Krakenlims]

hi,
I am going to get a free suit,
my height is 178cm,
should i get size 6, (167-175cm), or
or size MT, (177-199cm)?

 

[nyspear]

hi,
I am going to get a free suit,
my height is 178cm,
should i get size 6, (167-175cm), or
or size MT, (177-199cm)?

We are the same height. How much do you weigh, and what is your chest measurement?

 

[Krakenlims]

i had already narrowed it down to those 2 sizes, i am 99cm chest on inhalation.
i assumed i should go for the 95-99cm chest, not the 98-104cm. am i right?

so, my height is 178cm
should i get size 6, (167-175cm), or
or size MT, (177-199cm)?
i know Will said to get smaller if in doubt, but i would be inclined to get the larger of these two sizes,
i'm 3cm taller than the tallest size on the 6. However i'm right at the bottom range of the MT ?

 

[nyspear]

You're right. The 7 would be comfortable, but I think you'll wish it was tighter. I would go for the MT. As I mentioned previously, the internal collar on the 6 was a bit short and it felt like it was choking me. As I understand it, the MT and the 6 share most of the same measurements, but the MT is slightly longer in the torso. Good luck.

 

[Will]

unless you're more than 74kg I would go for the size 6

 

[azapa]

My suit arrived yesterday, a size 6 breathe, some quick points:

- it is noticeably heavier (in a good way) than the RS1 due to the thicker 2mm body and legs

- where as the RS1 was through-stitched all over, the breathe is only made this way where the 1mm shoulder/arm section meets the 2mm torso/leg section. The rest is blind stitched and glued

- I am wondering if I could not DIY seal those through stitched areas (not much) Seam Sealers for Outdoor Fabric the Melco iron on seam tape (half way down that page) seems to be ideal. Ideas/opinions?

- the sizing is tight, if anything a little smaller than the old RS1. The new size 6 breathe fits me only a tiny bit easier than the old size 5 RS1

- be careful on the height part of the size chart, as it appears also to define torso length, not just where the legs are going to sit on your ankles. too short a torso section and the neck skirt will be very uncomfortable

- in general I would say the size chart is SPOT ON, use it and don't tweak yourself up or down to a size that is not you

I am very happy with the suit, and it should be 3x warmer than the RS1, but to be honest I am thinking I should have splurged on the FREE, I hate being cold.

 

[noa]

Hi Azapa,
great to hear your first impressions and i really hope it lives up to your expectations in the water. i have also in the mean time ordered a breath, the fan club is growing...
something i'm wondering about, what's the best way to put these suits on ? should one do it like a regular triathlon suit (plastic bags) or soap and water ?

 

[azapa]

Thin plastic bags. Two come with the suit!