I'm in the market for a second skin or really thin wetsuit for some spearfishing. It's summer in the Arabian Gulf which means water temp of above 30 degrees C. There are however amounts of jelly fish which make a layer of sorts necessary, and of course the summer sun bakes you when at the surface.
What should Ibe looking at? Preferably one with a hood to protect my noggin and if possible a chest pad to add a bit of protection for reloading.
Hi Grubby,
IMO this is the best place for these questions, since many non-spearfishing freedivers run into the same issue, namely:
In water that is too warm to wear a wetsuit, how to get protection from stinging marine life, while not getting overheated.
IME reasonably thick lycra material will protect you from most hydrozoans (jellies, hydras, anemones, etc.) but avoid the thin, pantyhose-like fabric that some commercial "stinger suits" are made out of. Some stingers can get you through that stuff.
There is another fabric, though, that provides super protection. It is a lycra fabric coated with a thin, polyurethane rubber. This stuff stretches just like ordinary spandex fabric, but stingers have no hope of penetrating the rubber.
The best version of this fabric I've been able to find is made in Quebec, but it is a little pricey in stores here in Toronto ($25/metre) I'm not aware of any company making suits out of this particular material, but I have actually made suits out of this fabric myself. It looks like a standard neoprene wetsuit, with attached hood for overall protection, and indeed the synthetic rubber coating makes it look very similar to a wetsuit, except for the fact that it is very thin.
In the oceans we have the usual issues with jellies and anemones, but some of our lakes have a different nasty little beast lurking about- leeches.
I can confirm that these rubberized suits stop leeches. Also, there is a unique out-of-water benefit of these suits. After some experiments during Northern Ontario's peak bug season a few years back where courageous volunteers sat out next to mosquito-infested marshes, we confirmed that the little buggers can't penetrate this material with their proboscis. We watched them trying to push their little needle noses through the fabric, and they couldn't do it! Yes- these suits are absolutely mosquito-proof :martial
If you're diving in tropical areas where you don't want to get heated up from the sun, it is possible to get this fabric in a reflective silver version too.
There are a few people who make similar items, although, possibly with fabric that isn't quite the same level of quality. I can provide links if you wish.
