Surfs Up!

[Hypersquid1]

hey everyone, christmas is coming around, and just yesterday my mom asked me what i wanted, as she has been doing for almost 2 decades. i replied, i really dont know i dont really care, but she knows that i have wanted a riffe competitor for almost a year. so that being said, she will probably buy it for me. the only dilemma is, that i need a new wetsuit. i was looking at the ones made by OMER and riffe, and everything seems so expensive. i was wondering, why cant i just buy a regular surfing/watersports wetsuit? they are considerably cheaperand they are thicker than the riffe ones, (although they arent as thick as the OMER ones) and they keep me warm even when the water is 60 degrees. is there something wrong with using a surfing wetsuit over a spearfishing one? they are both made out of neoprene and they are both made for water. unless somebody can give me solid evidence as to why a spearing suit is better than a surfing one, im buying surfing. just wanted to drop that by everybody.

Hypersquid1

 

[water baby]

howzit,
the biggest difference that I know of is the density of the neoprene differs between dive/ freedive suits and surf suits. The less dense surf suit will compress at depth far more than a dive suit with two results. The first is that it won't be as warm, and the second is that after a while the suit will eventually become permenantly compressed, killing it for the surf sessions as well. Short answer- cheaper =low life expentancy

 

[Dobs]

The biggest difference is the access of water in the wetsuit. The spearfishing suits are made to stop the water from getting in as much as possible therefore to keep you warm. Moreover most of the spearfishing suits are open cell inside which gives more comfort. If water temperature is not a concern you can go with a surf suit, but if you think that a surf suit will keep you warm you are up for a disappointment.

 

[Lizzard Sergio]

There are many differences between surf and diving suits. The major one is the neoprene, which as mentioned earlier is less resistant to compression in surfing suits. This is especially true with the ultra lightweight stretch neoprene that is becoming more popular in surfing suits. There are different types of stitching available too. Diving suits are glued together and then blindstitched inside and out to create a waterproof seam. Some surfing suits are also made this way but generally they are stitched by a process called flatlocking which does not give you a waterproof seam. There are also elements of cut and style to consider. Surfing suits generally have more panels and seams as they are styled to give more flexibility and freedom of movement. In diving suits you generally want as few seams as possible. Its a tough choice to make if you arent able to get both, but you will have to compromise somwhere along the way...

 

[Asturven]

Chosse a spearfishing wetsuit it will be the best.

Better neoprene, no zippers, dolble layer of neoprene in the chest and more variety of thicknesses.

Go with the brand of your choice, Omer, Spetton, Picasso or whatever but forget about the surf suit.

Cheers

Ivan