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wetsuit question

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
It can take a long time to get an up-to-date response or contact with relevant users.
there are pools now i here converting to salt water for cleanliness! It's probably an old traditional thing they are bringing back for health reasons. Suggest it for your local pool!
 
kirkerik said:
I'm thinking i'll go for the 5mm but have heard someone say they got too warm in their 5mm opencell elios in the UK. And that was in the winter.
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No disrespect to whoever said this but it's REALLY unusual/unlikely - unless they were diving in their bathtub rofl

Just to give you an idea of diving in the UK in winter (and this is close to London which is in the south!):
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESNJ9sUxzPg]NoTanx first ever Ice Freediving in the UK - YouTube[/ame]

(maybe ignore Sam at the end, he is the ONLY person I know that I can believe that he'd find a 5mm too hot lol)

I am sure that for the temperatures you mention, not only a 5mm will be good but you will also be cold at times. Having said the above about diving in the UK, those suits you see are 5mm open-cell Elios suits...

Don't forget that if you spend enough time in the water, you will be cold in ANY water, even tropical seas. The suit just buys you more time...

Besides even if you were to get a bit hot, you can just very easily flush the suit and let some cold water in which will cool you down...
 
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Reactions: Jonny250

Well it's settled, ive been known to get cold so the more time the better in the water. I guess i'll be lubing it up for that extra warmth w/ slick inside.

Approx. what would an elios black shadow suit cost me shipped to east coast usa? Some say easier to donn. The site doesn't list prices.
 

Can't help you there with the prices Kirk - maybe best to email them and ask. Communication might be a bit tricky but the suits are great!

One thing to bear in mind is that having the correct fit is even more important than the brand of suit or even the mm thickness. An ill-fitting suit that let's lots of water in won't keep you warm, even if it's really thick.

That's one of the advantages of made-to-measure suits and they do keep you a bit warmer because of that (especially if standard sizes don't fit your body well). A well-fitting open-cell suit is almost like a dry suit (at least feels like it!) - hardly lets any water through!
 
Email Elios - they will tell you. Last email I had it was 40 euro to ship one suit.
 
nice vid simos,

You guys make it look easy. And i love how ur gear just floats up in to the car! Supernatural powers definitely help w/ the cold. Would you say you were comfortable most of the time in the icy water?

+ on the custom fit. I decided that a while back to go custom.

Looks like fun! Hope to group up w/ some interested folks around my area. The local scuba shop says no-one around here is really interested? I'll do some digging. The instructor there is getting trained for freediving training, though. So it may catch on.

thanks simos.
 

Haha I'm not in that vid - you won't catch me anywhere near icy water, I was born in a hot country

The guys are from our freedive club (3 are instructors so don't try that at home!) - don't want to put words in their mouth but I'm guessing it was cold.

A group from our club also went to Iceland recently and the water was 1C - most were in 5mm suits but with added dive skins (couple of mm) underneath; they said it was pretty cold. The problem is that when it's that cold, even the smallest exposure (e.g. hands) will get cold enough to be uncomfortable after a while.

Watch the vid if you are interested - it's worth it just to experience that amazing visibility:
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EDbEOadCso]NoTanx Freediving in Iceland : Hot pools and Glacial Rivers - YouTube[/ame]

By the way - if you do manage to find a freediving club in your area, it might be worth getting the suit through them as they should be able to save on shipping if they order many suits together.
 
Simos said:
By the way - if you do manage to find a freediving club in your area, it might be worth getting the suit through them as they should be able to save on shipping if they order many suits together.
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Great idea. Hope to find a group. I get the feeling i may have to organize one!:hungover
 
kirkerik said:
Approx. what would an elios black shadow suit cost me shipped to east coast usa? Some say easier to donn. The site doesn't list prices.
Click to expand...

Just to put the cat amongst the pigeons, I had an elios black shadow suit which lasted about 3 months before it started falling apart. It was the warmest suit ever, and no lube needed, but the neoprene is very inflexible - quite dense I think. Maybe pm podge as he has bough a black shadow this year too, get another opinion...

Im actually looking at the omer suits now, which will be my 3rd suit this year!
 
I'd venture to say no lube had something to do with it. My original black shadow (nylon outside) suit is on it's second owner and about 5 years old with very heavy use - but I and he always use lube. My other two black shadow suits are 3 and 2 years old - these are smoothskin out suits - no nylon, just neoprene. Coating or no - in my opinion no lube radically shortens the life of the suit.
 
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I'm close to getting the Oceanos 5mm liner outside, slick inside w/ attached hood and high waist pants. Great reviews everywhere i look too!

The elios is only an option for me if the price is reasonably close. It doesn't seem there is an advantage to the elios except the liner and coating options. On the elios website it is written that the coated slick or smooth inside is not as warm as the opencell inside. Is that true? see quote below from elios how to select:

"7. INSIDE LINING. Without lining (open cell) the suit will stick to your body (therefore enhance warmness) and be more flexible, BUT you will need lubrication (schampoo) to get into it. To avoid this you can choose a coating. A coating will make it slide more easily onto your body but you will loose the advantages of open cell. Coating is NOT a lining. If you need more durability then choose an inner lining. Most coatings are made to reflect heat."

Kind of ironic, huh? Prob a translation thing...

The Oceanos is made w/ heiwa neoprene which i think i prefer anyway.

How about Patagonia? I know these are very expensive and designed around surfing but i like the company because their wetsuits and company are ecologically minded. wool lined one piece.

link: Patagonia wetsuits

I was going to start another thread but...What do you guys think? Anyone here use them for freediving? Just curious.
 
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I think the coatings are a waste of time - My suits are all plenty warm but I see no advantage in terms of getting them on and off compared with bare open cell. If you want a suit you can get into without lube you need a fabric lining. It's as simple as that. Otherwise you will destroy the suit eventually. My bare open cell suit is actually the easiest to put on with lube.
 

An interesting point. Thanks.

I was curious if anyone knew of the difference in warmth of the inside coating to opencell. I have no interest now of the inside liner.

The Oceanos is wriiten as "slick" inside. Is this coated or open cell? I'm assuming it's a smooth rubber coating.
 
have to ask them. My sources say smooth inside is not as warm as open cell. But it could be language.
 
slick is the same as open cell for Oceanos / Diveskin. I just got a wetsuit from them 2 weeks ago. There is no lining on the inside, it is open cell, what is described as slick on their website. A very warm and comfortable suit in 5mm. A little Dr. Bronner's soap and it went on easily enough.
 

i was wondering about that. thanks.

So their "slick" is open cell. I was looking forward to a non-porous inside. I thought maybe it'd be easier to keep clean w/out pores to catch and hold dirt and debris. Oh well, apparently it's warmer than a smooth coating, so that's good. So now i'll know what to expect when i open the box!
 
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