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Wetsuits

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.
nz676 said:
unless you are a warm water diver and dont mind water flooding in your zipper.
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I would say though that most decent 1 pieces have either a semi dry zip, a dry zip or a blackout collar on the inside, thereby eliminating water seepage through the zip.
 
Cheers nz676 for the advice, i will have a look at other forums as well.

DeFishWhisperer said:
Any guess how much more weight would be needed?
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The weight depends on both the wetsuit you are wearing and your own body weight, in theory the more experienced you become the less weight you will need, thats just what i have heard and will have to ask someone more experienced than myself if that is true.

I would agree with ncspear that most decent 1 pieces wont leak, what i have at the moment (xcel 5mm) has both liquid seam seals on all seams and they have never leaked. It has only a normal zip but you pull a flap over your head and zip that up, and its only leaking now that the neck seal itself has split in 2 places.
 
Andy go with a two piece suit, you can't go wrong. Like a lot of things they make them like this still because there has been nothing to better them so far. As nz676 said you get little to no seepage/flushthrough with a two piece single lined suit and because it's like wearing one big drysuit seal you'll often come out with at least your torso dry if not more.
 
i have a few one pieces for surfing even with the seal for the zipper they all leak and there not cheap suits. It is because the seal isnt complete its still has one open side other wise you could never get into the suit. once you guys start doing deeper dives you will notice that pressure will push water through the seams trust me ive owned many many suits surf and 2 piece ultimately the choice is yours but im just giving you my experianced advice.
 
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Interesting conversation you guys are having!
I think it would take some convincing to change the minds of the vast majority of spearos that a one piece is a better option than a smooth skin interior 5mm two piece.
However that is not to say a one piece is not an option - I used a custom made, silver (great camo colour), 5mm second skin, surf suit for a couple of seasons & it worked fine.
I go through suits pretty quickly & on that basis tried out a few in the last 30 odd years!
I would recommend a MTM 5mm two piece as the best choice but choosing a smooth skin interior or a easy to don nylon lined version is another topical subject.....
 
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what ever you decide, just dont buy neon colors or a yellow wetsuit, i know you wouldnt but someone might.
 
I was using my surfing suit up until recently for spearing. It is an Xcel 5mm infinity (so not cheap) and I was getting cold in it. I recently bought a MTM Elios 2-piece suit 7 mm with open cell interior and its amazing. The first time I tried it out was in 10 degree water and i stayed out for over 5 hrs and didn't even start to get cold! Its really comfortable and doesn't chaffe either.

The staff at Elios are spot-on and they have a good website. The cost of their suits is not much more than a lot of off-the-rack suits. I'm a convert and will definitely buy from them again. I would reccomend them to anyone.
 
Surfmatt, can I ask what thickness trousers you have with the jacket, are they 7mm too?

Regards,
Dave.
 
Surfmatt said:
It is an Xcel 5mm infinity (so not cheap) and I was getting cold in it.
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Surfmatt that is the suit that i'm currently using and found it was good for using in the summer, but still limited me to 2-3 hours before it became uncomfortably cold, did you use it last summer ? if so how long could you stay in with it ?

As for a new suit im definately leaning towards a two piece . It will ultimately come down to cost and how well it fits, but from what i have read you can get a made to measure or close to for a decent price if you buy a two piece, plus its something that i would use for freediving, so get to kill two birds with one stone
 
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Yeah from what ive seen the color makes little to no difference even with the bad ass camo suits. I was certain that the camo helped but after a little R&D i realized it doesnt do much its more the hunters silence and the way you move around the fish and the reef that makes the difference. Look at Bill Macs thread "camo Suits Are Essential for spearfishing" However that all being said i still rock the camo, cuz i think it looks freakin sweet.
 
Reactions: DafyddRees
I would agree that it does have a lot more to do with how you move in the water etc, but like you said il still be getting camo
 


Yeah I found that I could stay in for similar times in the summer but I hate being cold and spearfishing becomes nyon impossible when you're shivering! You expend so much more energy and aiming is affected!

My new suit is probably thicker/warmer than I need but I'd rather be warm/comfortable and I can spearfish all year round if I want. Also having a dedicated suit for spearfishing means that my surfing suit should last longer.

When/if I can afford it I may invest in a thinner jacket for summer use.
 
Surfmatt said:
Yeah, I had farmer john type trousers which were 7mm same as the jacket which was all-in-one, no zip.
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Does that not make your legs a bit 'floaty', also that must require a lot of lead?
I don't have any real reason for asking, just curiosity.
Like you I hate being cold in the water, my jacket is 7mm with 5mm trousers, I find that needs more lead than I would like, but it's better than being cold.

Regards,
Dave.
 
Yeah I need quite a bit of lead, I've got a shot belt with pockets so I can use a combination of shot and belt weights. It weighs 10.25 kilos!

I've gotta be honest I never considered the increased bouyancy of the suit but once the belt is on you soon get used to it, although I do know I'm wearing it when i have to walk a long way back to the car!!
 
wetsuits
i thought a bout buying a wetsuit
there are all these flashy cool looking camouflage wetsuits on the market but they are rather expensive.

i thought of buying an old secondhand wetsuit and try and spray-paint it myself.
this gave me a lot of space to think about proper camouflage.
the thing i could not find on the market witch amazed me is a duo color suit.
meaning why invent the wheel its already there most fish have a white belly and a dark top. wont it make sense to do this with a wetsuit 2 ?

or nice light camouflage blue on the bottom and the dark green on the top.
later i saw some footage of a a killer whale with wetsuits and camouflage in mind i thought are the white shapes on its side not there to either attract fish because the might flash. and secondly ore firstly to conceal its shape making it unclear to tell what its angle and shape it is.

i think there is still a lot to gain in the camouflage field and am interested in your opinions.

i never came to make my suit because my beloved girl bought a black suit for me for my birth day and i would feel bad about spraying it already so i'm going to see if i can buy a cheap second hand one.

kind greetings
len
 
I'm happy with my 7,5 mm picasso camo ghost all year around in Irish waters. Wouldn't go for anything else except same tipe omer models
 
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