Worlds best spearfishing suit for cold water

[Martintopsoe]

Hi
I have 2 standard spearfishing suits and 2 tailor made 5mm and 7mm suits from Elios. They are all smooth skin inside and Nylon outside. All of them is too cold for my winter fishing (0-4 deg. C. water temp.)
I was wondering if any of you out there has experience with a very warm suit that is still comfortable. I am normally not diving deeper than 15 metres here in Denmark. I was considering a 9-10 mm suit and of course a tailor made one to get the best fit.
I am also considering a smooth skin suit and I was looking at the Dessault Duo that is a sandwich construction of smoot skin inside / Nylon layer in the middle / smooth scin outside. Any one has experience with this? I guess that it is stronger and less sesitive to tearing.
All inputs are welcome.
Cheers, Martin

 

[efattah]

I have the same problem, my 7.5mm elios smoothskin suit is too cold even for the 'warm' water I dive in (5-8C).

One way I can get warmer is:
- Use a 3mm top + 7.5mm top
- Use a sodium acetate heat pack(s)
- Take thermogenics before diving (80ml ginger juice, 80ml glycerol, 80ml lemon juice, plus water, with L-carnitine, Ca-Pyruvate, Hydroxycitrate, Bitter Orange extract, medium chain triglycerides, etc...)

In my experience, two wetsuits are warmer than one wetsuit of the same thickness. For example two 3mm suits seems to be for some strange reason even warmer than a 7mm suit.

I used to use two full wetsuits, 3mm+5mm (8mm total, both top and bottom), and this was the warmest configuration I ever dove in.

If using such thick suits or double suits, the neoprene needs to be yamamoto (not heiwa) and the suits need to be smoothskin, not nylon, otherwise it is too restrictive/uncomfortable.

Another thing you can do is actual cold training. This involves immersing yourself in very cold water (4-8C) for 4-8 minutes with no wetsuit, then getting OUT, and shivering for 30-90 minutes. If you do that 3 times per week for 3-4 weeks, your cold tolerance will drastically increase.

 

[spaghetti]

I have the same problem, my 7.5mm elios smoothskin suit is too cold even for the 'warm' water I dive in (5-8C).
Two wetsuits etc etc etc...

For those temps in my (extremely rare) winter lake dives I use 5mm suit (open cell/nylon) + 2mm undersuit (smooth neoprene sleeveless "shirt", I wear under my wetsuit jacket) and 2mm bermuda (double coated neoprene shorts, that i wear over my trousers).
It's like your doctrine of the two wetsuits, sort of.

The extra layers given by undersuit and shorts, seem to make the cold water fill into the wetsuit much slowlier.

This said, I hate cold water. I used to spearfish in 8°C with only the speedos when I was 20. But hose days are gone.

 

[hteas]

i strongly prefer open cell on the inside to smooth skin.
I dive in an Imersion 8.5 mm top and 7 mm farmer john bottom, along with 7 mm socks and 7 mm 3-finger mitts, also from Imersion. On a good day I can go for over an hour with surface freshwater temp just above freezing and deeper water <3C.

 

[apneaboy]

Preparation the night before and on the day to keep heat stored is very important too. If you start cold you've already lost.

Two wetsuits is the way forward, especially over the core, chest and kidney area.

I don't like two hoods though, so vests or a cut down suit work well

 

[Fondueset]

I do monofin sprints when I get cold.

 

[martin366]

9mm Elios should do the job i think. But choose with nylon coating, smoothskin is too fragile for fishing.
Also buy full face neoprene mask: http://www.scubastore.com/images/products/fotos/ime00050.jpg
5 or 7mm mittens and 7 or 9mm socks, if u already dont have these

 

[anthropisces]

Full face neoprene mask? You are talking for Scuba right? Who can afford the air to equalize a full face neoprene mask? I know I"m reviving an old thread but cold water diving may be in my future.

 

[Pinniped72]

Interesting thread, some great ideas there, Spaghetti, spearfishing in 8 degree water in speedos..........................

 

[LeePhil]

I have the same problem, my 7.5mm elios smoothskin suit is too cold even for the 'warm' water I dive in (5-8C).

One way I can get warmer is:
- Use a 3mm top + 7.5mm top
- Use a sodium acetate heat pack(s)
- Take thermogenics before diving (80ml ginger juice, 80ml glycerol, 80ml lemon juice, plus water, with L-carnitine, Ca-Pyruvate, Hydroxycitrate, Bitter Orange extract, medium chain triglycerides, etc...)

In my experience, two wetsuits are warmer than one wetsuit of the same thickness. For example two 3mm suits seems to be for some strange reason even warmer than a 7mm suit.

I used to use two full wetsuits, 3mm+5mm (8mm total, both top and bottom), and this was the warmest configuration I ever dove in.

If using such thick suits or double suits, the neoprene needs to be yamamoto (not heiwa) and the suits need to be smoothskin, not nylon, otherwise it is too restrictive/uncomfortable.

Another thing you can do is actual cold training. This involves immersing yourself in very cold water (4-8C) for 4-8 minutes with no wetsuit, then getting OUT, and shivering for 30-90 minutes. If you do that 3 times per week for 3-4 weeks, your cold tolerance will drastically increase.

Could I share your reply with my buddies? Your comment has a lot of information for Winter diving here \(^^)/