3mm wetsuit vs Sharkskin T2

[passeparici]

Call me a skeptic, but I find it hard to believe that a Sharkskin suit would be as warm as my 3mm Bare Reactive. But, I will try to keep an open mind, so if anyone owns both, I would love a report.

To my experience the Sharskin is colder than the 3 mm suit

 

[PamelaH]

Looking at Sharkskin and having a lot of trouble understanding the difference between their lines (like Titanium 2 vs Chillproof vs R Series?

What is the difference? How do I know which one is right for me?

Also, can anyone comment on how accurate the sizing chart is?

This sizing is a little weird - I had to send mine back a few times. I would go off what size you wear in clothing and not the sizing chart. I ended up with a top I couldn't zip up going off the chart and then pants that were so long there was too much fabric. I wear size Small in a top and size 8 in pants (I'm 5'2") and I ended up buying a Size 6 top and a size 4 pants. Go figure. The issue with the pants is the length. I could use a little more fabric in the rear but they go on and they are the right length. I'll be diving in them in the 2nd half of Feb and I'll let you know!

 

[thomschoon]

Well, I just pulled the trigger on a two piece T2 set to take to Costa Rica in April or May. It supposedly is good to 68f, and the water can get to 68f there on the Pacific side, according to the always reliable internet. It wasn't cheap, even on sale. I'm hoping it will be more like diving in a rash guard than neoprene, except warmer. I haven't got cold diving in warm water yet, but that warm water never got below 77f. 68f is a lot cooler. Worst case, I freeze my buns off and rent a wetsuit and just eat the cost of the Sharkskin.

Take some rash guard, I found it adds a bit more warmth. In 68 degree water the only place I felt cold was on the arms so next time I will wear a long sleeve rash guard versus short sleeve.

 

[fred32176]

To my experience the Sharskin is colder than the 3 mm suit

I replaced a 3mm wetsuit with sharkskin T2. A difference is I wear a sharkskin T2 hood and didn't wear a hood with the 3mm. I dive Florida waters which are 70 degrees or warmer. The only difference I notice is after a dive, I am warmer after a dive in the sharkskin. For instance, a dive on January 4th at Paradise Springs the air temperature getting out was 59 degrees and I wasn't cold.

 

[WillieJustice]

Take some rash guard, I found it adds a bit more warmth. In 68 degree water the only place I felt cold was on the arms so next time I will wear a long sleeve rash guard versus short sleeve.

Sounds like a plan. I have been discovering that layers work well underwater, just like in the air.

 

[ChrisN]

Just found this. If anyone is looking for info comparing the Sharkskin product lines, Google AI provides good info:

Google Search

 

[WillieJustice]

Update after living with a Sharkskin for a few months. It was great on its own in Costa Rica. I noticed thermoclines but did not get cold. I was doing three dives a day, along with sitting in a moving boat for several hours before, between, and after dives. The neutral buoyancy was great. I cut down to six lbs of ballast and probably could have dropped to four. We go to Mexico in a couple of months, and I will try that.

At home, it is a bit less useful. I wear a thin full length one piece rash guard under the drysuit undergarment. Adding a sharkskin was too warm and created buoyancy surprises.

It has to start out tight. If it feels like it fits when you put it on, it will get baggy in the water. I used a sleeveless polyester shirt and polyester boxers under the sharkskin. It was plenty for whatever the water got down to. Not especially cold. Maybe 70.

 

[RyanT]

I love my sharkskins. They are excellent for what they are....some thermal protection and neutrally buoyant. Their claims of being as warm as a 3mm wetsuit are probably exaggerated. In particular, it's a two piece suit, so you'll get water ingress around the waist. That water exchange will cool you a bit. That said, I do run cold, so for warmer blooded folks, maybe it is similar to a 3mm wetsuit.

For me, I'd say it's more similar to a 2mm suit. But again, I love the neutral buoyancy. Also, it is wind-proof. So back on the boat, it's really nice if the wind is blowing.

 

[RyanT]

It has to start out tight. If it feels like it fits when you put it on, it will get baggy in the water.

This is correct. A proper fit will feel a bit too tight on the surface. Once you get in the water, it loosens up a tad and feels comfortable.

 

[WillieJustice]

I love my sharkskins. They are excellent for what they are....some thermal protection and neutrally buoyant. Their claims of being as warm as a 3mm wetsuit are probably exaggerated. In particular, it's a two piece suit, so you'll get water ingress around the waist. That water exchange will cool you a bit. That said, I do run cold, so for warmer blooded folks, maybe it is similar to a 3mm wetsuit.

For me, I'd say it's more similar to a 2mm suit. But again, I love the neutral buoyancy. Also, it is wind-proof. So back on the boat, it's really nice if the wind is blowing.

I run pretty warm despite not having a lot of body fat. Or maybe because of that. I plan use to the sharkskins in water between 70 and 80 degrees for the most part. Below 70 is probably 50 degrees in Puget Sound, so dry. Above 80 and a rash guard is plenty. I discovered that a shorty doesn't provide abrasion protection when I got back in a boat after swimming around and through a wreck for a while. Beats me when I sliced myself, but there it was. No issues, but there could have been. A sharkskin or just a rash guard would have helped in that situation.