Soloist
Contributor
We have over 100 dives on our 3mm and 5mm Mako Yamamoto Open Cell Two Piece Wetsuits with integrated hoods, so I thought it was a good time to post a review. I’ve purchased a lot of gear from Mako Spearguns (@MAKO Spearguns) over the years and have been very impressed with the quality, competitive pricing and excellent customer service. Until recently I never considered their freediving wetsuits for scuba. That was a mistake.
For reference we own/owned Henderson, Bare, Aqualung, Mares and Waterproof suits, but the Mako is by far the warmest suits we have ever used. This is attributed to “open cell” neoprene as opposed to “closed cell” neoprene. For those not familiar with this terminology, both closed cell and open cell neoprenes have protective nylon outer shells, but closed cell suits have a nylon or synthetic fleece lining while open cell suits are unlined, so you have raw neoprene in direct contact with your skin. The raw neoprene forms a natural suction that maintains a thin layer of warm water between skin and suit. Open cell wetsuits are nothing new, quite the contrary, but you very rarely see anyone diving them in the Caribbean or Florida. The one big caveat is open cell suits require lubricant when donning to allow the raw neoprene to slide over your skin, but more on this later. Back to the review.
The reinforced and gusseted construction is excellent. There are seals at the wrists, ankles and face that have proved to be very effective. The elasticity and stretch of the Yamamoto neoprene is no less than amazing. The outer shell allows the suit to easily accommodate the physical demands of the diver and vast number of body types. I am 5’11” and 175 pounds with broad shoulders with freakishly long arms, but the LARGE fits like it was made to order. Perfect! In the past I’ve purchased XL, XL/TALL and even 2XL from other manufacturers to provide the extended arm and leg length I required, but the overall fit was always seriously compromised. My wife is pleased with the fit of her Mako wetsuits, but would appreciate a little more room at the bust. There are no zippers on these suits. The top has a beaver tail with plastic snaps in lieu of a zipper. The bottoms of the men’s wetsuit come standard as a farmer john, but can easily be cut down to a high waisted pants configuration that I personally prefer.
By default, without the inner lining an open cell suit is dramatically lighter with far less bulk than a conventional suit. Great for carry-on backpacks and luggage. Moreover the outer shell is the only part of the suit that retains moisture. Water literally sheds off of the inner raw neoprene. We toss our suits in a mesh bag when leaving the boat and carry them back to the room to rinse and dry. We never did this with our closed cell suits due to the sheer weight of the saturated inner lining.
Our first experience with our Mako suits was last November in Bonaire. We typically dive full 3mm or 5mm suits and hooded vests depending on the time of year. Yes, we are wimps. Five minutes into the first dive with my new 3mm suit I thought I was having a stroke! In an attempt to cool down I pulled the hood back and cycled water through the suit but to no avail. I ended up only using the Mako for a few night dives during the entire trip, however, my cold intolerant buddy wore her 3mm Mako for 27 hours of diving that week and loved it.
Our second experience was February 2019 in Cozumel with an average water temp of 79 degrees. I wore the 3mm again and my wife wore her 5mm. We were perfectly warm throughout eight days of diving. We have lots of “friends” in Cozumel, so insults are commonplace. Immediately after my wife and I put on our full camo suits Steve holds up an imaginary long gun and asks if we are going on a North Carolina turkey shoot! This resulted in lots of laughs, but we actually had the last laugh. We watched everyone either shivering, tearing off their cold (closed cell) wetsuits, grabbing boat coats and/or warming themselves in the hot Mexican sun after every dive. Conversely, we were warm and comfortable simply by leaving our suits on. I witnessed the exact same behavior of other divers in St. Kitts a few weeks later. We discovered open cell suits are warm both in and out of the water.
As stated earlier, open cell suits require a lubricant because they can be challenging to put on. We use diluted non petroleum based hair conditioner. Open cell suits also tend to be different to remove due to the tighter fit and the natural suction the raw neoprene has to your skin, so it’s much easier if you have help. There was a guy from the great white north on the boat in Cozumel that shouted “hockey fight” every time my wife and I grabbed each other’s top (jersey) after diving. Canadians... You can certainly remove the suit alone, but there is a technique. The raw neoprene is susceptible to damage by fingernails or sharp objects, so you need to be careful. However, if you do damage the neoprene it can be easily repaired (with Aquaseal + NEO Contact Cement). The two-piece design offers a lot of flexibility for interchangeable layers and configurations.
In conclusion, we are very pleased with our Mako wetsuits and highly recommend them. It’s probably not be the best choice for the occasional diver due to the idiosyncrasies associated with open cell suits. However, these wetsuits should definitely be at the top of the list for avid divers, frequent fliers and current open cell wetsuit divers.
https://www.makospearguns.com/Wetsuits-s/94.htm
For reference we own/owned Henderson, Bare, Aqualung, Mares and Waterproof suits, but the Mako is by far the warmest suits we have ever used. This is attributed to “open cell” neoprene as opposed to “closed cell” neoprene. For those not familiar with this terminology, both closed cell and open cell neoprenes have protective nylon outer shells, but closed cell suits have a nylon or synthetic fleece lining while open cell suits are unlined, so you have raw neoprene in direct contact with your skin. The raw neoprene forms a natural suction that maintains a thin layer of warm water between skin and suit. Open cell wetsuits are nothing new, quite the contrary, but you very rarely see anyone diving them in the Caribbean or Florida. The one big caveat is open cell suits require lubricant when donning to allow the raw neoprene to slide over your skin, but more on this later. Back to the review.
The reinforced and gusseted construction is excellent. There are seals at the wrists, ankles and face that have proved to be very effective. The elasticity and stretch of the Yamamoto neoprene is no less than amazing. The outer shell allows the suit to easily accommodate the physical demands of the diver and vast number of body types. I am 5’11” and 175 pounds with broad shoulders with freakishly long arms, but the LARGE fits like it was made to order. Perfect! In the past I’ve purchased XL, XL/TALL and even 2XL from other manufacturers to provide the extended arm and leg length I required, but the overall fit was always seriously compromised. My wife is pleased with the fit of her Mako wetsuits, but would appreciate a little more room at the bust. There are no zippers on these suits. The top has a beaver tail with plastic snaps in lieu of a zipper. The bottoms of the men’s wetsuit come standard as a farmer john, but can easily be cut down to a high waisted pants configuration that I personally prefer.
By default, without the inner lining an open cell suit is dramatically lighter with far less bulk than a conventional suit. Great for carry-on backpacks and luggage. Moreover the outer shell is the only part of the suit that retains moisture. Water literally sheds off of the inner raw neoprene. We toss our suits in a mesh bag when leaving the boat and carry them back to the room to rinse and dry. We never did this with our closed cell suits due to the sheer weight of the saturated inner lining.
Our first experience with our Mako suits was last November in Bonaire. We typically dive full 3mm or 5mm suits and hooded vests depending on the time of year. Yes, we are wimps. Five minutes into the first dive with my new 3mm suit I thought I was having a stroke! In an attempt to cool down I pulled the hood back and cycled water through the suit but to no avail. I ended up only using the Mako for a few night dives during the entire trip, however, my cold intolerant buddy wore her 3mm Mako for 27 hours of diving that week and loved it.
Our second experience was February 2019 in Cozumel with an average water temp of 79 degrees. I wore the 3mm again and my wife wore her 5mm. We were perfectly warm throughout eight days of diving. We have lots of “friends” in Cozumel, so insults are commonplace. Immediately after my wife and I put on our full camo suits Steve holds up an imaginary long gun and asks if we are going on a North Carolina turkey shoot! This resulted in lots of laughs, but we actually had the last laugh. We watched everyone either shivering, tearing off their cold (closed cell) wetsuits, grabbing boat coats and/or warming themselves in the hot Mexican sun after every dive. Conversely, we were warm and comfortable simply by leaving our suits on. I witnessed the exact same behavior of other divers in St. Kitts a few weeks later. We discovered open cell suits are warm both in and out of the water.
As stated earlier, open cell suits require a lubricant because they can be challenging to put on. We use diluted non petroleum based hair conditioner. Open cell suits also tend to be different to remove due to the tighter fit and the natural suction the raw neoprene has to your skin, so it’s much easier if you have help. There was a guy from the great white north on the boat in Cozumel that shouted “hockey fight” every time my wife and I grabbed each other’s top (jersey) after diving. Canadians... You can certainly remove the suit alone, but there is a technique. The raw neoprene is susceptible to damage by fingernails or sharp objects, so you need to be careful. However, if you do damage the neoprene it can be easily repaired (with Aquaseal + NEO Contact Cement). The two-piece design offers a lot of flexibility for interchangeable layers and configurations.
In conclusion, we are very pleased with our Mako wetsuits and highly recommend them. It’s probably not be the best choice for the occasional diver due to the idiosyncrasies associated with open cell suits. However, these wetsuits should definitely be at the top of the list for avid divers, frequent fliers and current open cell wetsuit divers.
https://www.makospearguns.com/Wetsuits-s/94.htm
We're you guys wearing them in Little Cayman? That was pretty warm water...
