Wetsuit for Scuba + Free diving

[Nico dR]

Hi,

I'm into both scuba and free diving, but at this point I don't do enough of either of them to justify buying one wetsuit for each. I'm trying to find something as polyvalent as possible, meaning a wetsuit that would be flexible enough to allow enjoying freediving but durable and warm enough to use it for scuba. Does anyone have recommendations on what could be a good polyvalent wetsuit for these use cases?

I talked to my local shop and they recommended the ScubaPro Everflex 5mm, do you think that would be a good choice?

I should precise that I am also looking for something to dive in 15 to 25 C waters, both for scuba or free diving.

Many thanks in advance!

 

[BoltSnap]

to dive in 15 to 25 C waters

That is a very wide range to try to cover with only one suit in my experience especially in scuba. 15C is VERY cold for a 5mm wetsuit (it is dry or a semi-dry at least temperature) and 25C is borderline for a 5mm (I'd wear a 3mm for 25C).

 

[Nico dR]

Thanks @BurhanMuntasser. I guess I'm not too worried about temperature here. I could always put a layer underneath if too cold, and I do have a 3mm that I can use if the water is too warm. I guess I'm more interested in learning people's experience doing both scuba and free diving with the same wetsuit and whether it's a bad compromise or it's fine.

 

[uncfnp]

@MAKO Spearguns

https://www.makospearguns.com/Wetsuits-s/94.htm

 

[Esprise Me]

Agreed; 15 C (59 F) is about the limit of what I can tolerate in a 7mm. You might run hotter, but then, would you still be comfortable in that same suit at the upper end of that range?

I'm not a freediver, but I've seen more scuba divers wearing freediving suits than the reverse. It's my understanding that freediving suits may be warmer at a given thickness, but I'm not sure you want warmth so much as versatility. Freediving suits seem like they're harder to get on and off as well. If you don't do much of any diving, might renting be your best option?

 

[MAKO Spearguns]

Thanks for the heads up UNCFNP!

As mentioned already, a 10 C temp range is pretty wide for a single suit. You might consider a MAKO 5 mm suit as a good choice for those temperatures. You mentioned you could use an existing 3 mm for the upper temperature range.

I think that 4/5 mm one piece suit (which you posted a link for) will not be warm enough for those temperatures, even if you add an expensive hooded vest. The leakage of water at the neck and zipper of that one piece suit is going to be uncomfortable at 15/60 degrees.

A 5 mm freedive suit should work pretty well for those temperatures.

I'll skip the promotional language about our suits and our premium materials - the link to our website was already posted and the information is there.

Thanks
dano

 

[Nico dR]

Thanks!

 

[eleniel]

Two piece open cell - I've heard great things about the Mako sets linked above.
They are a little bit more of a challenge to get in/out of because there is no fabric lining inside the suit - this makes them warmer than your standard scuba suit because it drastically cuts down on the amount of water in contact with your skin and the tight fit also dramatically limits the amount of flushing.
The open cell suits do have fabric lining on the outside, making them durable enough to handle scuba equipment, while the lack of fabric on the inside not only improves warmth but also makes the suit more flexible.

I haven't used the Mako suits, but in my experience the thinner freedive suits are pretty equivalent to the next thicker scuba wetsuit (for example, a 3mm open-cell suit is about as warm as a 5mm wetsuit) - the advantage of this is that you need less lead to counteract the buoyancy of the neoprene.

You'll want to avoid smoothskin freedive suits however as those have no fabric lining on the outside and are way too delicate for scuba gear. They are the warmest and dry almost immediately (great for surface intervals where wind is a factor) but your gear would tear it up.