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I just did several dives in 69 degree water with a two piece T2 suit. It was warmer than my 3mm wetsuit, only issue I found was I should have gotten a size smaller lower. […].
Overall I love the Sharkskin, the front zipper is easy to use, it is easy to put on and take off. Turn it inside out and it drys quickly. It is also a lot easier to pack! I am selling my wetsuit!
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.
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.
It’s posts like these that confuse me about Sharkskin (Lavacore, etc.). If they’re really this good, why haven’t they completely replaced 3mm wetsuits?
This; exactly this, right down to also having a Bare Reactive 3mm I like.
@WillieJustice any actual numbers on temps? Any update from your Mexico trip?
@PamelaH you promised a follow-up as well; please?
I just did several dives in 69 degree water with a two piece T2 suit. It was warmer than my 3mm wetsuit, only issue I found was I should have gotten a size smaller lower.
It’s posts like these that confuse me about Sharkskin (Lavacore, etc.). If they’re really this good, why haven’t they completely replaced 3mm wetsuits?
I looked at the log my computer keeps. The surface water temperatures were 82 to 84 F in Costa Rica last May. Bottom temperatures got down below 80. 78 was lowest. That is not exactly cold water. It felt fine, and it felt like I could have been plenty warm in cooler water.It’s posts like these that confuse me about Sharkskin (Lavacore, etc.). If they’re really this good, why haven’t they completely replaced 3mm wetsuits?
This; exactly this, right down to also having a Bare Reactive 3mm I like.
@WillieJustice any actual numbers on temps? Any update from your Mexico trip?
@PamelaH you promised a follow-up as well; please?