camo wetsuit??

[Fatboyryder]

Does anyone have any imput on weather wearing a camo wetsuit vs a standard colored one really makes much difference in getting closer to marine life? It seems no matter what you wear the bubbles you expell kind of defeat the purpose of the camo unless you are free diving. How about the material? Is the yamamoto 39 neoprene really the best quality now as used by Riffe or Real Sea in their suits? So many choices and you really can't test drive wetsuits....

 

[Nemrod]

No, but I factually know that using a quiet double hose regulator like a Royal Aqua Master does allow me to get closer to marine life. The bubbles being behind me and the quiet operation tend to be less startling to marine life, like it or not.

N

 

[fdog]

I was just in a class with a lot of hard-core spearos. I asked them the same question - does the camo really matter? They seemed to indicate that it would buy them a meter closer or so. Yes, there's some value in a freediving situation.

General wisdom is that a freediving suit should be used for just that, freediving. The softness of the rubber makes it easily crushable at extended exposure to depth such as when scuba diving.

Is there a difference? I own suits made from every major neoprene manufacturer; my freediving suit, a Yazbeck made from Yammamoto 39, is the best-feeling material in my closet. I tried on a suit from Oceaner, made from Yamamoto 45 (the number refers to the bubble count in the neoprene) which was so flexible it was as if I didn't have a suit on at all, but that was a competition freediving suit.

Hope this helps.


All the best, James