clydewilson41
Registered
Check out the Bare 7/8mm semi dry.
Hollis Neotek or Mako 5 or 7mm for colder waters
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JRCrab
Contributor
+1 on the Bare Velocity 7/8mm semi dry. It will definitely work for you and the zipper has been solid for me so far (15+ dives?). I got mine on sale for $320.
That being said, when I got mine, I didn't know about freediving suits. If this Mako would work down to the upper 40's F, I would get this instead for the extra freedom of motion.
The only advantage of the Hollis, in my mind, is the pockets...
clydewilson41
Registered
JRCrab
Contributor
Oh man, the dialogue is killing me haha! What are those guys actually wearing? Is it just the two piece 5mm or are they layered up?
OK, so very impressive...and to be clear, I'm pretty sure I'd rather have one of these than my velocity...but allow me to play devil's advocate: I'm left with the question: Isn't freediving significantly different from SCUBA in that the whole point of SCUBA is to MOVE AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE whereas freediving, by definition, requires you to be swimming? I'm already noticing that I'm not staying as warm as my SCUBA experience increases and I'm able to move and maintain buoyancy and trim with less or sometimes zero effort.
At the end of the day, insulation is based on a few simple principles. Good seals and suit thickness prevent conduction to the cold water. Thus, if the seals on a semi-dry are equivalent (many semi-dry suits use freediving neoprene at the wrists, ankles and neck/hood), but the insulation is thicker, isn't the semi-dry necessarily going to be warmer?
Further, if a free-diving suit is more stretchy, isn't it therefore also more compressible and thus loses more of its warmth at depth?
OK, one more question: Are both pieces of the suit (legs/farmerjohn and jacket/hood) fully 5mm neoprene? Does this mean that you actually have 10mm of neoprene around your torso? THAT could actually be an increase in insulation...
Next, someone should weave space blanket material into the suit in a way that still allows for stretch!
OK, so very impressive...and to be clear, I'm pretty sure I'd rather have one of these than my velocity...but allow me to play devil's advocate: I'm left with the question: Isn't freediving significantly different from SCUBA in that the whole point of SCUBA is to MOVE AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE whereas freediving, by definition, requires you to be swimming? I'm already noticing that I'm not staying as warm as my SCUBA experience increases and I'm able to move and maintain buoyancy and trim with less or sometimes zero effort.
At the end of the day, insulation is based on a few simple principles. Good seals and suit thickness prevent conduction to the cold water. Thus, if the seals on a semi-dry are equivalent (many semi-dry suits use freediving neoprene at the wrists, ankles and neck/hood), but the insulation is thicker, isn't the semi-dry necessarily going to be warmer?
Further, if a free-diving suit is more stretchy, isn't it therefore also more compressible and thus loses more of its warmth at depth?
OK, one more question: Are both pieces of the suit (legs/farmerjohn and jacket/hood) fully 5mm neoprene? Does this mean that you actually have 10mm of neoprene around your torso? THAT could actually be an increase in insulation...
Next, someone should weave space blanket material into the suit in a way that still allows for stretch!
Those guys are wearing 7 mm freedive suits, at least the guy wearing the MAKO suit is. The suit has two pieces, a farmer john pants and a hooded jacket - so yes there is a double layer of neoprene over the torso. With out thinner suits, some divers prefer to cut the top off the FJ pants and make them into high waist configuration. It is not as warm, but provides other benefits.
As for equivalency with scuba suits; most scuba suits are going to include a zipper and then use various layering techniques in order to reduce leakage. In my experience, only a dry suit zipper is going to be entirely effective in that regard. So elimination of the zipper and the incorporation of an attached hood (which some scuba suits have) are beneficial with regard to leakage.
Some high end, cold water scuba suits do use smooth rubber on the ankle and sleeve and even neck to reduce leakage. Most freedive suits have unlined rubber on the entire interior. Elimination of a fabric layer on the inside increases flexibility and also makes it easier to don the suit, when you use the right lube.
Your comment about a thicker wetsuit being warmer than a thinner one (all other things being equal) is definitely true. When we say the suit is 5 mm that means all portions of the suit are 5 mm.
You question about a freedive suit material being inappropriate for scuba is not consistent with our experience, nor that of our customers..
As for equivalency with scuba suits; most scuba suits are going to include a zipper and then use various layering techniques in order to reduce leakage. In my experience, only a dry suit zipper is going to be entirely effective in that regard. So elimination of the zipper and the incorporation of an attached hood (which some scuba suits have) are beneficial with regard to leakage.
Some high end, cold water scuba suits do use smooth rubber on the ankle and sleeve and even neck to reduce leakage. Most freedive suits have unlined rubber on the entire interior. Elimination of a fabric layer on the inside increases flexibility and also makes it easier to don the suit, when you use the right lube.
Your comment about a thicker wetsuit being warmer than a thinner one (all other things being equal) is definitely true. When we say the suit is 5 mm that means all portions of the suit are 5 mm.
You question about a freedive suit material being inappropriate for scuba is not consistent with our experience, nor that of our customers..
JRCrab
Contributor
Awesome. Thanks. In general, you have to love a company who's willing to play in a forum like this.
I dont see the 7mm suit on your website. Is that a special order item or am I just e-stupid?
I dont see the 7mm suit on your website. Is that a special order item or am I just e-stupid?
Thanks for asking. We have a limited supply of our reef camo suits, we are phasing them out and replacing with a different color/camo pattern. We have them discounted and not all sized and thicknesses are available. We have stocked 3, 5 and 7 mm.
Yamamoto Reef Camo 2-Piece Open Cell Wetsuit | MAKO Spearguns
We DO HAVE 5 & 7 mm suits in our new pattern in all sizes AND a womens suit as well.
The photo below shows the FJ pants pre- and post trimming. The seam placement was designed to facilitate cutting the top off without unraveling of the pant seams below the cut. Removal of the top portion of the FJ pants allows a diver to relieve themselves without removal of the jacket, which is important in some situations: e.g., kayak diving.
Yamamoto 3D Reef Camo 2-Piece Open Cell Wetsuit | MAKO Spearguns
Yamamoto Reef Camo 2-Piece Open Cell Wetsuit | MAKO Spearguns
We DO HAVE 5 & 7 mm suits in our new pattern in all sizes AND a womens suit as well.
The photo below shows the FJ pants pre- and post trimming. The seam placement was designed to facilitate cutting the top off without unraveling of the pant seams below the cut. Removal of the top portion of the FJ pants allows a diver to relieve themselves without removal of the jacket, which is important in some situations: e.g., kayak diving.
Yamamoto 3D Reef Camo 2-Piece Open Cell Wetsuit | MAKO Spearguns
JRCrab
Contributor
Well...I'm convinced. When I wear out my semi-dry, if I still can't stomach the cost of a dry suit, I'll be replacing it with one of these.
OP
Diver-Drex
Contributor
Mako - Will the ocean blue 3D be available in 5mm in the future?
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