2airishuman
Contributor
Two years ago I got a 7mm freediving wetsuit. A year later I got a 3mm freediving wet suit. This year I got freediving fins and socks, and my daughter got a 7mm freediving wetsuit. We use freediving weight belts.
I don't freedive unless going to 10-20' for 30 seconds counts.
I think this gear is great for the kind of scuba diving I do and offer this review.
"Freediving" gear I have
* Speardiver (Fredivestore.com) men's wetsuits in 3XL in 3mm and 7mm
* Mako women's wetsuit in L in 7mm
* Mako 3mm rock socks with kevlar sole
* Mako rubber weight belts
* Mako 2 pound "pinch" weights
* Mako 1.6 pound "quick" weights
* Mako "competition freediver" fins
* Mako lower leg weights
Wetsuits: the tradeoff
Freediving wetsuits are more fiddly to don and doff. In general, donning requires that both your skin and the wetsuit be thoroughly wetted. Some amount of lubricant is usually required, and to some extent you can get away with less wetting if you use more lubricant. Either way, it's awkward to do (but possible) on a crowded boat. There is a certain amount of rolling and stretching, and you have to have good shoulder mobility or a helper.
The tradeoff is that the suits are warmer and more comfortable in the water than typical scuba diving wetsuits. They are also considerably cheaper.
Many of my dives are long shore dives in very cold water. I find the comfort, warmth and streamlining to be more than worth it.
Mako vs. Speardiver suits
The suits are similar except for the cut (men's/women's) and size with some minor differences in construction that don't affect function. I don't see a difference in overall quality. Mako does ship same day while freedivestore.com in my experience does not.
Lifetime of suits
I have 53 dives on my 7mm suit and 40 dives on my 3mm suit.
The 7mm shows some wear at the seams and is not quite as buoyant as it was when new as I can get by with less lead. However it is still very warm. I recorded a water temperature of 34 degrees F on a recent dive in it. The 3mm doesn't show meaningful signs of wear yet. In addition to having a handful fewer dives, the material is not as stiff and isn't subject to as much stretching when donning and doffing.
In comparison, my Neosport 3/2 scuba diving wetsuit has only 32 dives on it and has lost a noticeable amount of elasticity.
I see wetsuits as wear items and will be happy if I can get over 100 dives on them.
Fins: the tradeoff
Freediving fins are long, stiff, full-foot fins. Except in warm water, they are worn with neoprene socks and are sized accordingly. They do not have any venting or split. Because of their length and stiffness, it is considered unwise to make a giant-stride entry with these on as they may be damaged or come off. Alternatives are a backroll or donning the fins in the water.
I found these to be far more comfortable than either my Cressi Reaction fins (with wetboots) or my Tusa Solla full-foot fins (warm water). The freediving fins spread the pressure out on the metatarsals rather than concentrating it on the toes, and do not move relative to the foot. They are also more streamlined.
These are very efficient fins, and my air consumption rate was a whopping 20% lower than it had been when I did the same dive under the same conditions with the same equipment, except with the Cressi Reaction fins, last summer.
The Cressi Reaction fins lasted for about 120 dives before the expensive bungee strap came off the heel on the right side. While replacements are available, they cost nearly as much as new fins, so I'm scrapping these. I'll report back in a couple years on how the freediving fins lasted, by way of comparison. I wore out one set of wetboots after around 100 dives.
Weights and belts
I dive a BP/W and pretty much always have except when checking the operation of gear I have set aside for other people. I don't usually use much lead, between the steel BP, the freshwater dives I make, and the steel cylinders I use.
I use the Mako "quick weights," which are 1.6 pounds each, when I need a total of 6 pounds or less on my belt. I just put them on the waist belt of my BC. These weights have a bungee band and groove that allows them to be removed with one hand without undoing the belt, so they would be easy for me to ditch, should that ever become necessary.
I get floaty feet when I dive a twinset, and I use the lower leg weights to compensate. They are more comfortable than ankle weights.
I use the rubber weight belt when need more weight, with either the pinch weights or with standard weights on dive boats or the larger 5 and 10 pound weights I have when those are needed. The rubber belt is more comfortable and does not slip down, compared to a nylon belt.
Camouflage
The wetsuits I have are camouflage. On those occasions when I dive with other people, I do get some complaints that I am harder to see as a result in marginal viz.
I do believe it is possible to approach fish more closely without spooking them, though.
I don't freedive unless going to 10-20' for 30 seconds counts.
I think this gear is great for the kind of scuba diving I do and offer this review.
"Freediving" gear I have
* Speardiver (Fredivestore.com) men's wetsuits in 3XL in 3mm and 7mm
* Mako women's wetsuit in L in 7mm
* Mako 3mm rock socks with kevlar sole
* Mako rubber weight belts
* Mako 2 pound "pinch" weights
* Mako 1.6 pound "quick" weights
* Mako "competition freediver" fins
* Mako lower leg weights
Wetsuits: the tradeoff
Freediving wetsuits are more fiddly to don and doff. In general, donning requires that both your skin and the wetsuit be thoroughly wetted. Some amount of lubricant is usually required, and to some extent you can get away with less wetting if you use more lubricant. Either way, it's awkward to do (but possible) on a crowded boat. There is a certain amount of rolling and stretching, and you have to have good shoulder mobility or a helper.
The tradeoff is that the suits are warmer and more comfortable in the water than typical scuba diving wetsuits. They are also considerably cheaper.
Many of my dives are long shore dives in very cold water. I find the comfort, warmth and streamlining to be more than worth it.
Mako vs. Speardiver suits
The suits are similar except for the cut (men's/women's) and size with some minor differences in construction that don't affect function. I don't see a difference in overall quality. Mako does ship same day while freedivestore.com in my experience does not.
Lifetime of suits
I have 53 dives on my 7mm suit and 40 dives on my 3mm suit.
The 7mm shows some wear at the seams and is not quite as buoyant as it was when new as I can get by with less lead. However it is still very warm. I recorded a water temperature of 34 degrees F on a recent dive in it. The 3mm doesn't show meaningful signs of wear yet. In addition to having a handful fewer dives, the material is not as stiff and isn't subject to as much stretching when donning and doffing.
In comparison, my Neosport 3/2 scuba diving wetsuit has only 32 dives on it and has lost a noticeable amount of elasticity.
I see wetsuits as wear items and will be happy if I can get over 100 dives on them.
Fins: the tradeoff
Freediving fins are long, stiff, full-foot fins. Except in warm water, they are worn with neoprene socks and are sized accordingly. They do not have any venting or split. Because of their length and stiffness, it is considered unwise to make a giant-stride entry with these on as they may be damaged or come off. Alternatives are a backroll or donning the fins in the water.
I found these to be far more comfortable than either my Cressi Reaction fins (with wetboots) or my Tusa Solla full-foot fins (warm water). The freediving fins spread the pressure out on the metatarsals rather than concentrating it on the toes, and do not move relative to the foot. They are also more streamlined.
These are very efficient fins, and my air consumption rate was a whopping 20% lower than it had been when I did the same dive under the same conditions with the same equipment, except with the Cressi Reaction fins, last summer.
The Cressi Reaction fins lasted for about 120 dives before the expensive bungee strap came off the heel on the right side. While replacements are available, they cost nearly as much as new fins, so I'm scrapping these. I'll report back in a couple years on how the freediving fins lasted, by way of comparison. I wore out one set of wetboots after around 100 dives.
Weights and belts
I dive a BP/W and pretty much always have except when checking the operation of gear I have set aside for other people. I don't usually use much lead, between the steel BP, the freshwater dives I make, and the steel cylinders I use.
I use the Mako "quick weights," which are 1.6 pounds each, when I need a total of 6 pounds or less on my belt. I just put them on the waist belt of my BC. These weights have a bungee band and groove that allows them to be removed with one hand without undoing the belt, so they would be easy for me to ditch, should that ever become necessary.
I get floaty feet when I dive a twinset, and I use the lower leg weights to compensate. They are more comfortable than ankle weights.
I use the rubber weight belt when need more weight, with either the pinch weights or with standard weights on dive boats or the larger 5 and 10 pound weights I have when those are needed. The rubber belt is more comfortable and does not slip down, compared to a nylon belt.
Camouflage
The wetsuits I have are camouflage. On those occasions when I dive with other people, I do get some complaints that I am harder to see as a result in marginal viz.
I do believe it is possible to approach fish more closely without spooking them, though.
