Just a couple of questions from a new diver.

[Chavodel8en]

Plenty of California divers scuba exclusively with a wetsuit. I've been using a wetsuit in Monterey/Carmel for the past 15 years/ 130 dives. Then again, some folks wont dive w/out a drysuit. It really depends on your cold tolerance.

For me, SoCal in a wetsuit is a piece of cake in comparison, as its a few degrees warmer.

I don't freedive, so cant comment. I have a thick 8/7mm wetsuit, and I could see it being a little stiff for freediving.

 

[TMHeimer]

Plenty of California divers scuba exclusively with a wetsuit. I've been using a wetsuit in Monterey/Carmel for the past 15 years/ 130 dives. Then again, some folks wont dive w/out a drysuit. It really depends on your cold tolerance.

For me, SoCal in a wetsuit is a piece of cake in comparison, as its a few degrees warmer.

I don't freedive, so cant comment. I have a thick 8/7mm wetsuit, and I could see it being a little stiff for freediving.

I've never free dived per se, but with a thick wetsuit you'd need a lot of weight. That may be a hinderance for free diving?

 

[Connor78]

no reason you can't do double duty, suits are suits all things considered. I have a bunch of buddies that use Dano's suits from @MAKO Spearguns for spearfishing while on scuba and freediving. Good stuff

I will have to give MAKO a look. Thank you for the help.

 

[Connor78]

Do a number of dives to get used to being on scuba before you task load with spear fishing.

Have fun.

I was wanting to start freediving around local reefs with pole spear or gun when I decided that I would get my scuba licence at the same time. I love the primal aspect of freediving and only using my lungs but I want to be able to do deeper dives and dive for longer to really see the beauty of the ocean from underneath.

 

[Connor78]

Thanks for the positive comments. A 7 mm freedive suit is definitely warm enough for recreational scuba and freediving. Our freedive suits have the option of a farmer john pants and the jacket has an attached hood and without any zippers to leak water, you have a very warm suit.

When freediving, it is very desirable to minimize the thickness of your suit, so that you minimize the buoyancy swing between the surface and at depth. For scuba, the swing is easily offset by the use of a BC.

I know some freedivers in that area will choose a 5 mm freedive suit, even though it is not as warm as a 7 mm suit. If you are going to do a lot of scuba, you should probably consider a 7 mm suit and see how it goes. Hopefully you will take a look at our wetsuits,

I recently made an informational/promotional post about our suits. Hopefully this will be useful.

How To Choose a Freedive Suit

Thanks
Dano

I will for sure take your site into consideration while collecting my gear. Thank you for the informational comment and the sweet hookup.

 

[Connor78]

Out of curiosity, where exactly are you located? The temperature range you give sounds more like NorCal than SoCal. Around here most people get by with a 7mm wetsuit, though some of us whine about it more than others, and some exceptional wimps such as myself layer a Sharkskin jacket underneath and pour warm water into the suit. No one worth talking to would fault you if you decided to get a drysuit.

I am over in Ventura, I was just saying 10-15 because its been cold as hell this winter and I would like to be able to comfortably dive year round. You frequent Malibu or the islands? During the summer when it warms up do you ever get too hot in the 7mm or is it comfortable?

 

[Esprise Me]

I just got certified in November, so I can't say for sure about the summer, but unless you're one of those people who run hot I doubt a 7mm would be too much. You might be able to get by with something thinner, which might be desirable because you'd experience less bouyancy change with depth, but if your goal is one wetsuit to rule them all I'd go with the 7mm. Even in the summer it rarely gets above the high 60s F; I recently dived in water that was in the low-mid 70s (in Cabo) and the 5mm I rented was OK, but I still got chilly on repetitive dives. I probably wouldn't have minded a 7mm.

 

[Connor78]

I just got certified in November, so I can't say for sure about the summer, but unless you're one of those people who run hot I doubt a 7mm would be too much. You might be able to get by with something thinner, which might be desirable because you'd experience less bouyancy change with depth, but if your goal is one wetsuit to rule them all I'd go with the 7mm. Even in the summer it rarely gets above the high 60s F; I recently dived in water that was in the low-mid 70s (in Cabo) and the 5mm I rented was OK, but I still got chilly on repetitive dives. I probably wouldn't have minded a 7mm.

So compromising on the 7mm suit for scuba probably would not be the best idea. I spoke to a buddy today and he just uses his surf suit when he goes freediving so I may just do that until I decided I would like to buy a suit for scuba and freediving.

 

[MAKO Spearguns]

Thanks for taking a look! We just announced a sale on our freedive suits.