Surfing/wakeboarding 3mm suit vs. diving 3mm suit

[mrputtputt]

What exactly is the difference between both? I was looking for a 2/3mm or 3mm suit for an upcoming trip but the store didn't have it and don't really carry it was it's cold water in my area. They did have the thinner items at the surfing/wakeboarding section. Then I come home my SO tells me it's all wrong. It seems tight enough and the fit was fine. I can actually move!

Can someone explain the difference in characteristics of a wetsuit for surfing vs. diving? I really can't tell myself when I looked at the 7mm and 8mm suits. If they are really different, any disadvantage using the surfing one for diving?

I didn't have a need for a suit, even a shorty, in multi-dives and multi-days last year in off Cancun and in Cozumel, even when I was at the wall @ Cozumel at 100ft max dept. I was with a boat with some divers from Europe and asked them why they were in wet suits in warm waters (everyone else was, though some in shortys). They said as you keep on diving, you lose warmth and it'll get colder and colder. I didn't notice it but it must be my multi-fat layers. In any case, I know it's good protection from corals (especially fire coral) and what not so I'm considering it now, but a thin one since I don't want to get too hot as I dove in only swim trunks and my underarmour at Cancun/Cozumel. I didn't get cold then.

 

[Tanked]

For the rate occasion when I need a 3mil suit for diving I use my surfing wetsuit. A 3mil O'neal. No difference at all.

 

[mrputtputt]

My SO checked it out after I wore it. She was concerned that it was a little on the "loose" side because it stretches more than she would like it to be. Like the area around the wrists, she considered it not tight enough.

Do surfing wetsuits fit loosely more than diving wetsuits? Will they allow more water to flow thru if they do fit more loosely?

How do the 100% stretch fit compared to a 30% stretch 3/2mm or 3mm suit? I see some diving wetsuits that say it's 100% stretch.

 

[seahorsey]

The biggest difference is about compression: surfing suits do never have to deal with compression at depth, since you only use them at the surface. Scuba suits do: the pressure at depth (ANY depth) will increasingly compress the neoprene, or, more precisely, the air bubbles inside the neoprene. These are what gives you buoyancy and insulation! So not only do you lose buoyancy as you go deeper, you also lose insulation. This applies to all wetsuits. Scuba suits have different neoprene mixes, which are more stable. Water sport wetsuits get flat real quick.
That said, I got a Sea-doo shorty and love it to death, and hubby likes his 3mm long Sea-doo just as well. If you're as tough as you described for cold, a watersport 3mm should do you just fine for warm waters! And as you said, is good protection from coral and sea urchins and stinging jellies, and come on more easy than a more substantial suit.
My windsurfing buddy says her thick surfing wetsuit is more delicate than a diving one, it doesn't have the outer layer of fabric, it has foamy/rubbery neoprene right outside and you have to be careful when you pull it on, or you will tear it. You don't really want that. Our Sea-doo suits have a fabric outer layer and have survived nicely so far (80 dives or so).
As your SO said, fit is more critical for warmth: if water flows through, it takes your body heat right out with it, and you will get cold. And yes, you will get cold eventually even in tropical waters.

 

[seahorsey]

Who measures percentages of stretch? There is no National Stretch Standardized Test. Lots of fancy names differing from brand to brand, and sophisticated strategies with inserts and panels and cones and whatnot. Advertising. Disregard. Try them on!!! No substitute for that. Model A could have less stretch than Model B, but be cut closer to your actual shape, and will fit nicely. Or have the stretch built into the spots where you need it. Generally, the warmer and thicker the suit, the more unwieldy it gets. With a thin or cheap 3mm, I wouldn't worry too much about stretch, they all should have enough. 7mm, different story, now fit and stretch become VERY important. Only if you want to breathe now and then, of course.
If yours fits good but is a bit loose at the wrists (and yes that DOES matter!), you could make them smaller/tighter yourself with a sewing machine with a zigzag stitch, just take a dart out. I've just done it to my hood. Looks a bit homegrown, but works like a charm.