The life of a wetsuit

[laserdoc]

How many years will a 3mm wetsuit last me. Over time the cells will compress and it won't keep you as warm. Reason I ask,,,I bought a used one for my girlfriend off ebay and it does not seem to be as spongy as my new one. It is several years old I'm sure.

 

[TheRedHead]

100 dives or so and they really start to lose it. I don't trust ebay for wetsuits as I have seen too many shops selling off their rental inventory. :11:

 

[spectrum]

How many years will a 3mm wetsuit last me. Over time the cells will compress and it won't keep you as warm. Reason I ask,,,I bought a used one for my girlfriend off ebay and it does not seem to be as spongy as my new one. It is several years old I'm sure.

Well years is a wide open variable.

More telling are number of dives
Depth of dives
Care and cleaning
Storage conditions
Original material quality
Was it made for dive use or some other water sport

Less spongy could mean dried up, loaded with salt crystals or a quality rubber with good bubble structure. When you are talking about getting insulation from gas bubbles while diving spongy is not necessarily a good attribute.

As mentioned some real deterioration is likely by 100 dives. I often see end of life mentioned at around 300 dives.

Pete

 

[laserdoc]

Well years is a wide open variable.

More telling are number of dives
Depth of dives
Care and cleaning
Storage conditions
Original material quality
Was it made for dive use or some other water sport

Less spongy could mean dried up, loaded with salt crystals or a quality rubber with good bubble structure. When you are talking about getting insulation from gas bubbles while diving spongy is not necessarily a good attribute.

As mentioned some real deterioration is likely by 100 dives. I often see end of life mentioned at around 300 dives.

Pete

It is an Oceanic shorty. Have no idea how many dives are on it. Guess if she complains on getting cold while diving would be a good sign. Is a full 3mm suit to warm for Bonaire in a few months(Oct).Or just a lyrca skin?

 

[spectrum]

I think you are into the range of personal preferance/tolerance as well as how intesively you will be diving.

Pete

 

[tarheeldiver]

It is an Oceanic shorty. Have no idea how many dives are on it. Guess if she complains on getting cold while diving would be a good sign. Is a full 3mm suit to warm for Bonaire in a few months(Oct).Or just a lyrca skin?

I did Bonaire back in May and wore a Bare 3/2 fullsuit it worked fine but by the end of the week I would start getting chilled by the end of an hour dive water temp then was 83 also I do a lot of quarry diving so I don't normally chill easy guess it was the number of dives
greg
p.s. my avatar is the reefcam at Bonaire you will love it

 

[Mr. Sunday]

It is less about years than how much it has been used. I think depending on the suit you should be able to get a minimum of 100 dives out of one.

 

[CrazyScuba]

Agreed on the wetsuit life, depends on how it's used, cared for, etc. Buying a suit without knowing that info is risky.

As far as Bonaire, it will depend on your comfort level (cold or warm natured?) and how many dives you'll be doing. Bonaire is a great place to dive 24 hours a day, so if you're going to be diving a lot, you'll probably need to layer by the end of the week, or wear a thicker suit. I wear a beanie to keep more heat in my head and that makes a big difference.

We love Bonaire, take a trip there every year! Have a great time!

Britt
CrazyScuba.com :fish: