Triathlon wetsuit for Scuba?

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Skuba23

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I have bought all my own gear except for a wetsuit because my local store lets me borrow one for free since I bought my equipment from them. I'm going on a trip to the Cayman Islands and I didn't want to have to buy a wetsuit. I have an Ironman Stealth triathlon wetsuit that's made for swimming but I'm wondering how it would work at depth. It is sleeveless with full leg coverage. Here's a link to it: http://www.ironmanwetsuits.com/products/stealth.html

Any thoughts on how this would work for scuba diving??

Thanks much,
Brian
 
From the link I couldn't tell what the core thickness is, the area that covers the trunk of your body.

It should be just fine. The water will be warm but it doesn't hurt to help retain core temperature, especially if you're doing multiple dives.

the Kraken
 
I thought a wetsuit was one of the first things to buy? :11:
 
Buy one or use one for free ???? hhhhmmmmmmmm . . . . ??? :huh:
 
Brian you should be just fine with that on. The challenge of course is that running at 80' presents its challenges. wink wink

No really I just got back from Fiji and the water temp is similiar. We used 1/2 mill skin suits and were fine. Some had 3/2 suits but didn't really need them. I just like having the protection of the full skin suit. Sun burn is a bummer on the first day!

If you get to the point you want a Wet suit call us we have a nice selection and always have deals working.

Happy Diving (see you in Cayman we have a group of 20 going down there soon also)
 
The Kraken:
Buy one or use one for free ???? hhhhmmmmmmmm . . . . ??? :huh:
I like to wear a suit that no one else has peed in.
 
I like to pee in suits that other people borrow
 
Skuba23:
I have bought all my own gear except for a wetsuit because my local store lets me borrow one for free since I bought my equipment from them. I'm going on a trip to the Cayman Islands and I didn't want to have to buy a wetsuit. I have an Ironman Stealth triathlon wetsuit that's made for swimming but I'm wondering how it would work at depth. It is sleeveless with full leg coverage. Here's a link to it: http://www.ironmanwetsuits.com/products/stealth.html

Any thoughts on how this would work for scuba diving??

Thanks much,
Brian


No, no, no, no, no. Bad, bad, bad triathlete and bad SCUBA people for encouraging him to do this. <g>

SCUBA wetsuits and triathlon wetsuits are two different animals. You will absolutely destroy your very expensive ($439 msrp) triathlon wetsuit. Hold your Stealth in one hand and any off-the-rack SCUBA wetsuit in another, and it will be plainly obvious. It's like showing up to a construction site wearing racing flats instead of steel-toed boots. There are literally several more POUNDS of rubber holding a SCUBA wetsuit together than in a triathlon wetsuit of the same thickness.

Why? Triathlon wetsuits are designed for buoyancy first, lightness second, and warmth only because it comes along with the other two. The neoprene has much larger pockets of gas that are very difficult (i.e., expensive) to form. More air, less rubber means the neoprene is much, much weaker than you find in a SCUBA/surfing wetsuit. Durability is just not an issue because surface swimming is not that hard on the material, so we can get away with it in exchange for greater flexibility (which means less energy to swim in it) and less weight (which means you ride higher in the water, also less energy).

These gas pockets will crush at depth rendering them useless for swimming your next triathlon...

...but it will also take you a heap more lead to get you to sink in the first place. So, now you're at depth wearing a whole lot of lead, and your source of buoyancy just imploded throughout your wetsuit as you're looking thousands of feet down over the edge of the Cayman wall. How much buoyancy do you have in your BC to keep you from becoming an anchor?

Also, the slick outer skin of a triathlon wetsuit is extremely fragile- thinner than rice paper. It is designed to be slippery in the water, not to hold up to weightbelts, BC/harnesses, etc. It is very, very common for people to put their fingers right through this skin when merely putting the wetsuit on before a race (which is why you should only grab your wetsuit on the inside). This coating would probably shred from your dive gear before you even got in the water.

If I haven't swayed you yet, just call Ironman Wetsuits directly- they'll be happy to answer your question. Beside, you should be able to rent a SCUBA wetsuit in Cayman, anyway.

Cameron
 
A wetsuit in cayman? Why bother.... Current water temp = 80 degees.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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