Wetsuit Recommendations??? - Help a bro out!

[Bigbella]

O'Neill, from my hometown, of Santa Cruz, CA -- well-made and available most everywhere. They offer a generous variety of sizes, off the rack; and they have seen a woman or two, so, they are also popular with the female contingent, who, thankfully, aren't built like adolescent boys.

I am still using a nice 3 mm surf suit, for warmer climes, from back in 2001; and a 7 mm for local waters, at 10˚ C . . .

 

[Zef]

I recommend trying on as many brands and models as you can. You will find nuances in how different suits fit.

The most important aspect of a wetsuit is FIT. The suit should comfortably hug your body all over.

Back zip suits tend to be easier to take off without help than front zip wetsuits.

Zippers on the ankles and wrists are a plus to facilitate putting the suit on and taking it off, if there is secondary cuff in both areas.

When you try on suits, lay down on the floor and approximate the position(s) you will be diving in to see if the suit presents any restrictions in that/those positions.

-Z

 

[formernuke]

Get one that fits. I've noticed small differences between brands, like that Aqualung tends to run small in the wrists and ankles, while Henderson runs large overall but especially in the torso (at least in women's suits.) Try on a bunch and see what works for you.

^^^^^ this far more important than brand is fit. Try on as many as you can and get the best fitting one or go custom.

 

[Hank49]

I've bought a few wetsuits online. Mako and Yazbeck guides for sizing worked really well. (Height, weight). Yazbeck has been the most durable.
Also, if you buy open cell, you may not be able to try it on. A good fitting open cell requires some lubrication to slip on. Diluted hair conditioner works great but the shop won't allow you to apply that.

 

[Soloist]

Skip all the scuba suits and go with an open cell, two piece freediving suit. Makos are great suits for an awesome price, not sure if that price would hold up with shipping to Australia though. Yamamoto rubber is the best option.

I was really excited back in the early 2000's when the freediving and spearfishing suits were making lots of innovations. It was only a matter of time before the scuba suits caught on. It never really happened. Most scuba suits are the same as they were in the 90's- Make them comfortable to try on in the dive shop and they will sell. In water performance is secondary.

Agreed. Unfortunately I didn’t notice the OP was from Australia when recommending the Mako suits.

 

[sea_ledford]

I've bought a few wetsuits online. Mako and Yazbeck guides for sizing worked really well. (Height, weight). Yazbeck has been the most durable.
Also, if you buy open cell, you may not be able to try it on. A good fitting open cell requires some lubrication to slip on. Diluted hair conditioner works great but the shop won't allow you to apply that.

You can try them on inside out, if your are REALLY careful with your fingernails. Wearing gloves would probably help with that.
I've found that size wise, it is best to go with the height range, with weight being a far distant second. I wear a large Mako, which I think has a weight range of 175-190. I'm about 205 these days, it still fits fine. It was even fine when I was at 220. If I was 250 or something I might feel differently, but if you are +/- 10-20 lbs outside of the weight range, it probably won't make much difference.

 

[MAKO Spearguns]

Thanks for the recommendations guys. We DO ship pretty much anywhere in the world, but shipping costs obviously becomes a consideration when overseas.

Also, when you first receive your wetsuit, you should try it on with proper suit lubrication, if it doesn't fit - we will accept returns. We get few returns, because our size guides have been shown to be pretty accurate.

Our suits are very flexible but we generally recommend that a customer place more emphasis on weight rather than height. Apparently that doesn't hold true for everyone.


Thanks!

Dano

 

[sea_ledford]

Our suits are very flexible but we generally recommend that a customer place more emphasis on weight rather than height. Apparently that doesn't hold true for everyone.

Ha! I guess I'm the odd man out then? My mom always did say I just had big bones.