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The best wetsuit for freediving in cold water
I picked this wetsuit for the Gear Shop because it is high quality while also being a great deal. You won't find a 7mm open-cell freediving wetsuit for less than $200 anywhere else.
Please note: the women's cuts are out of stock and the next shipment will arrive at the end of June.
What's good about this wetsuit
- Japanese Yamamoto neopreneThe most important factor in choosing a wetsuit is the quality of its neoprene. High quality neoprene is extremely warm, but still light and flexible, allowing you to take full breaths and enter and exit the suit easily. Flexibility also means you can go down a size, getting a watertight fit without compromising ease of movement.
Our wetsuit is made from Yamamoto neoprene, the industry's gold standard for flexibility and warmth. Yamamoto's neoprene is made from limestone, the most environmentally friendly source material. - 7mm open cell on the insideOpen cell is warmer than any other kind of neoprene, because the open cells act like thousands of tiny suction cups, sticking to your skin to keep cold water out.
- Super-stretch nylon on the outsideNylon protects the wetsuit against wear and UV rays. Our nylon is super-stretch to make putting on and taking off the wetsuit easy.
- "High waist" not "Farmer John" styleA "Farmer John" style wetsuit covers your chest with the pants as well as the top. This makes it harder for you to take a full final breath before a dive. It also means you have to take off your top to be able to pee. Our wetsuit is "high waist" style means the pants cover your core, but stop below your chest.
- Knee, elbow and chest padsKnee and elbow pads protect the wetsuit from abrasion. Our pads are sewn into the wetsuit, not just glued on.
- Watertight seals around face, wrists and anklesSmoothskin neoprene all the way up to the edge of the wrists, ankles and face provides watertight seals. Avoid wetsuits which sew nylon over this edge, breaking the seal and letting water in.
- Double clasp fastenerWhen hands are cold, it is easier to unfasten a double clasp than a single clasp. Our clasps are double and come with reinforced anchoring in the suit.
Choosing your size
Use the size charts below to choose your size. Choose a size that fits you snugly, because high quality neoprene will stretch and mold to your body. The formula for staying warm in cold water is:
high quality neoprene + a snug fit.
high quality neoprene + a snug fit.
Sizing Tips
- Measure yourselfMeasure yourself around the fullest part of your chest, the narrowest part of your waist, and the widest part of your hips. If you don't have a tape measure, you can get one from Amazon for $3.
Then check your measurements against the size charts, putting most importance on your chest and waist, medium importance on your hips, and low importance on your height (it doesn't matter if a wetsuit is a bit short or long). If you are between sizes, go with the lower size, because the high quality neoprene this wetsuit is made of can stretch to accommodate your body shape, and a tight wetsuit will keep you warmer than a loose one. But don't go too tight on the chest, because you want to still be able to take a full breath comfortably. - Standard sizes aren't right for everyoneIf your measurements differ wildly from those on the charts, consider getting a custom wetsuit. Some excellent custom wetsuit makers are Elios, Polosub and Hi. A snug fit everywhere is important for staying warm.
Wetsuit FAQs
Make a 50-50 mix of hair conditioner and water, and spray or rub it over the inside of your suit. Don't leave any bits dry. Once the inside of the suit is slick, turn it back rightside out, and put one arm through, then the other arm, then finally pull it gently over your head.
When pulling, don't stab your hand through the suit, or catch it with your fingernails.
Using more than 50% conditioner in your mix is fine, but don't use less than 50% conditioner, otherwise it won't be slippery enough, and you will stretch out your suit. Water alone does not lubricate your suit.
Use whichever brand of hair conditioner you like for your hair :) Hair conditioner is generally considered reef-safe (unlike some types of sunscreen).
When pulling, don't stab your hand through the suit, or catch it with your fingernails.
Using more than 50% conditioner in your mix is fine, but don't use less than 50% conditioner, otherwise it won't be slippery enough, and you will stretch out your suit. Water alone does not lubricate your suit.
Use whichever brand of hair conditioner you like for your hair :) Hair conditioner is generally considered reef-safe (unlike some types of sunscreen).
When you take off your wetsuit, leave it inside out. Rinse it this way in fresh water, then hang it up to dry. Don't hang it on something poky; better to lay it over a railing or a big hanger made for wetsuits.
If you don't rinse your wetsuit after diving, it is not the end of the world. Salt water will shorten the suit's life somewhat, but no suit is going to last forever anyway.
Don't leave your wetsuit lying in direct sun - it can melt, and UV degrades the neoprene.
Most importantly, take it on and off gently, with no sudden, stabbing or tearing motions. Make sure to cover the inside generously in 50-50 conditioner-water mix before putting it on.
If you don't rinse your wetsuit after diving, it is not the end of the world. Salt water will shorten the suit's life somewhat, but no suit is going to last forever anyway.
Don't leave your wetsuit lying in direct sun - it can melt, and UV degrades the neoprene.
Most importantly, take it on and off gently, with no sudden, stabbing or tearing motions. Make sure to cover the inside generously in 50-50 conditioner-water mix before putting it on.
“Open cell” means the neoprene on the inside of the suit has not been heat-sealed or covered with fabric, so it acts like thousands of tiny suction cups, sticking to your skin and keeping you extra warm. It also makes it harder to get into, so you will need to spray the inside of the suit with lube (such as a 50:50 mix of hair conditioner and water) before getting into it. But once you are in, it will stick to you like a second skin. Open-cell neoprene is warmer than any other kind of neoprene.
To make neoprene, raw rubber is mixed with a “chemical blowing agent” which, under heat and pressure, releases nitrogen gas into the rubber, creating the gas “cells” that provide insulation.
On the surface, these gas cells make us buoyant, meaning we have to wear a lot of weight to be able to dive down through the first couple of meters without generating uncomfortable levels of carbon dioxide.
But once we start to descend, Boyle’s law causes these gas cells to shrink, displacing less water and therefore exerting less buoyancy. So we get heavier and heavier, making the descent easier but the swim back up harder. For deeper freedives, the difficulty of this return swim starts to become a constraint.
Therefore, the less neoprene you wear, the more comfortable your dives will be. So warmer neoprene is a big advantage.
On the surface, these gas cells make us buoyant, meaning we have to wear a lot of weight to be able to dive down through the first couple of meters without generating uncomfortable levels of carbon dioxide.
But once we start to descend, Boyle’s law causes these gas cells to shrink, displacing less water and therefore exerting less buoyancy. So we get heavier and heavier, making the descent easier but the swim back up harder. For deeper freedives, the difficulty of this return swim starts to become a constraint.
Therefore, the less neoprene you wear, the more comfortable your dives will be. So warmer neoprene is a big advantage.
Some people will say a 5mm suit keeps them warm enough. But to be comfortably warm even in the winter season (December to June), when temperatures can get down to 51F in the ocean, a 7mm is best. Also, a wetsuit stretches out a bit over time, losing some of its warmth, so getting a 7mm ensures it will still do its job for many years. If you know beyond a doubt that you are a very warm person in the water (perhaps because you have built up brown fat by swimming in the ocean), 5mm is ok.
You can, but you will need a thicker wetsuit for the same amount of warmth. Scuba wetsuits are generally colder, because they are not open-cell, have a zipper in the back which lets in some water, and don't have an integrated hood. The drawback of a thicker wetsuit is that you will need more weight to offset its extra buoyancy, so you will have to work harder to swim up from deeper dives. If the depth of your dives isn't testing your swimming ability, feel free to re-use your scuba wetsuit.
Generally, no. Surfing is much warmer than freediving, because you are mostly out of the water and doing a lot of cardio, whereas in freediving you are immersed in the water, and often doing very little in order to relax. In Northern California many people surf in a 5/4 or 4/3, whereas you need a 7 with a hood for freediving.
Avoid buying a second-hand wetsuit unless it has never been used. Wetsuits stretch out over time, so old ones have often lost a lot of their warmth, especially if the owner did not put it on carefully.