Best spearfishing wetsuit?

  • Hey guys, I'm going to buy a Speardiver wetsuit they have great reviews and appear to be the best all round spearfishing wetsuit in quality and price. Should I get the Speardiver Reef wetsuit or the Speardiver Predator red wetsuit? First, this suit is for when the temps start to drop so I'm going to get the 3mm and will be hunting SE Florida anywhere from Wabasso down to Ft. Lauderdale, and hopefully a few blue water trips sprinkled throughout the year as I progress (Also hoping to find some spots closer to home--Orlando and/or Gainesville).


    So, to start things off, I realize the safety benefits of the red Predator suit and that it will make locating me easier, more visible at the surface, but am wondering what the drawbacks are. I realize that the longer wavelengths disappear at depth and the red predator suit turns to grey (I'm guessing??) but at what depth does this occur? What if I'm hunting in shallow--15-20ft--water, will I be a red blob on the bottom? For this reason, is the Reef camo a better choice for the location that I will be diving? Is one more advantageous in open water when blue water hunting? I know there are differing opinions on whether color matters at all and breaking up one's figure is the most important function of a suit's pattern...Do the safety benefits of the Predator wetsuit outweigh the functionality benefits of the Reef camo?


    Also, are Speardiver suits made with Yamamato neoprene? It seems like that stuff is the 'talk of the town'...if that plays an important role.


    Lastly, I'm wondering why spearfishing suits use open stitching, exposed to the environment and thus more prone to fraying whereas my surf suit has either glued seams or stitching that is covered by an additional rubber material to protect the thread.


    Thanks in advance for any help! Cheers :toast:


    Speardiver Reef wetsuit.


    Speardiver Predator wetsuit.

  • Camo wetsuits make your photos look cooler, but I don't think it really matters to the fish dude. Really if you're trying to catch more fish I think it boils down to your presentation and how you approach the fish. Divers have been wearing plain black for decades now and haven't had any shortages of putting fish on the boat as far as I know.


    That said I have been rocking the Speardiver Reef wetsuit here in south Florida lately with good success (I must be getting better).



    How it looks to the fish aside, I can tell you the Speardiver is the warmest most comfortable spearfishing wetsuit I ever had. It's also very durable and the stitching you're talking about allow the neoprene to stretch everywhere including at the seams so there are no stiff spots. Really it's the best spearfishing wetsuit especially considering the price.


    As far as red camo goes I believe red begins to disappear(turns grey) around 35'.


    Chase

    Relax & Go Spearfishing

  • The whole "yammamoto" thing is just marketing hype terminology. Not sure which neoprene is used in Speardiver wetsuits but I can tell you they're the bee's knee's and the cats pajamas. I still have my first suit I purchased years ago and wore for 2 seasons and its in great condition.


    Dont worry much about the effectiveness of camo. A fish is going to know you are there regardless of what color you are. It might have a very small effect on someone who is otherwise a ninja diver who spends his time tucked to the reef hiding waiting for fish. But fish arent fooled in my opinion. Especially in bluewater and the shallows. In bluewater there is nothing to hide against, you will be a big blob out in the open no matter if you are red green or even blue. And in shallow waters the fish will already see you while you're on the surface. Some of the best spearo's on the planet who can use whatever they want use black and red suits and it doesn't seem to scare the fish away.


    If you like the idea of a camo that blends into the reef and looks awesome despite knowing its mostly ineffective in hiding from fish, the Speardiver Reef camo is a good choice (it makes me feel stealthy even though I know it doesn't do much). And if camo does have some small effect the reef camo pattern is the best I've seen at blending in.


    But if you prefer the predator suit and are hesitant to buy it because you're worried it wont be as "invisible" as a reef suit on the bottom you don't have much to worry about in my opinion. Get a speardiver suit in the color you think looks the coolest or is most safe. hiding from fish shouldn't be much of a deciding factor. Personally I like the Reef camo the best, here are a couple of pics of me with the reef suit.



  • Basically everything that Reefchief said...


    I used to have the original Speardiver Reef pattern and loved it. I now own the Predator camo and love it too. The Speardiver suits are some of the best suits on the market. You honestly cannot go wrong with either.


    I went through the same decision I chose the red for two reasons. One because I like the visibility at the surface. At about 30 feet the suit is still pretty red but as you get down to 40 and beyond the red becomes black and you are basically wearing a black and grey camo suit. The other was that one of my best friends/dive buddies had just gotten the reef camo. I didn't want to get things mixed up or match. If you can't decide flip a coin.


    I'm on the right and my buddy Spencer is in the middle with the Reef suit.



  • I appreciate all the info fellas! I'm now set on a Speardiver 3mm suit and I think I'm heading down to Fort Lauderdale this weekend so I'll probably stop by the shop and pick out a winner.

  • I appreciate all the info fellas! I'm now set on a Speardiver 3mm suit and I think I'm heading down to Fort Lauderdale this weekend so I'll probably stop by the shop and pick out a winner .


    I have a Speardiver suit, best suit and you can't go wrong with either. Just rinse it if you piss in it :D


    If you don't make it to Ft. Lauderdale I think shipping was only $10 from Spearfishing Store wetsuits to Miami.

  • I went through the same decision I chose the red for two reasons. ...The other was that one of my best friends/dive buddies had just gotten the reef camo. I didn't want to get things mixed up or match.

    God forbid you match =O


    Only thing to add about suit choice is I found out the hard way that it does matter. A while back I did some green, dirty water diving in Trinidad and the fish would not come near me in my spetton blue water lycra suit, they would swarm my black wetsuit wearing buddy, but avoid me like the plague. I always dive alone, very picky who gets to fire hardened steel in my vicinity so it was a eye opener for me. Now I use the both Speardiver Reef and Predtor and they're the best wetsuits I owned. No problem getting close to wahoo and dolphin, and anything else for that matter.




    A bad day at sea is better than a good day in the boatyard
    George Steele

  • Only thing to add about suit choice is I found out the hard way that it does matter. A while back I did some green, dirty water diving in Trinidad and the fish would not come near me in my spetton blue water lycra suit, they would swarm my black wetsuit wearing buddy, but avoid me like the plague. I always dive alone, very picky who gets to fire hardened steel in my vicinity so it was a eye opener for me.


    How can you definitively say that was because of suit color? Between two divers there are a lot of variables. Body language, heart rate, size etc. I would love to find a way of testing which colors are most effective but there are so many variables between conditions divers and even fish it would be near impossible to isolate and test the color/patterns.

  • How can you definitively say that was because of suit color? Between two divers there are a lot of variables. Body language, heart rate, size etc. I would love to find a way of testing which colors are most effective but there are so many variables between conditions divers and even fish it would be near impossible to isolate and test the color/patterns.


    We have same/similar styles and after diving for years together I can tell you we are about even in fish count. Diving same wall packed with bait fish, patrolling up and down, he saw in one hour every midwater fish available in tnt, I saw none... happened over a few days, i held my own by ambush, we are very competitive :rolleyes:
    Wised up and went without suit, just shorts and t shirt, and as if by magic fish were back swimming up to me, test enough for you? Certainly was enough for me ;) ^^
    Could only have made the connection because we are at same level, use same styles and dove same area yards apart in dirty water.

    A bad day at sea is better than a good day in the boatyard
    George Steele

  • I don't think color makes a lot of difference. Maybe on that split second you gain before a snapper sees you hiding behind a coral head....but I have to say that Speardiver suits are excellent quality.


    I bought an Omer 3mm, open cell and a Speardiver just a couple months apart. My son Jake wears the top of that all year. The pants for 8 months. Going on three years now.... and it is only showing a little fraying around the hood edge. The Omer, which has about 20% the water time of the Speardiver, is ripped inside and the hood is about to fall off.


    I have another Speardiver that my other son Tino wears. Going on two years. No wear at all.


    I have had two Makos. One piece. They wore out very quickly.


    I think Yazbeck is pretty close to Speardiver in quality but I have to give the comfort edge to Speardiver. I have a 3 mm that I haven't used but twice but it's my winter suit for the coming years and I'm happily passing my Yazbeck to Tino, who grew out of his Speardiver. Mo inherited that one.


    Been using a Spetton 1.5 for warm season but will get a Speardiver for next year. The Spetton is nice but has worn out faster than Jake's Speardiver.


    So if you haven't followed all this.... ^^ ...no sh1t....get a Speardiver. Best I've seen or used.


    Jake (with the cobia) in one of the early Ninja all black Speardiver suits.



    Edited 4 times, last by hank ().

  • Just cover your body with vaseline. The vaseline keeps you warm and fish think that you are a jellyfish. :D

  • I have a Speardiver Predator camo wetsuit and it seem to work both in reef than in open water...


    As for durability, I can say that its better than a Spetton.


    My Speardiver suit.


    My buddy Miguel.



    Marco Melis

    A bad day fishing is ALWAYS better than a good day at work.

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