Posts by benbmw

    Thanks for the response Dan, your points seem intuitive. It hadnt really clicked with me that the seals dont add much other than a wear point. The pocket may be nice for other things as well (dive light etc.) But you are right that it will cause the internal fabric to wear out faster with repeated holstering of items directly in the pocket. All good input!


    -Ben

    Hello,


    I am new to freediving and may start spearfishing later on down the road once I become proficient. I recently moved to San Diego, CA which is what spurred on my interest in novice freediving in order to enjoy the ocean wildlife here. As the water got colder through the winter I was no longer able to bear the low to sub 60 degree water without a wetsuit. I would like to be able to dive all year round and am interested in getting my first wetsuit. So far I have narrowed my needs to:


    5mm

    open cell

    two-piece (jacket + high waist bottoms)


    Other than that, I of course need it to fit well. I am 5' 9.5" and 150lbs, athletic/thin build, size 30 waist. I have keyed in on two highly recommended wetsuits in the $200-$250 range:


    For $220

    The Speardiver Pacific 5mm - Medium

    https://spearfishing.store/spe…ific-spearfishing-wetsuit

    (Size medium: 5'6" - 5'8", 150lbs - 180lbs)


    OR


    For $250

    The Mako YAMAMOTO 3D REEF CAMO 2 PIECE OPEN CELL WETSUIT 5mm - Medium

    https://www.makospearguns.com/…s.asp?ProductCode=M2Y3DRC

    (Size medium: 5'4" - 5'9", 145lbs - 160lbs)


    Fit:

    I fit squarely in the medium size range for the Mako, but am a little tall and almost thin for the speardiver. However, Dan promptly responded to my concern and said I was a medium. SO, assuming both fit well (anyone with similar measurements chime in!), I am left with the performance and durability comparison between these similarly priced wetsuits.


    Material:

    Mako proudly touts the use of Yamamoto 39, whereas Speardiver implies they choose another material for more durability/less compression.

    - I do not have the knowledge or experience to know which of these I would benefit most from.


    Features:

    Mako does have a few seeming benefits over the Speardiver, namely the ankle, wrist, and face cuffs/seals as well as the integrated knife pouch.

    - I defer to people who have used both to tell me if the added seals on the Mako are a noticeable improvement.


    I'm sure that either would fit my needs very well, but they seemed different enough that I would like to get the advice of experienced divers who may have used both and could give me some pros/cons or an outright recommendation.


    Thanks for your time,

    Ben