Wetsuit opinions

I’m spending a lot of hours in the saltwater and need something warmer and flexier than what I’m using now

My current suit is 4/3 O’Neil back zip, warm enough when I’m surfing but mostly I’m swimming the surf lineup w camera in hand and it gets chilly after a few hours. Typical day is 3-4 hours some days as much as 10

The custom double skin suits we used to get at Stan’s dive shop in San Jose were almost too warm, after long day diving in winter there was steam when you peeled your suit. The other good thing about straight neoprene was stretch and fit, doesn’t compromise your flexibility.

That suit was good for both work and play and was warm even in the iciest waters. Not sure what the thickness was but probably at least 5mm. I’m sure materials must be better nowadays

I’m on the hunt for something close to that old custom suit, the surf suits I’ve had over the last few years are not even close

Fitness is improving after some major speed bumps and I’m getting the freedive itch again, so thinking FJ and pullover jacket, maybe camo Not worried about price, we are in the water a lot

Anyway looking for opinions about whats good these days

Sounds to me like you need two suits.

Mako open cell Yamamoto suits are pretty darn good - and warm for freediving. Not sure about it for swimming in the surf with a camera. Good materials, nice price.

https://www.makospearguns.com/Wetsuits-s/94.htm

I’d talk to the folks at seventhwave, they do really nice custom work and have many options which may suit your different purposes.

https://www.seventhwave.co.nz/

Also, the Freedive shop in Sac has a good selection of dive suits and are super helpful, IME.

https://www.freediveshop.com/product-category/neoprene/

Not suit op., but titanium/silver? lined Yazbec(from back in the day) gloves/socks found to be really warm in comparison to non-lined omer and others I tried. I liked the dexterity and fit of the gloves(1.5-2mm?), though some were sorta fragile and developed holes in the fingertips from rocks/reef/ab/etc. Liked em so much, compared to anything else I tried, that I kept patching them and getting additional new pairs even though I thought they were kinda pricey. Free dive shop used to have some really good yearly seasonal sale hook-ups and the husband/wife team were  awesome.

The Yazbec lined socks(4-6mm?) were quite warm as well, sometimes even too warm for my usage and I usually get cold in the extremities quickly. Ended up using the socks situationally as the lining/lube combo made for unsteadiness/slip while hiking and clamoring rocks and such. But most times before donning, I would look at them and think... oooh sliding into toastiness.

Have a similar lined thin Omer vest and like it very much so that I get excited any time I can find an excuse to use it . Hope I can still squeeze into it 

Heard the cut on triathlete suits are made for good mobility and moving through the water but fragile..

Thanks I’ll look at those

Currently have 4/3 O’Neill psychotech suits which aren’t bad but designed for surfing, not the kind of exposure you get being in cold water for hours. They are fine for days on the longboard

All my time is swimming while my son is on his short board, not much surfing for me. Mostly kicking w fins against currents and through the break zone, so need good elasticity for sprint swimming

I think the triathlete suits will be too thin for what I’m doing

Seems like there are a lot more options these days but not many places to look at and lay your hands on dive stuff. Surf shops are all over the place, dive shops seem to be struggling

Keli's ocean sports in Concord were awesome as well with good selection..

dive shops seem to be struggling

While I'm not nearly as experienced as some, a Yamamoto (or similar) open cell neoprene suit will really make you wonder why you didn't do it years ago. I bought a 7mil Picasso many years ago and thought I'd died and gone to heaven. Without saying more, super warm and stretchy which makes the fit super comfortable. The top half of the FJ was made with thinner material, maybe 3 instead of 7mil. The warmth and flexibility far exceeded anything I'd experienced with nylon II suits.

I have had a LOT of wet suits over the years.
O'neil, Henderson Hyperstretch, come to mind as most recent....until I tried a Yazbek freedive suit with open cell neoprene.
Never looked back.
I can remember putting it on for the fist time on the beach, sitting down to put on my boots, then taking a few steps to grab my gloves. I paused fro a moment and said, "No f'in way! No f'in way! Holy $#!T!" I started moving my arms and legs all over the place and literally started hootin' and hollerin' at how much easier I could actually move. It was amazing.
No more stiff arms or stiff legs. I didn't look or feel like a robot.
With lube it was WAY easier to put on and take off by myself. No help needed and never got stuck in the middle of taking it off.
It was my first open cell wetsuit, 7mm.
Based on your level of activity in the water I would recommend a 5mm. These things are TOASTY.
I am not endorsing any particular mfg. It's quite possible all open cell wetsuits are this comfortable.
Since this is the first freedive suite I have owned I do not know 100%, but I will never go back to any other kind.

That pretty much describes my first wetsuit from Stan’s, no idea of what kind of neoprene or thickness they used but it was as you describe yours. The surf suits are either too stiff or too thin for long days in the water. Main thing that keeps me warm is I never stop swimming the whole time, fighting currents and getting out of the way of pointy short boards

Maybe PM me the brand if you don’t want to openly endorse and I’ll look at it

Stan’s made me a three piece, FJ, vest and top, I wore the vest one time and was absolutely cooked so never wore it again. In the 70s in winters I was working under boats 3 a.m. in SF bay, basically icy runoff from the sierras and I was still hot in that suit

I’m also thinking about getting back to freediving again so camo might be on the list

The open cell freedive wetsuits are the bomb for staying warm in the water. The double layer of the FJ with the jacket through the core is great.

If you want to stick with a more traditional surf style suit check out the Patagonia R4 or R5 - I use the R3 and R4 for surfing locally and love them. The R5 is what the great lakes surfers and the east coast surfers are wearing in the wintertime. https://www.patagonia.com/product/mens-r5-yulex-front-zip-hooded-full-wetsuit/88528.html

Cheers,
Brad

Patagonia pushed for mpa’s during mlpa planning and are in full support of the 30/30 land grab that’s going on now. They’ve actively promoted closing things off at home for the average person because they have the means to travel to global destinations.  Elitist hippy company.....never get a dime from me.

I’ve dove a 5/4 open cell and it was plenty warm, if you’re gonna be filming surf footage, a 4/3 or even a 3/2 open cell would probably work really well.  I’ve owned a few high end O’Neil suits and they don’t come close to matching the flexibility or warmth of a free dive suit. 

From what I’ve read the Patagonia suits don’t last so I’ll be looking at the others

I don't free dive, but this is such a great thread I might get an open cell and start. I've always wanted to know what things look like just beyond the breakers . I'd love to observe barred surfperch behavior as well as striped bass and those halibut that some say hang out just beyond the surf zone...

I’m using a Riffe 5/4 open cell. I got it on sale 9-10 years back when they had their annual sale and happened to be updating their cammo patterns on the suits. Mines a little big for me, but makes it easier to flush in cold water for the times I overheat since I tend to run hot.

Mako seems to have good options, I’m thinking 5mm farmer johns and maybe two jacket options for winter/summer

Maybe camo will confuse mr. bigteeth so I don’t look like the easy breakfast