looking for a wetsuit for snorkelling

monkeyactive

Hi there , I am looking for a wetsuit for snorkelling in the pollockholes in kilkee . Ideally Id like something which would let me snorkell when the water is colder in spring and early autumn . I am a complete newbie but if anone can help me with these questions great .(I already have fins , boots and a mask ).

1 What thickness should I go for ?is 5mm enough?

2 Will I need weights if I have a wet suit as i like to dive down and stay down as long as I can ?

3 I am 6 foot 2 , what size should I be looking for ?

4 Are lidl and aldis suits of good quality ?

thanks for reading

nathan184

Hi monkey.

Some alarm bells going off in my head from reading your post:
No divers should ever dive alone, regardless of whether they are freediving or scuba diving. Please do some reading on Shallow Water Blackout (SWB) and Samba. Without having a buddy when you are diving you are taking your life into your own hands

EDIT: You also need a buoy and a line tied to your belt so a boat doesn't drive over you

With that out of the way...
1:
I freedive using a 7mm apnea suit which cost around €180. Apnea suits are a bit difficult to put on and take off but are apparently miles better than wetsuits or semi-drys for keeping you warm. (I was in the water for an hour and a half last weekend before started to feel cold). An apnea suit should not have a zip so you don't get that rush of cold water into the suit when you get into the water.

2:
I certainly can't dive down without weights

3:
Most companies will have a size chart you can view so you can pick the best fit based on lots of measurements (waist,height,chest,etc.)

4:
I think you will be cold in an Aldi suit

I recommend joining a diving club to learn how to do things properly. Some clubs have people that focus on snorkelling and freediving. If you need more details I can PM you.

tedshredsonfire

Natham says it all really I think but 5mm is usually enough I find my feet get cold rather than my core but I use 3mm socks so obvious what I need to do. You will be like a cork with out weights. Get a rubber weightbelt. Do a course on freediving.snorkelling. CFT scuba clubs usually have a snorkel section or give me a pm re Apnea Academy courses. If you are an unusual size Tall/skinny or short and thinck you can get a made to measure for not too much more by Elios or similar.

monkeyactive

Hi guys thanks for the replies and the guidance

As regards the weights is there any formula to judge how much I need or is it trial error and preference?

nathan184

Start off light and gradually increase. You want to be positively buoyant at the surface in case you have a blackout on your ascent from a dive.

tedshredsonfire

yeah depends on you and what suit you use in the end. depending on what depth you are planning to go to you want to be positive from 10m up. Trust me on the rubber belt not a nylon one form a scuba shop.

loctite

monkeyactive wrote: »

Hi there , I am looking for a wetsuit for snorkelling in the pollockholes in kilkee . Ideally Id like something which would let me snorkell when the water is colder in spring and early autumn . I am a complete newbie but if anone can help me with these questions great .(I already have fins , boots and a mask ).

Maybe should shed a little light here.... the pollock holes are tidal, confined water pools and about 2.5 metres (max) deep lads, so shallow water black out isn't really an issue and boats are certainly not going to make it past the 100 or so metres of rock surrounding the place

1 What thickness should I go for ?is 5mm enough?

Depends on the material. 5mm in a good quality suit can be as good as 7mm in a poor quality suit. It depends on several factors.
How easily do you feel the cold? what is your budget? If you are looking to snorkel in Spring you'll need at least a 5mm but I personally would be considering something a little thicker.

2 Will I need weights if I have a wet suit as i like to dive down and stay down as long as I can ?

if you are using a suit you will need weights otherwise it will be a serious struggle to stay under the water. Amount of weight will depend on the
thickness of the suit. For neutral buoyancy float at eye level holding a normal breath. (you may consider getting a snorkeling vest too)

3 I am 6 foot 2 , what size should I be looking for ?

Depends on the type of suit... sizes can vary between manufacturer. you may be 6'2" tall but how wide are you??
Cheaper suits will have a smaller range of sizes as in L, XL, XXL. More "expensive" suits will offer a better range of sizes as in XLT (Xtra Large Tall)

4 Are lidl and aldis suits of good quality ?

They seem pretty good value. Depends on what your budget is, how comfortable you want to be in the water, if you are willing to make sacrifices on fit etc.

There is a Dive Shop in Kilkee that can give you more advice, another option is a surf suit, they are far more flexible, they won't be suitable for scuba if you were considering it but would be perfect for snorkelling.

loctite

nathan184 wrote: »

Hi monkey.
No divers should ever dive alone, regardless of whether they are freediving or scuba diving.

I can't agree whole heartedly with that statement, definitely with the scuba diving anyway.

I'm not looking for an argument here but I find it very ironic that this dogma is spouted by training organisations (not instructors, training organisations) and then they come along and introduce solo diving courses.

Every diver should be self sufficient regardless. Diving in pairs is great fun and it is great to share the experience, but it is a false security. You should prepare and plan a dive as if your buddy never existed.

Taking this thread off topic but I just believe that that statement is untrue.

tedshredsonfire

Loctite every freedive agency says this and its 100% true. Do I freedive alone yes regularly and I could end up being a statistic. I try and take precautions etc but hey who knows. In the main two types of freediver die, training alone in a pool or with the lifeguard "watching" you and spearfishermen with same ocean buddy. Don't think you will ever see solo freedive courses, ever. No diver freediver has ever died in a comp as the safety is always there. On the scuba yeah I can understand it and train for redundancy.

spaceHopper

I use a surfing suit, dive fins, nylon weight belt and always go alone but I'm only snorkeling not freediving. I've been doing it for years and started small so made small mistakes. I can go to about 10 meters but don't stay down long enough or push it to worry about shallow water black out.

If you can afford it or can find a snorkeling course then do one it will start you off on the right foot and they should be able to lend you gear and advise you saving money on gettin the wrong stuff.

Either way, invest in a the best suit you can get, you'll need a hood aswell.

If you can get a buddy to go mores the better, if not always tell somebody where you are and when to expect you back call in when you get out. Stick to sheltered safe spots and go on a rising tide in good weather.

I've never been to the pollock holes but if they are only 2.5 meters then you probaly not need weights yet till you are in deeper water.

But weights wise, with a 5 to 6 mm suit and starting out you want to be under weighted remember you can add more later. Say two kg on the belt and go up from there to maybe 3 kg I use a max of 4 kg and don't see the need for more.

Put the weight on your back if you were to black out or be knocked out and are under weight you will float up and be righted if the weight on your back, if they are on your belly or over weight you are dead.

If at any time you get into trouble, ditch the weights.

A buoy is a good idea, if you get somebody who doesn't know what they are doing in a boat it won't help but it will give you something to keep you afloat if you get into trouble.

The lidl or aldi suits are cheap and you get what you pay for. But last summer TK Max had good spear fishing suits so keep an eye there in June or July.

yankinlk

No reason to dive alone lads. Freediving/apnea/spearfishing is making a nice comeback (did it ever go away)...


See ya in Kilkee or Portroe amongst other spots this summer

Pkiernan

I think that 5mm is too thin for the water temps you will experience.

I had a couple of scuba dives with a water temp of 9 deg C with:

5mm hood, 3mm gloves, 5mm boots and 7mm suit.

I was fine for the first 20 minutes or so of the dive and was starting to feel the chill at around 30 minutes in.

Between dives it was very sunny, so there was no chill when out of the water.

Can you rent some suits before purchasing and see what works for you?

yankinlk

Pkiernan wrote: »

I think that 5mm is too thin for the water temps you will experience.

Been wearing this suit lately: http://www.scubastore.com/scuba-diving/beuchat-mundial-competition-7-mm-complete/4720/p

Was in the quarry in Portroe training for an hour this week - came out sweating - temp on surface 9 degrees. Cant understand why more people don't use these suits.

tedshredsonfire

Hi P,
A 5mm is too thin for scuba diving in Irish waters but loads for freediveing/snorkelling. On a scuba dive you could be 40 mins at a given depth say 25m and the 5mm suit wil be compressed all that time so a 7mm would be better but a bit less flexible. If your freediving/snorkelling you are only at the depth for a minute or so therefore the neoprene isnt compressed as much so stays 5mm for longer if that makes sense. I have used a 5mm on scuba once but was height of the summer and it was just ok. Freedive suits like the one shown below are open cell inside so you need to lube up to get into them but will be far far warmer than a "normal" 5mm or 7mm scuba suit.
Agree with Yank don't understand why more people dont use open cell. I carry a flask of warm water which I use to make up my lube as my suits is nearly always wet from the last dive and this makes it almost pleasant to get into.

Pkiernan wrote: »

I think that 5mm is too thin for the water temps you will experience.

I had a couple of scuba dives with a water temp of 9 deg C with:

5mm hood, 3mm gloves, 5mm boots and 7mm suit.

I was fine for the first 20 minutes or so of the dive and was starting to feel the chill at around 30 minutes in.

Between dives it was very sunny, so there was no chill when out of the water.

Can you rent some suits before purchasing and see what works for you?

Pkiernan

Very good point.

Though I had thought that if a diver is free diving and not limited by air that he/she could spend a lot more time in the water.

yankinlk

Pkiernan wrote: »

Very good point.

Though I had thought that if a diver is free diving and not limited by air that he/she could spend a lot more time in the water.

You are right, they do just not at depth. A spearfisher can be in the water all day long hunting, so they need a suit that doesn't "flush". You saw my post right? 9 degrees for 1 hour and coming out sweating. The only parts you will need to protect are your toes and hands .
My mate uses dry suit socks inside his booties and a duct tape plus "marigold" style latex glove system and he's bullet proof.

tedshredsonfire

Yeah l;ik eyank said but while a freediver or spearo spends more time in the water overall he/she spends less time at depth when the suit is compressed so imagine a 5mm suit at 20m it has 3 bar of pressure on it so its less than 5mm now not sure what its compressed to but I am sure a math guy could work it out. Lets say for arguement 3mm so its only 3mm for a minute of the dive and then 5mm in the surface again when breathing up and where the water temp is warmer anyway. On scuba you could be "3" mm for 40 mins at 20m and be cold.
Anyway freediving is better than scuba end of story haha

locum-motion

tedshredsonfire wrote: »

...Anyway freediving is better than scuba end of story haha

[angrytone ]
Oi, you!
Gerroff our forum!
Didn't you see the sign?
The forum's called 'Scuba Diving'!
[/angrytone ]





Seriously, though, this does raise a valid point; should the name of the forum be changed?

It is currently called 'Scuba Diving' with the subtitle 'Deep sea and other underwater diving.'

Now, 'Deep Sea Diving' is what non-divers call diving.

How many times have you told someone about a trip you went on somewhere to go diving and they say "Oh, how long have you been into Deep Sea Diving?" or "I'd love to try Deep Sea Diving!"?

I for one always wanna say "Eh, what? Who said anything about depth?"

I think we should ask Boards.ie to change the name from 'Scuba Diving' to 'Diving', and to change the subtitle to something like 'Scuba Diving, Freediving & other underwater activities.'

What do other users think?

yankinlk

Meh, as long as new people still visit the forum adn take up something underwater.

Our club uses Sub Aqua in the name... and that covers scuba, apnea, spear....

CJhaughey

locum-motion wrote: »

[angrytone ]

What do other users think?

I used to get mildly irritated by the exclusivity of the forum name but I don't really worry now.;)
Scuba and freediving would probably be more accurate judging by the amount of freedivers on here.

tedshredsonfire

yeah no harm but not put out either way tbh.

seadeuce

Why not "Underwater Sports" or on the Sports Drop Down list just plain "Underwater"

...covers it all



Seadeuce

Catmologen

monkeyactive wrote: »

Hi there , I am looking for a wetsuit for snorkelling in the pollockholes in kilkee . Ideally Id like something which would let me snorkell when the water is colder in spring and early autumn . I am a complete newbie but if anone can help me with these questions great .(I already have fins , boots and a mask ).

1 What thickness should I go for ?is 5mm enough?

2 Will I need weights if I have a wet suit as i like to dive down and stay down as long as I can ?

3 I am 6 foot 2 , what size should I be looking for ?

4 Are lidl and aldis suits of good quality ?

thanks for reading

In Lidil this Thursday, looks like a good job.

http://www.lidl.ie/cps/rde/xchg/lidl_ri_ie/hs.xsl/index_20992.htm

tedshredsonfire

Hi cat suit looks fine and reasonable price but depends how much you will use it. use the one piece 5mm with the hood for snorkelling/freediving and you will probably be warm enough for an hour or so in summer. You need gloves and socks/booties too. You will need weights. No idea on sizes or quality but to be fair to lidl and aldi they are usually ok.

Emmett6661

im draggin up an old thread here because i found it on a hunt for a suit but i enjoy snorkelling the rockier shallows so never really dive past 5 metres, id be spearfishing so i dont like the worry of trying to hold a long breath, i generally search from the surface if visibility allows and dive down to pursue if i see a decent sized fish worth eating :P i am on the hunt for a new suit though, i have nothing winter friendly, using a 2.5mm one piece suit, and have been looking at a 2 piece mares 5mm apnea suit, but im also into surfing and about to go for a scuba course so im not entirely sure what to buy..i was advised to get a 7mm one piece and a 5mm overshorty for the scuba...is there any sort of compromise? like would i be able to get the apnea suit in 7mm, get a 5mm overshorty, use the apnea suit on its own for snorkelling, the apnea with the overshorty for scuba, and maybe the overshorty on its own for surfing (or maybe the apnea...though it may be restricting?)? can you wear overshortys on their own or do they do anything? :P i dont wanna by different suits for each sport, too expensive. old suits a bit wrecked so thats not being kept to surf in

seadeuce

My advice would be to get a 7mm semi-dry for scuba, then you're sorted for that sport. Longjohn and "overshorty" as you called it.
You could then wear this 7mm overshorty with your 2.5mm and it may suit your needs for snorkelling.
If you are switching between sports then flexibility is key. In summer the 7mm longjohn will do for surfing.
Later on you could get a 2.5mm shorty for warmer waters, plus a separate hood.

That's flexibility.


Seadeuce

spaceHopper

In 10+ years of surfing I've never seen people surfing in dive suits, they are to bulkey for surfing. Keep an eye on this site sometimes they have good sales, they are good basic surf suits, I wouldn't pay 250 for one. I have a chest one which would be fine for snorkeling as well.

http://marasurf.com/index.php?route=common/home

If you get into diving, can you rent gear, saves buy and expensive suit that might not get used and you get to try different tyoes of suits before you buy. Lots of people take up diving then find it's not for them, you could be one of them or get one of thier suits second hand.

Freedive Ireland

Yeah 7mm too thck for surf. Try popping up in one. I do use the spearfishsuit for surf in wintertime but its also a bit restrictive (5mm), too warm and you get tired paddling quick. Thats why I am mainly a pussy summer surfer or at least Mid winter when i can still get away with surf suit and vest. The other downside is the beavertail on most spear suits. On any of the main brand ones they have a plastic toggle that will cause a major pressure ding in the board. Some others have a cord and it wouldn't be as bad. If there was one suit to do everything i wouldn't have so many of them and even now I'd still think about getting a winter surf suit. Or maybe I just need to man the fck up.