I’m not savvy on all the wetsuit technology, what are the big differences between scuba, open water, and freediving wetsuits? I have an older xterra suit that I wouldn’t mind if it got (more) tore up, assuming it still fits can I use that for recreational diving?
Scuba suits fit more loosely, allowing for increased and unfettered arm and torso movement. I would think a tri suit would be uncomfortably tight for diving. I probably couldn’t reach my valve in the tri suit (can in the scuba suit). But other than comfort no reason you couldn’t use one in teh right temps (and scuba suits are usually much cheaper than tri suits)
The wetsuit you want to use for swimming is different from wetsuits that you would use for surfing, scuba, or windsurfing. The main difference between a triathlon or swimming wetsuit and a wetsuit you would use for surfing or other sports is how they interact with the water around them. The purpose of a non-swimming wetsuit is generally warmth and protection. Because of this, they are designed something like a heavy, flexible sponge. These wetsuits hold water close to your skin and allow your body heat to warm the water, and then retain that warmed water. If you try to swim in this, it is literally like swimming with your clothes on—heavy and slow.
A swimming wetsuit is a neoprene-rubber blend composed differently by each company—this is usually a proprietary blend that each company has designed in order to meet the requirements of certain levels of triathletes. The neoprene/rubber is coated with a special, slick material that is “hydrophobic” which means “water-fearing”. In other words, the exterior of these wetsuits repels water and thus should move through the water faster. These neoprene blend materials are cut into sections that fit each different part of your body very tightly. These different sections are different thicknesses of material that therefore provide different amounts of buoyancy. For example, most entry-level triathlon wetsuits have 3 mm of material around the legs and 1.5 to 2 mm around the chest/arms. This is designed to bring swimmers to the surface into a more appropriate position in the water by buoying the legs.
have an older xterra suit that I wouldn’t mind if it got (more) tore up
I’m not entirely sure but I suspect scuba gear would destroy your swimming wetsuit very, very quickly. The surface is not intended to hold up to external friction. There have been some hybrid swimming wetsuits marketed from time to time, but more for surfing/windsurfing/jetski etc. - they are reinforced accordingly (eg. knees), but even then not in a way that would stand up to wearing a BC and tank. If you truly don’t care if the suit ends up in ribbons after one dive, you could experiment and see what happens.
…it will destroy your wetsuit… spend the money and buy a used suit on ebay for like $40… It will feel good until you see it once you come out of the water. I did this when I spearfished in portugal over the summer. The weight belt screwed it all up and i got countless small rips from it.
I can swim in 50-60 degree water in a tri suit and be relatively warm (o.k. maybe not exactly warm but I can do it). If I tried to surf or scuba in that water in that suit, I’d freeze…
I agree that many tri-wetsuits lack durability - but they are designed to keep you warm while exercising for relatively short periods. Most other activities in the ocean are a lot less work and you’ll get a lot colder…
In warmer water - for occasional use - I’d use an old tri-suit. It would work just fine but will get beat up.
Dave
Like another said, it will ruin your triathlon wetsuit.
SCUBA wetsuits are made for getting in and out of boats, kneeling on a rocky sea floor, pulling on a BC, weight belt and all that junk. Also, a SCUBA suit is usually pretty darn thick depending on where you live- water temp. A tri suit is so much thinnner and more flexible.
In a pinch a tri suit is better than nothing on a SCUBA dive but most dive shops will have rental suits so you can save your tri suit for what it is intended for: Fast open water swimming in cold water.