First Post/First Suit Buechat vs. Omer

[J-Rat]

So this is my first post on spearboard. And after freezing my ass off tonight diving just north of Goleta, i've decided i definitely need something besides my surfsuit and various 1-2 mm additions beneath it. I have my eye on both the Beuchat Mundial Green and Omer Green Mimetic suits. I was wondering if any of you guys had any opinions on which was better for warmth/comfort/durability. Or any other suit recommendation options. I think that they have both on thespearfishingstore.com. Is that a good place to order from? I mostly dive inshore around the Santa Barbara and Channel Islands area. I want to be able to go year round. So i was thinking 5mm/5mm for either one.

Also I mostly freedive. Basically everytime i dive i'm not using SCUBA. But would these suits work as scuba suits on occasion? Thanks for any info.

-Jarett

[Blackfoot]

try www.subprof.com

7mm suit for sure (right now).. you can get a great deal through some of the greece guys??diveskins??

5mm for late sping

will

[nwagner91]

Talk to Josh at www.neptonicsystems.com/products.htm, he has some really sweet spetton suits that are reviewed as really durable. I'm fine year round in Goleta with a 5mm.

[bowfront26]

I like 5 mm omer mimetic med... Plenty warm enough

[Blake Schaff]

I have a 5mm Omer suit. I hate it. If you get cold easily, as I do, they are not the suit to get. They lack face, ankle and wrist seal, which allows for easy water intrusion. I find them to be very poorly constructed as well. The stitching begins to unravel as soon as they are used. The seems split after only a couple of dives, and the neoprene tears very easily. My 5mm is now a 3.5mm after only one season of diving. Many people I have spoke to have had near the same experience. Additionally, and very curiously, they seem to leek water from the back of the neck. Initially, I thought that water was leaking from the ankle, wrist, waste, or face. But after sealing these off I found cold water to be constantly flowing in. I'm not sure exactly what the problem is, but other people have mentioned this as well. On the bright side they are very comfortable.

I have no experience with the Beuchats, besides examining them, so I really cannot say. But it would be hard to find a worse freediving suit for our local waters than an Omer. If you don't get cold easily they may be fine, but don't expect them to last more than a season, maybe two.

My $0.02.

Edit-It was brought to my attention that it may be the fit of my suit. However the 3L I wear fits very well.

[HHEAD]

J-Rat~

You have one of the most experienced dive shop probably less than 20 minutes from your house. Stop into Bluewater Hunters and talk to Andy and you'll be able to jump in the water tomorrow night warm and toasty. If Andy does not have the inventory of what you need in stock.... that's the same as ordering it on-line but at least you can compare for yourself in person.

[Adam Sachs]

Blake- Having just bought an Omer suit from Andy at Blue H20, I must admit that I am a little unnerved after reading about your experiences with them. What is the warranty like on the Omer's? Were you able to return it/have Omer repair it? Andy had nothing but praise for them and a number of spearos I've spoken with were very happy with them. I guess I'll just have to wait and see how mine turns out...

[zenspearo]

Blake- Having just bought an Omer suit from Andy at Blue H20, I must admit that I am a little unnerved after reading about your experiences with them. What is the warranty like on the Omer's? Were you able to return it/have Omer repair it? Andy had nothing but praise for them and a number of spearos I've spoken with were very happy with them. I guess I'll just have to wait and see how mine turns out...

I heard the same issue regarding lack of ankle and wrist seals from another Omer user. This is a direct report during the dive day, not hearsay.

May want to look into that if you get cold easily.

[fishkabobz]

I've had a couple Omer suits over the years and liked each one of them. The one I have now keeps me VERY warm in whatever water temp, it's a 6.5mm. I dive north coast cali mostly, 42-55 degrees.

Although I like my Omer, I have not had the problems Blake has. But I second talking to Josh at Neptonics.com (650-868-4211). The Spetton suits he carries are very well made and come in some nice camo patterns. Give him a call, he'll hook you up. ;)

[nwagner91]

Blake- Having just bought an Omer suit from Andy at Blue H20, I must admit that I am a little unnerved after reading about your experiences with them. What is the warranty like on the Omer's? Were you able to return it/have Omer repair it? Andy had nothing but praise for them and a number of spearos I've spoken with were very happy with them. I guess I'll just have to wait and see how mine turns out...

I got my OMER from Andy as well and he does a 1 year warranty on seem seperation and tiny holes, etc... but I got a really big hole the day of his dive tourny last year and it cost some money to fix, but It was incredibly nicely done and it was cheap ($20ish). I don't get cold in mine, but almost all the seems have seperated somewhere and I've just gone over everything with some wetsuit glue and reinforced them.

Blake and I were super happy when we got them to, but it's pretty soft rubber. Now they've compressed so much that they're a bit less than a 4mil, but that's not an issue to me because I'm comfortable diving 50ish degree water with it, but Blake is a frikin twig.

Don't be worried about the cold yet at all, and your seems will definitely be fine for a good amount of time because your suit is new. If seems do start to seperate have Andy fix them up or you could do some touchup work yourself. I like these suits because they are extremely flexible, but then you compensate for durability. I don't know what my next suit will be eventually, but if I'd have to pick one right now it'd be a Deep Thought Custom suit from Andy ;)

[J-Rat]

hey guys. thanks for all your info and input. If anyone has anything else to say or add, please feel free. I think i'm leaning towards trying the Beuchat out. I like the look of the green camo and i've heard only good about those suits so far. I do get cold pretty damn easy so getting a good suit is important for me.

-Jarett

[SpearMax]

hey guys. thanks for all your info and input. If anyone has anything else to say or add, please feel free. I think i'm leaning towards trying the Beuchat out. I like the look of the green camo and i've heard only good about those suits so far. I do get cold pretty damn easy so getting a good suit is important for me.

-Jarett

Welcome to Spearboard Jarett!

You are getting answers fast which is good to see.

[The Freediver]

I recommend the Hammerhead suit that I have. It is very warm and comes with loading pad. All parts seal well and NO water even gets in until you have to piss then you may want to rinse out! Also the guys at hammerhead back their product. I have a hole in the crotcg (very small) after much use and they sent me a detailed email on getting it fixed or replaced within one day of emailing them.

[J-Rat]

Any info on whether all these spearfishing suits will work well for the occasional SCUBA dive?
Thanks

[Fis_Hunter]

For me I work harder freediving than when scuba diving, On scuba you go deeper and stay down longer the suit compresses more and provides less warmth. You can get away with a thinner suit for freediving. A lot will depend on how well you handle the cold and where you plan to dive. If I was going to have one suit for both I would go with a thicker suit because I get cold after about an hour on scuba and am fine for 3 to 4 hours freediving.

[jfjf]

For me I work harder freediving than when scuba diving, On scuba you go deeper and stay down longer the suit compresses more and provides less warmth. You can get away with a thinner suit for freediving. A lot will depend on how well you handle the cold and where you plan to dive. If I was going to have one suit for both I would go with a thicker suit because I get cold after about an hour on scuba and am fine for 3 to 4 hours freediving.

I agree.

[Bill McIntyre]

I haven't tried either suit since I require custom suits, but I'm surprised at all the negative comments on Omer. One of my dive buddies has been using a two piece 5 mm Omer for three years and likes it. Its getting a bit tired and he is ready for a new one, but he has had no complaints.

I have one observation about the claim that we work harder freediving than when scuba diving. If we were on the Florida East Coast like jfjf, where the diving is deep and vertical, then I'm sure that would be the case.

But out here when hunting white sea bass in a kelp bed, I'm often trying to move as little as possible. If I can see down 15 or 20 feet, I might spend a lot of time just laying in the edge of a kelp channel or room hoping one will swim under me. And when I do dive, I might dive as quietly as I can down to just 15 feet or so and then grab a piece of kelp to keep me from drifting up while I remain motionless. You don't work up much heat that way. Sometimes I find myself starting to swim more than I feel that I should just to warm myself up, but I think that hurts my chances for a fish.

[Eytan]

Any info on whether all these spearfishing suits will work well for the occasional SCUBA dive?
Thanks

I scuba dive in mine all the time. the omers are great suits.

Good luck

[Miko]

I haven't tried either suit since I require custom suits, but I'm surprised at all the negative comments on Omer. One of my dive buddies has been using a two piece 5 mm Omer for three years and likes it. Its getting a bit tired and he is ready for a new one, but he has had no complaints.

But out here when hunting white sea bass in a kelp bed, I'm often trying to move as little as possible. If I can see down 15 or 20 feet, I might spend a lot of time just laying in the edge of a kelp channel or room hoping one will swim under me. Sometimes I find myself starting to swim more than I feel that I should just to warm myself up, but I think that hurts my chances for a fish.


:yup:
I've had my 3mm Omer for about three years now, and have loved every dive with it. It's just starting to get old. The water is just now starting to intrude through the face, and I got a little hole in the back of my leg where a cleat went through while sliding in on a kelp paddy a couple months ago. I spent 4 1/2 hours in 61 deg water in Laguna last week, but I got cold in 2 hours while kelp hunting (virtually motionless) in La jolla on Sunday in 61.

I need a new suit now, and am deciding whether to go with another Omer, an Apnea, or an Adaptation. I'll probably keep my 3mm Omer for Mexico, and get a 5mm for local.

[NOTANX]

i have an omer 3mm two piece. the seam seperated on the leg during my first dive. it was returned to omer and they fixed it. i was out of the water for a while though. if i were to get another suit it sould probably be a spetton or elios (custom).

[Enzo Molinari]

I haven't tried either suit since I require custom suits, but I'm surprised at all the negative comments on Omer. One of my dive buddies has been using a two piece 5 mm Omer for three years and likes it. Its getting a bit tired and he is ready for a new one, but he has had no complaints.


I also have an Omer, a 6.5mm, and I love it. It's my first freedive suit though, so I have nothing to compare it to, but I have absolutely no complaints, it works great.

[apnea_complex]

I need a new suit now, and am deciding whether to go with another Omer, an Apnea, or an Adaptation. I'll probably keep my 3mm Omer for Mexico, and get a 5mm for local.

I'd go with an Adaptation. Their 5mm are warm!!