The Complete Guide to Diving Wetsuits and All You Need to Know

If you love scuba diving, you need to have sound knowledge of diving gear and accessories. When it comes to the accessories of a diver, a diving wetsuit holds an important place. A dive wetsuit is a costume that divers wear to protect their bodies from various physical accidents, as well as to regulate their body temperature in cold waters. As they protect you from external injuries and discomforts, it is always advised to go for the best wetsuits on the market if you are planning to buy one.

What are Wetsuits?

Every sport has designated costumes and outfits. When it comes to diving, it is the wetsuit. A high-quality diving wetsuit can be called the best friend of a diver. Apart from keeping your body warm underwater, wetsuits act as your second skin, protecting you from the touch of harmful marine creatures such as jellyfish. Wetsuits come in different sizes and thicknesses to suit different water temperatures.To keep your body temperature stable in the deep sea, which is significantly cooler than the surface, the suit traps a layer of water between your body and the suit. The key factors to consider when buying a wetsuit can be identified as comfort, fit, warmth, and range of motion. A top-notch product like the Scubapro wetsuit covers all these factors and standards.

What are Diving Wetsuits Made of?

A scuba diving wetsuit is typically manufactured of neoprene rubber, a closed-cell foam that traps minute gas bubbles within its structure. Water cannot saturate this foam unlike a sponge, and your body heat warms the gas bubbles trapped in neoprene and creates insulation to keep you warm throughout the dive.

Do You Need a Wetsuit or Not?

If you are a beginner at diving, you might probably question whether it is mandatory to wear a wetsuit when diving. There could be many reasons why you would or would not want to wear one. Especially, if you are going for a shallow dive in a tropical area, you might feel that a wetsuit is unnecessary. However, the common recommendation of professional divers and experts in the field is to wear a wetsuit whenever you go for a scuba dive. The importance of a wetsuit cannot be undermined because,

• They protect you from small cuts caused by corals and sharp objects.
• They protect you from stings and bites of poisonous marine creatures such as jellyfish.
• They maintain your body temperature at a favorable level.

How Thick Your Wetsuit Should Be?

When it comes to choosing a wetsuit, you always need to go for the right thickness as it varies according to the temperature of the water that you are going to dive in. Typically, there are four types of wetsuits on the market as follows:

• 3mm Wetsuit: If you are going for a dive in the tropical zone, this is the ideal thickness. Furthermore, this is the thickness that suits the climate of Malaysia. The 3mm wetsuits withstand temperature levels between 18-21°C.
• 5mm Wetsuit: This wetsuit too goes with moderate temperatures just like the 3mm one. If the 3mm wetsuit doesn’t provide you with enough warmth, you may choose a 5mm one.
• 7mm Wetsuit: If you are planning to dive in much colder waters with temperature levels between 10-17°C, you need to wear a 7mm thick wetsuit to keep yourself warm. In addition to that, you may even want to wear gloves to keep your body insulated.
• Drysuits: Any dive in the waters below 10°C requires a drysuit. Drysuits maintain your body heat under extremely cold conditions, and you need to be covered in a hoodie, gloves, and boots as well to keep yourself from catching hypothermia.

How to Choose the Right Wetsuit?

Depending on their tastes and normal diving conditions, each diver has various needs. By taking style, thickness, and sizing into account, you can select the ideal scuba wetsuit.

1. Choose the Right Type

In tropical locations like Malaysia, some divers don’t require wearing wetsuits. However, most divers prefer wearing a full wetsuit of 1-3mm thickness to cover their body, arms, and legs from brushing against corals and other rough surfaces underwater. Some even wear shorties that cover up to their knees and elbows when diving.

2. Choose the Right Fit

The comfort of your wetsuit depends on its fit. In addition to being uncomfortable to wear, a wetsuit that is too loose or too tight will not serve its purpose. Your wetsuit needs to be fit enough to provide you with sufficient warmth and at the same time, it should allow your body movements without hindrance. It should not be too tight from the neck, and it should be loose enough for you to stretch your arms and legs well. To be certain, you may try turning your body and touching your toes while wearing your wetsuit to check whether it allows motion to dive safely.

If you are wearing a wetsuit thicker than 3mm, you might need to wear a thin lycra rash guard underneath as it can get uncomfortable at times. When choosing a wetsuit of the right fit, you may pay close attention to its zippers, seals, knee-pads, and other components as well.

3. Choose the Right Thickness

The thickness of your wetsuit depends on the temperature of the water that you are going to dip in. Before leaving for your preferred dive spot, you may do research to find out the temperature and the climatic conditions of the area through a local dive operator. However, in general, the sea temperature and the climate of Malaysia don’t require a thicker wetsuit than 3mm.

How to Clean Your Scuba Diving Wetsuit?

As important as it is to wear scuba wetsuits while diving, it is important to keep them clean and hygienic. Ideally, you should clean your wetsuit after every dive. Cleaning a scuba diving wetsuit is quite simple. It can be easily hand washed with warm water. However, to preserve the integrity of the rubber and to keep it from fading, it is advised to wash your wetsuit with wetsuit shampoo instead of strong detergents and bleaching substances. Even though some wetsuits can be machine washed, you should keep in mind that it tends to destroy the neoprene, thus, reducing its lifetime.

Where to Buy the Best Wetsuits?

To make your dive easy and comfortable, you need to wear the right wetsuit. Purchasing a wetsuit is not a task that you can take lightly. When shopping for a wetsuit or any other scuba diving accessory, you should always go for a reliable dive shop as the quality of the product should be your priority. A good-quality wetsuit is an investment of around RM699.00 and it can last longer depending on your maintenance.

If you are looking to buy or rent top-notch diving wetsuits, swimwear, or other diving accessories in Malaysia, visit Scuba Warehouse’s official website or the flagship store in Selangor. Contact Scuba Warehouse Malaysia at +603-77338910 to get all your scuba diving gear conveniently under the same roof.

If you love scuba diving, you need to have sound knowledge of diving gear and accessories. When it comes to the accessories of a diver, a diving wetsuit holds an important place. A diving wetsuit is a costume that divers wear to protect their bodies from various physical accidents, as well as to regulate their body temperature in cold waters. As they protect you from external injuries and discomforts, it is always advised to go for the best wetsuits on the market if you are planning to buy one.

What are Wetsuits?

Every sport has designated costumes and outfits. When it comes to diving, it is the wetsuit. A high-quality diving wetsuit can be called the best friend of a diver. Apart from keeping your body warm underwater, wetsuits act as your second skin, protecting you from the touch of harmful marine creatures such as jellyfish. Wetsuits come in different sizes and thicknesses to suit different water temperatures.To keep your body temperature stable in the deep sea, which is significantly cooler than the surface, the suit traps a layer of water between your body and the suit. The key factors to consider when buying a wetsuit can be identified as comfort, fit, warmth, and range of motion. A top-notch product like the Scubapro wetsuit covers all these factors and standards.

What are Diving Wetsuits Made of?

A scuba diving wetsuit is typically manufactured of neoprene rubber, a closed-cell foam that traps minute gas bubbles within its structure. Water cannot saturate this foam unlike a sponge, and your body heat warms the gas bubbles trapped in neoprene and creates insulation to keep you warm throughout the dive.

Do You Need a Wetsuit or Not?

If you are a beginner at diving, you might probably question whether it is mandatory to wear a wetsuit when diving. There could be many reasons why you would or would not want to wear one. Especially, if you are going for a shallow dive in a tropical area, you might feel that a wetsuit is unnecessary. However, the common recommendation of professional divers and experts in the field is to wear a wetsuit whenever you go for a scuba dive. The importance of a wetsuit cannot be undermined because,

• They protect you from small cuts caused by corals and sharp objects.
• They protect you from stings and bites of poisonous marine creatures such as jellyfish.
• They maintain your body temperature at a favorable level.

How Thick Your Wetsuit Should Be?

When it comes to choosing a wetsuit, you always need to go for the right thickness as it varies according to the temperature of the water that you are going to dive in. Typically, there are four types of wetsuits on the market as follows:

• 3mm Wetsuit: If you are going for a dive in the tropical zone, this is the ideal thickness. Furthermore, this is the thickness that suits the climate of Malaysia. The 3mm wetsuits withstand temperature levels between 18-21°C.
• 5mm Wetsuit: This wetsuit too goes with moderate temperatures just like the 3mm one. If the 3mm wetsuit doesn’t provide you with enough warmth, you may choose a 5mm one.
• 7mm Wetsuit: If you are planning to dive in much colder waters with temperature levels between 10-17°C, you need to wear a 7mm thick wetsuit to keep yourself warm. In addition to that, you may even want to wear gloves to keep your body insulated.
• Drysuits: Any dive in the waters below 10°C requires a drysuit. Drysuits maintain your body heat under extremely cold conditions, and you need to be covered in a hoodie, gloves, and boots as well to keep yourself from catching hypothermia.

How to Choose the Right Wetsuit?

Depending on their tastes and normal diving conditions, each diver has various needs. By taking style, thickness, and sizing into account, you can select the ideal scuba wetsuit.

1. Choose the Right Type

In tropical locations like Malaysia, some divers don’t require wearing wetsuits. However, most divers prefer wearing a full wetsuit of 1-3mm thickness to cover their body, arms, and legs from brushing against corals and other rough surfaces underwater. Some even wear shorties that cover up to their knees and elbows when diving.

2. Choose the Right Fit

The comfort of your wetsuit depends on its fit. In addition to being uncomfortable to wear, a wetsuit that is too loose or too tight will not serve its purpose. Your wetsuit needs to be fit enough to provide you with sufficient warmth and at the same time, it should allow your body movements without hindrance. It should not be too tight from the neck, and it should be loose enough for you to stretch your arms and legs well. To be certain, you may try turning your body and touching your toes while wearing your wetsuit to check whether it allows motion to dive safely.

If you are wearing a wetsuit thicker than 3mm, you might need to wear a thin lycra rash guard underneath as it can get uncomfortable at times. When choosing a wetsuit of the right fit, you may pay close attention to its zippers, seals, knee-pads, and other components as well.

3. Choose the Right Thickness

The thickness of your wetsuit depends on the temperature of the water that you are going to dip in. Before leaving for your preferred dive spot, you may do research to find out the temperature and the climatic conditions of the area through a local dive operator. However, in general, the sea temperature and the climate of Malaysia don’t require a thicker wetsuit than 3mm.

How to Clean Your Scuba Diving Wetsuit?

As important as it is to wear scuba wetsuits while diving, it is important to keep them clean and hygienic. Ideally, you should clean your wetsuit after every dive. Cleaning a scuba diving wetsuit is quite simple. It can be easily hand washed with warm water. However, to preserve the integrity of the rubber and to keep it from fading, it is advised to wash your wetsuit with wetsuit shampoo instead of strong detergents and bleaching substances. Even though some wetsuits can be machine washed, you should keep in mind that it tends to destroy the neoprene, thus, reducing its lifetime.

Where to Buy the Best Wetsuits?

To make your dive easy and comfortable, you need to wear the right wetsuit. Purchasing a wetsuit is not a task that you can take lightly. When shopping for a wetsuit or any other scuba diving accessory, you should always go for a reliable dive shop as the quality of the product should be your priority. A good-quality wetsuit is an investment of around RM699.00 and it can last longer depending on your maintenance.

If you are looking to buy or rent top-notch diving wetsuits, swimwear, or other diving accessories in Malaysia, visit Scuba Warehouse’s official website or the flagship store in Selangor. Contact Scuba Warehouse Malaysia at +603-77338910 to get all your scuba diving gear conveniently under the same roof.