While you can likely get a different wetsuit for every sport or activity you want to take part in, there is no reason you can’t use the same wetsuit for them. My main 2 water sports are spearfishing and kiteboarding. So, to save some money I have a few suits that work well for both sports.
The first wetsuit I ever used for spearfishing was a Pinnacle 7mm suit. At the time I was maybe 15 years old, and I thought it was awesome to have a suit that it was nearly impossible to get cold in. After a few years I had the chance to use some thinner wetsuits and I can confidently tell you I will not be using my 7mm wetsuit anytime soon.
My Current Wetsuits
If I include my 7mm wetsuit, I currently have 3 wetsuits. A 2/3mm Mystic Star BZ Wetsuit, made for Kiteboarding. A 4.5mm O'neill Psycho Tech BZ wetsuit, made for surfing. And my 7mm Pinnacle Cruiser BZ wetsuit that isn’t getting used anymore.
The reason I chose to get surfing/kiteboarding wetsuits that I can also use for spearfishing instead of getting a spearfishing wetsuit. Is because the flexibility of the surfing suits is incredible. For surfing or kiteboarding if you don’t have good flexibility the session is a lot less fun.
I personally think the most important part of a dive suit is the padding on the chest for loading your speargun as well as the butt and knee pads. A surf wetsuit is 1 piece of neoprene, while many diving wetsuits have many pieces all over the suit where you’ll put the most wear and tear in.
I typically go spearfishing about twice a week, so I put plenty of time in my suit, but I haven’t had an issue keeping my suit in top condition.
Of course you need to remeber you will need to calculate your weight belt weights depending on what wetsuit you use. A weight belt is necessary if you wear any type of wetsuit, given wetsuits are going to make you boyant.
Tips for Using a Surfing Wetsuits When Spearfishing
Get a chest loading pad. I ordered the Rob Allen Chest Loading Pad this summer and it made a huge difference, I can now easily load my gun without bruising my chest.
Unfortunately, the picture blow is the best picture of the loading pad that I have. But you can see it's a simple pad that goes over my chest. It is't super thick but it's thick enough to stop any discomfort while loading my speargun. It also stays out of the way during my dives which is nice.
The other thing you need to do is not rip up your knees or butt. I do a lot of shore diving in Rhode Island, which typically means getting in and out of the water from rocky shore lines. It is really easy to let the waves move you around these rocks and rip your suit. It’s important to take note of this and be very direct with your movements when you’re on the rocks.
Doing these 2 things have kept my high-end O’Neill surfing wetsuit in great condition.
If you have any questions about using certain wetsuits for spearfishing feel free to leave a comment or send me a message. You can check out my other shore diving spearfishing gear in my other post.
