performance freediving

 performance freediving

freediving wetsuits
 http://www.alphawetsuits.it/apnea/
freediving wet suits
http://www.alphawetsuits.com/it/48-freediving

white Superskin competitor wetsuit for freediving from Alpha.
The suit is made of high quality Heiwa / Yamomoto-45 neoprene.
Open-cell inside for maximum warmth / white Superskin outside for maximum streamlined efficiency.
Elastic, soft and durable. Great for recreational and competitive freediving.
Alpha  guarantees unmatched comfort.
Made up of 2 parts; high waist pants and a hooded jacket.

freediving wetsuits Smoothskin vs Lining

freediving wetsuits Smoothskin vs Lining

The other fator in wetsuit design is the application to a layer of nylon/lycra fabric to the surface of the neoprene. Neoprene rubber is a fairly soft material, and attaching fabric dramatically increases the durability of the suit. Manufacturers usually refer to neoprene with fabric bonded to the surface as "lined," "nylon lined," "jersey lined," or they invent fancy names like "superstretch lined." Neoprene sheeting with with a smooth, bare rubber surface is usually referred to as "smoothskin" althoug a few manufacturers erroneously refer to smoothskin surfaces as "open cell" which is wrong because open cell refers to foam rubbers that have bubbles that connect with each other, creating what is also known as a sponge rubber. There is a true open cell rubber surface used in spearfishing suits that we will describe later, though, but it's important not to confude open cell foam rubber with the smooth rubber protective coating on the surface of closed cell foam rubber.

Most scuba divers get nylon-lined neoprene because they feel that the stress of straps, weight belts, sliding over the edge of boat gunwhales, etc. will abrade smoothskin neoprene too easily and the suit won't last very long. I'm not aware of any company making smoothskin suits out of high density neoprene for scuba diving nowadays, although maybe they exist.

http://www.alphawetsuits.com/it/48-freediving
http://www.alphawetsuits.com/it/6-spearfishing
http://www.alphawetsuits.com/it/
http://www.alphawetsuits.it/
http://www.alphawetsuits.it/categoria-prodotto/apnea/mute-apnea/
http://www.onex-diving.com/
http://www.onex-diving.com/freediving.html

wetsuit for freediving & spearfishing from Alpha

 wetsuit for freediving & spearfishing from Alpha

Black Smoothskin wetsuit for freediving & spearfishing from Alpha. Made of high quality yamamoto neoprene.

Open-cell inside for maximum warmth / Smoothskin outside for maximum silence and streamlined effect. Elastic, soft and durable. Great for spearfishing and freediving.

Alpha unique anatomic design guarantees unmatched comfort. Made up of 2 parts; high waist pants and a hooded jacket.

 Overall the freediving course is great fun and teaches you so many new skills from relaxation, breathing techniques and yoga to the diving itself. For anybody considering it, we would highly recommend – he is the calmest man ever and you always feel like you’re in safe hands, even 10 metres underwater!

 http://www.alphawetsuits.it/apnea/
http://www.alphawetsuits.it/
http://www.alphawetsuits.com/it/
http://www.alphawetsuits.com/it/48-freediving
http://www.alphawetsuits.com/it/freediving/414-alpha-freediving.html
http://www.onex-diving.com/freediving.html
http://www.onex-diving.com/

The importance of a wetsuit in freediving

The importance of a wetsuit in freediving

The question that comes up time after time, concerns which piece of equipment to buy first, and there seems to be a lot of confused thinking about this. The usual solution is the fins.
My answer is invariably the same – the suit. When I was told this, it took me a very long time to accept it. At first appearance there seem to be two possible answers, one for freedivers and one for spear fishermen. But although the answer is very clear for freedivers, actually they eventually come to the same point.
My biggest lesson came teaching potentially elite freedivers in Mexico. One thing has to be clear, if you want to make a living teaching elite freedivers you better have another job as well!!
Elite freedivers, with few exceptions, have a burning passion and no money.
I had two students with great potential and of course no money. At first they had borrowed suits, always borrowed suits are far too big, probably from a large and not particularly slim person. Our athletes
being slender and fit looked like a stick of spaghetti in a bean bag. After only half an hour in the water and two dives each, they were an interesting shade of blue and shaking like leaves in a high wind.
 http://www.alphawetsuits.com/it/
http://www.alphawetsuits.com/it/48-freediving
http://www.alphawetsuits.it/
http://www.alphawetsuits.it/apnea/
http://www.onex-diving.com/
http://www.onex-diving.com/freediving.html

Freediving and Triathlon wetsuit,

Freediving and Triathlon wetsuit, made from smooth double lined neoprene. Very dynamic cut shape. Different neoprene stiffness has been used: softer under the arms and behind knees, more stretchy on collar. It features holes in the back area to let the water flow and a zipper with competition closing system (from top to bottom). Available in 2 mm. Integrated collar to prevent infiltrations 
http://www.1x-diving.com/prodotto/oxygen-freediving-wetsuits/
http://www.1x-diving.com/prodotto/oxygen-c7/
http://www.1x-diving.com/
http://www.alphawetsuits.com/it/48-freediving
http://www.alphawetsuits.com/it/6-spearfishing
http://www.alphawetsuits.com/it/

Freediving Wetsuits are very different from scuba diving wetsuits or surf suits

Freediving Wetsuits are very different from scuba diving wetsuits or surf suits. Scuba suits normally are one piece with a zipper up the back with no attached hood. Freediving suits are typically two pieces with an attached hood and there are no zippers.
The two pieces consist of a high-waisted pant, also called a farmer john, and a top that slides over your head, which has a beaver tail on the bottom to hold the top up. The attached hood keeps you streamlined and warmer. You typically get more cold during freediving than scuba diving because you try to lower your heart rate down so that you are more efficient with your oxygen consumption. Usually a lower heart rate means lower body temperature.
You need to look for a very high quality neoprene when searching for your perfect freediving suit.  likes Yamamoto neoprene that comes out of Japan. She feels that this is one of the best neoprenes out there. It is extremely flexible and extremely warm.
There are a few different kinds of freediving wetsuits. There are competitive suits and recreational suits. Each has its advantages and disadvantages.
Competitive suits are smooth on the outside with open cell neoprene on the inside. There are also recreational suits that have nylon on the outside and they offer more protection from the environment in case you are near rocks or rough terrain.
There is no nylon on a competitive suit so that means there is more flexibility so that you can take your full maximum lung volume. If Erin takes her full maximum lung volume in a t-shirt, it is approximately 6.25 Liters. If she takes her maximum lung volume in the most flexible competitive suit out on the market, she loses an entire Liter off of her volume. Now imagine what her lung volume in a recreational nylon suit would be that restricts her volume even more. Your lung volume can also change wearing a 7mm thick suit versus a 3mm. This is something you want to consider when choosing your freediving suit.
 http://www.alphawetsuits.com/it/53-freediving-wetsuits
http://www.alphawetsuits.com/it/48-freediving
http://www.1x-diving.com/oxygen-wetsuits/
http://www.1x-diving.com/prodotto/oxygen-freediving-wetsuits/

freedivers that are already out there trying your hand at this whole apnea thing.

wetsuits for freediving

http://www.alphawetsuits.com/it/53-freediving-wetsuits

http://www.alphawetsuits.com/it/

http://www.1x-diving.com/

http://www.1x-diving.com/prodotto/oxygen-freediving-wetsuits/

3. But here’s one thing for you freedivers that are already out there trying your hand at this whole apnea thing. You’re probably a lot more dangerous than you know. Yep, I know what you’re thinking. I’m supposed to say that because I teach courses, right? Well, yeah, but it’s 100% true too. I know because I was the prime example of a scary dangerous freediver before I got trained. I dove by myself, got close to blackout a few times without any trained safeties around…and now that I have proper training I realize how unnecessarily dangerous that was. But, since many of you have probably heard this before I’m not going to belabor the point. Just let me say this- at least check out your options for getting training. There’s a few agencies and lots of folks out there but at least do some safety training somewhere along the line. You won’t be sorry you did and you’ll probably get a bunch of good technique tricks along the way too.
4. But once you’ve done all that and want to start working on improving your depths/times, etc. one of the first steps to doing so is to GET GOOD GEAR! Now, that doesn’t just mean expensive gear. Not everybody needs carbon fiber blades and fluid goggles, but you should get things that fit you and work for what you’ll be doing. So save your pennies and buy a freediving suit- not the cheapest one you can find online, but one that you’ve tried on and fits YOUR body. (PS- ladies, there’s no such thing as unisex! Get a women’s suit or a custom suit!) Get fins that fit your feet and work for your budget. Get a mask that doesn’t leak when you try it on and isn’t big enough for goldfish to swim around in. I’ll go into more detail if you guys want in future posts, but the key is to get the right gear for you. Lots of dive shops that carry freediving gear are great for helping you pick it out.