Sporasub wetsuit

[Freedive WI]

Sporasub makes some really good gear, nothing second rate about it. I'm not sure if David Sipperly is still the rep, but he's a first rate guy with a lot on knowledge.

They make a variety of wetsuits that range from novice to spearo to competition diver. Elios suits are nice, as they are custom cut and the Sporasub's are not, but if you are just starting out you'll well served. Things to keep in mind is to buy a suit no thicker than 5mm. Freediving wetsuits are MUCH warmer than scuba suits and you won't need anything thicker than that- even if you scuba dive with it, like I do with mine. Make sure you get the suit that has either opencell or some kind of slick coating on the inside. Sporasub used to make a "novice" suit that was nylon on both sides- stay away from that one suit.

The Sporasub Samurai mask and snorkel used o be considered one of the "standards" in freediving. Now days the Sphera is the mask to get, but the sporasub snorkel is still first rate.

Make sure to buy one of their Marseillaise (sp?) rubber weight belts- it does make a big difference. They also make one of the best spearfishing knifes on the market- the Snake Dagger. 8)

I have always loved the Sporasub footpockets, and have them mounted onto my C4's and at least one of my monofins. They are far more comfortable, to me, than the OMER/Spetton/Picasso/Esclapez/Beuchat footpockets. Having said that, I understand that they just redesigned the whole fin. IF you can get a hold of any of their old footpockets they're almost Worth their weight in gold. The other nice thing about the older design was that you could swap out the blades. That way you could start out with a plastic blade and move up to a fiberglass one for a while and then up to a Carbon Fiber.

Stay away from the Sporasub Variant fins- they have had a very bad reputation for cracking. They are easy to spot as they are the ones that come apart for travel- and the blades all seem to crack at the attachment point.

You'll also want to get a pair of fin keepers for your fins, and wetsuit SOCKS to go with them. Fred has a nifty way of making fin keepers out of old truck inner tubes, but you can just buy new ones through your store- Trident sells them.

When you get the suit post it and we'll tell you how to get in, and out, of it. It's more art than science. ;D

As far as other Sporasub fins go. The Radicals were a great fin, one of the best spearing fins I ever owned. It was a carbon blade wrapped in a plastic coating to keep from cracking. I don't think that the are made anymore. Stay away from the PURE's as min broke on me- twice! Fred has had better luck with his but my experience with them has sworn me off them forever, plus the C4's are so much stronger, and have a much better warranty, that I don't need to go back.

Lot's of info in here so read through it a couple of times and post any questions that you might have.

Jon