Abalone Diver, Hell Fisherman, Fearless Surfer & Adrenaline Junkie

The following is a testimonial I wrote for Don Munro from triple X on their new commercial divesuits because I was so impressed with them. For the past 8-9 years i’ve been wearing triple X wetsuits for surfing & reckon they are as good as the best wetsuits i’ve used, they are definitely the warmest & most flexible i’ve ever worn, particularly the mega stretch suits. I then started using them for diving & found their thin light weight titanium steamers extra warm & great as an under suit, plus also found I needed less weights because of the low buoyancy of their wetsuits. Recently I helped in the development of their new 7mm & 9mm commercial 2 piece hooded divesuits. I now use both these suits when abalone diving & have no hesitation in saying they are the best commercial suits i’ve ever used. I’m able to get in & out of them without the assistance of my deckie…something i’ve never been able to do with any of the 7mm or 9mm wetsuits i’ve used in the past. There are other added advantages i’m impressed with that really help throughout the course of a day’s diving, the fact i’m more flexible & carrying fewer weights i’m able to move around easier & more comfortably. Depending on conditions I wear a combination of the 7mm & 9mm together, surface temperatures this dive season at Marlo (at the entrance of the Snowy River) went as low as 13 °C. I caught my quota of 35 ton of abalone this season & find the suits are still in good useable condition. I believe triple X is on a winner with these suits, I know the word is spreading by the number of fellow ab divers now using them & saying how stoked they are.

Abalone Diver since 1975, Far South Coast of NSW

In January 2007 I was apprehensive about wearing the new 7mm dive suit in the 20 °C summer water.

My intention was to try out the suit when sea temperatures dropped around April/May.I did not have to wait long and in fact was fortunate that I had the suit on the boat when I went out for a dive in early January.

A cold upwelling had moved in on the east coast with a surface temperature of 12 to 13 °C.

This upwelling spread from Eden to Seal Rocks producing unusually cold water temperatures and keeping swimmers out of the water in the peak of summer.  So I put on the 7mm Triple XXX. The first thing I noticed when I put on the suit was the ease to which it just slipped on. I used a plastic bag on my feet which wasn’t necessary as I just slid into the pants and it was a snug comfortable fit (I take off the shelf size Large). The second pleasing aspect of the suit was the comfort and flexibility out of the water and the coat can be easily removed without the help of the deckie. Having removed 2 kilo of lead from my weight vest I hit the water.The 12 °C surface temperature dropped sharply as I descended into my first dive and was I  glad I had that suit on. I immediately noticed that the feet and arm seals worked to perfection sealing the suit around the extremities. I dived for four hours around 20 to 30 feet and was snug and warm all day.There was less strain on my arms from the flexibility of the suit and less strain on my back with the decreased lead. Getting back on the boat was easier than with any other dive suit I’ve worn and after a day in 12 °C water I still felt less worn than usual. Usually after four to five hours I feel like I’ve been in a straight jacket all day.

I wore the  7mm through into winter and during times when the water warmed up again I found that by swimming with the flap undone and sometimes with the hood pulled back I avoided getting too hot so temperatures adjustment was relatively easy. I started wearing the 9mm in July when temperatures were once again down to 13 °C surface temperature. For a 9mm suit it was still comfortable and flexible and easy to move around the boat. If I worked in shallow waters I would have to leave the flap undone and was never cold or too hot.

In deeper water with colder temps and more pressure I remained warm and comfortable all winter.

From the 7mm to the 9mm I added only an  extra  half kilo of lead weights to my vest. 

Legend Customer

Just tried the new commercial 2 piece 7mm suit. The difference was amazing. I was able to reduce my weights by 6lbs and use less air on scuba than a normal 2 piece 7 mm. This is due to the greater flexability that allows you to move underwater without restriction and the less bouyancy associated with the suit.

Here is an example of less air consumption - I generally use a 100cu/ft tank and at this particular dive site, I can stay under for 1hr 20 mins. That is using my old suit. With the new Triple-X suit I used a 80 cu/ft tank instead of the 100cu/ft and managed 1hr 20 mins - 20 cuft less air for the same time, which confirms the suit reduces your air consumption.

These suits are not only great for commercial divers but also for recreational divers. I am glad I bought one as I now will have less pressure on my back saving me from chiro visits.

Do not scratch around buy one. You will never buy anything else!