15 Best Scuba Wetsuits – Ideal Diving

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Can you even imagine the world of diving before wetsuits? Only bizarre devices come to mind: diving bells, gear that looks better suited to outer space, and props from the set of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. Sure, some of this equipment might double as elements of your next Steampunk costume, but none are as sleek and efficient as the best scuba wetsuit.

Indeed, today the wetsuit has become the central piece of equipment that unifies divers of the free and scuba varieties. For many dive enthusiasts, the appearance of the wetsuit has become synonymous with their watery passions that a mere glimpse of the suit can send one scurrying toward the nearest, deepest body of water at the drop of a hat.

Many questions abound about the purpose and function of the wetsuit. Which wetsuit is right for beginners? What features should a buyer look for when browsing among different brands of wetsuit? How can one pick a high quality wetsuit from a low-quality wetsuit? Why does one even need a wetsuit? And most importantly, what is the best scuba wetsuit out there on the market?

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Maybe you are a diving pro looking for an upgrade to your current kit. Maybe you are a first-time diver who doesn’t want to embarrass themselves with the wrong equipment. Or, maybe you are a journeyman diver, somewhere in between expert and novice, who has rented their equipment for a while but now wishes to take the next step and own one of the best scuba wetsuits out there on the market.

Comparison Table

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Where Did the Wetsuit Come From?

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The modern wetsuit was invented by UC Berkeley’s physicist Hugh Bradner. He realized that people could stand having a thin layer of water trapped between the suit fabric and the wearer’s skin, as long as the fabric also provided insulation by trapping bubbles in the water alongside the water. The concept obviously worked, and we have Bradner, the “father of the modern wetsuit,” to thank for the quite lightweight and surprisingly warm diving equipment of today.

Although, Bradner and his team could not successfully market their design, eventually, a neoprene version of their original concept appeared on the market, and once the surfing craze got a hold of the ability to hang ten even in cold waters, wetsuits sold like gangbusters.

Choosing the Right Scuba Wetsuit

Obviously, price is among the major considerations when looking to purchase some underwater onesies. It won’t matter if your wetsuit is name brand if you also have to go into debt to afford it.

Generally, you will get better quality products with more solid warranties backing them if you will spend more. However, often the next step up in terms of price represents a jump in cost that vastly outweighs the added benefits of the premium version. Every item we’ve chosen for this list passes a certain bar of quality, and20 so do not feel like you are drastically cutting off the longevity of your own scuba wetsuit because you cannot justify the more expensive model.

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The biggest overall tip we can offer when searching for the best scuba wetsuit out there is this: Check your thickness. That’s right, some wetsuits are thicker than others. The thicker material might sound like less mobility (and that’s correct to a certain degree), but ultimately knowing the type of waters you wish to dive in will inform exactly how thick your suit should be.

If you’re an experienced diver, you’ll already know all about choosing thickness. Feel free to skip to our list of the fifteen best scuba wetsuits if you’re well versed in what makes such a suit quality. But for the rest of us (or if you need a refresher), read on to learn more.

How Thick Do I Need My Scuba Wetsuit?

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The short answer is: it depends on the waters you plan to dive into. The colder the water, the thicker the scuba wetsuit you’ll need.

Thicknesses of 0.5 mm to 2/1 mm are suitable for waters above 65°. Any colder and you’ll need a thicker suit. Temperatures of 62° to 68° require suits between 2 mm to 3/2 mm thick. 3/2 mm to 4/3 mm of thickness will work for water temperatures of 58° to 63°. If you’re going colder, say to water that is down to 52°, you’ll want a suit thickness of 4/3 mm to 5/4/3 mm.

Those who wish to dive in even colder environments will need a full suit, boots, gloves, and a hood—all taped for maximum insulation. Waters with temperatures of 43°to 52° require suits with 5/4 mm to 5/4/3 mm of thickness. And if you’re hoping to join the Polar Bear club and dive in waters below 42°, you’ll probably want a suit of 6/5 mm thickness to offset that looming hypothermia.

Why Do You Need a Scuba Wetsuit?

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The reasons for needing a wetsuit range from comfort (wanting to be warm at the beach) to survival (they prevent your body from critically cooling underwater). Most people want wetsuits to enable them to explore environments they previously found too uncomfortable without insulation.

Among the many benefits that the modern wetsuit provides are underwater warmth, a hydrodynamic shape to prevent drag, and protection from cuts and knicks. (You’d be surprised how thorny some underwater critters and structures can be.) Plus, scuba wetsuits are skin tight and usually black, and that’s sexy.

The wetsuit has enabled new generations of surfers, hands-on marine biologists, military operatives, nautical explorers, and divers. The best scuba wetsuits have rendered cold waters usable wildernesses and paradises.

If you are a diver interested in dipping your toes into water chillier than 65°, you’ll most certainly want a wetsuit, as the insulation it provides is not only comfortable but can be lifesaving.

Wetsuits can be expensive. If you do not dive often, the option to rent a wetsuit may save you some money in the short term. In the long run, however, if you get bitten by the diving bug, you’ll wish that you had invested in a quality suit you could call your own. That said, the option to rent is often an attractive one. We’ll explore this option in the next segment.

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Renting vs. Buying a Scuba Wetsuit

“Yes, the wetsuit is an amazing piece of technology,” you may be thinking, “but I don’t dive every day. Why can’t I just rent a scuba wetsuit for a day’s activity for about forty bucks?” Well, you can. Renting a suit only does cost about $40 to $50 to get into a scuba wetsuit that other people wear when you aren’t. It’s a perfectly logical cost to pay if you’re only diving once in a blue moon.

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However, you can purchase a scuba wetsuit of your own for around $200. Quite a bit more than the $50 you might end up paying for a single dive, but in four or five dives, purchasing your own suit will have paid for itself.

Ultimately, the individual diver will know how often their schedule permits them to get out into the great blue yonder. We encourage those who envision four or five dives in their future to go ahead and purchase a wetsuit of their own.

Ah, but which suit to choose? Which is the best scuba wetsuit on the market? We’ve picked fifteen fine specimens which we proudly present without further ado…

The 15 Best Scuba Wetsuits

We found that wetsuits do not lend themselves to cardinal ordination as much as individual brands and models provide different benefits to different types of users. As such, the following list is unranked, although we will be revealing the best scuba wetsuit among these fifteen considered at the end.

We’ll highlight some of our favorite features of each model and hit you with a link on where to find them.

The Scubapro Everflex

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This model easily deserves a consideration as one of the best scuba wetsuits on the market. Few wetsuits are more comfortable than the Scubapro Everflex, which utilizes the natural shape of your body to reach new heights of comfort and mobility.

We loved its diagonal back zipper (going from left hip to right shoulder). We found it much more comfortable than the old style of the zipper that runs up and down along your spine. It makes the suit much easier to don and to discard. The fit is just stellar with this model.