It’s always depressing when one of your faithful wetsuits starts the downhill slide and it’s time to get a new one. I’ve been guilty of wearing a suit with holes in it simply because it was perfectly worn in and I couldn’t bare the thought of discarding it. Since learning the dive, finding a wetsuit that fits properly, is the desired thickness and holds up to my rigorous dive lifestyle, has been an endeavor in which I start out optimistic and end somewhere between frustration and completely annoyed. Trying to find a freediving suit for women has proved to have all of these challenges magnified by the limited number of companies that actually produce such a product. After some research I decided to give the Sporasub Yemaya Women’s Wetsuit a tryout.
First Impressions Of The Sporasub Yemaya
When my Sporasub Yemaya women’s suit arrived in the mail, I couldn’t wait to take it for a test spin. When I selected the suit I was thrilled to see a measurement chart with more selections than usually offered. I am almost 5’9 so most suits are too short or if the length is right, the suit swims on me (no pun intended).
The suit slid on easily and the open cell neoprene lining is incredibly soft on the skin. Often times suits rub at the elbows are knees causing discomfort, but the softness combined with flexibility left me comfortable for the whole dive. No one really feels bad for you when you say it’s cold and you live in the Bahamas, but the water temps in the winter leave me insisting on at least 5 mm, a hood and socks. My initial slide beneath the surface is usually accompanied with a gasp, but to my surprise and extreme happiness, I was warm.
The sleek black suit left me feeling like a shark ninja as I slid through the water. It fits perfectly and actually feels like it was meant for a woman. This is a nice change from many suits that just never have the material you need in the right places or too much material in the wrong places; ladies you know what I am talking about. During the entire dive both pieces stayed in place and the pants never shifted or bunch under the jacket. My dive partners laughed as I clambered back onto the boat and shouted, “I am warm. It’s warm!” I get cold so quickly, even while freediving, so spending 30 minutes in the water and not freezing necessitated my enthusiasm.
From Freediving To Scuba
My next test was on scuba and I was curious to see how the suit would hold up to me kneeling on the bottom and not being active. Often times while filming and photographing, I sit very still on the bottom, which means getting colder even quicker. It also means I need to have flexibly to move and shift in order to get the shot and having 2 separate pieces made this a non issue.
For the final test I decided to climb a rope ladder to the top of the S.S Sapona shipwreck. The flexibility of the suit allowed me to shimmy up the ladder with ease, well as much ease as one can have climbing a rope ladder up a rusty shipwreck. Happy to report it also survived the dismount (a jump from 15 feet).
In Summary
This suit passed the normal rigors of my dive life and I am excited to take it on more dive adventures. It’s price point is competitive and Ladies, whether you are a scuba diver or freediver or both, this suit is comfortable, warm and fits like it was truly designed with a woman’s body in mind (it was).
Features
- Specifically designed for women
- Single snap beaver tail
- Reinforced chest pad
- Reinforced knees
- Available in 3mm, 5mm, and 7mm thicknesses
- Available in XS – XL sizes
- Jacket and Bottoms sold seperately to allow you to get the right fit
