Is it true that Henderson Hyperstretch wetsuit only good for shallow diving?

[SteveAD]

I have used the 7mm ScubaPro version of Hyperstretch, and I am warmer with that than an older style 7mm two piece suit, which in theory had 14mm on the core.


the scubapro everflex is only about 1/2 as stretchy as HH. HH advertizes a 4x as stretch as regular, so the scubapro is sort of a compromise between standard and hyperstretch. pick up the two suits and the SP is heavier (more rubber less air)

 

[SteveAD]

One of my friends who has been diving for many years told me that I should get just a decent suit. Don’t spend a lot of money on the expensive one because I’ll get fatter as I age. He claimed that he changes his wetsuit every five years (he’s been diving for about 30 years). What do you think? Is it typical to change wetsuit every five years because you get bigger?


Patrick

wetsuits do not last forever, unlike a good regulator. 5 years is a reasonable lifespan with moderate usage (think 200-300 dives), and they are not very forgiving of significant body changes.

not to derail the thread but have you put any thought into a drysuit instead of a wetsuit. yes, dry is more expensive, but they last longer, are warmer, give consistant insulation regardless of depth, are generally easier to get in and out of, and are more forgiving of size changes.

 

[rawls]

Hi guys,

Yesterday I went to the LDS to check some 7mil one piece wetsuits. I asked for the Henderson Hyperstretch wetsuits. The shop didn’t carry them. The shop owner told me that the Hyperstretch is nice to put on and take off, but it tends to shrink (because of the pressure) when diving deeper. He said that if I wear the HH and be at 40 feet deep, the 7mil suit will be compressed to like 5mil. If I even go deeper like 80 feet, it’ll be like 3mil. He mentioned that when the suit gets that thin, it doesn’t keep the heat and I won’t feel warm. Basically what the shop owner trying to say was that the HH is no good for deep dive because it’ll shrink and leaves the diver cold. Is that true? Any HH users out there to shed the light on this issue?


Thanks

I have 2 HH wetsuits...a 1/2 ml and a 3 ml. I can't say that I have noted any significant differences from other wetsuits I have owned.

 

[boulderjohn]

wetsuits do not last forever, unlike a good regulator. 5 years is a reasonable lifespan with moderate usage (think 200-300 dives), and they are not very forgiving of significant body changes.

I had a 0.5 mm suit I used in tropical waters. Loved it. It did the job, and it minimized my need for weight.

This summer, after about 150 dives, it gave up on me. It just stopped stretching and went baggy. After a giant stride entry, I had to do gymnastic routines under water to get all of the air out of the legs.

[Sigh] Time to say good-bye and get a new suit.

 

[padiscubapro]

Thank you everybody for sharing your experience/opinions/knowledge. Now I know that the HH wetsuit really shrinks more than others. If I really can't find a wetsuit that fits me, I may have to go with HH. I have a lanky body. All wetsuits I tried at the LDS were too big around the waistline. It almost like they were made for chubby people. :-(

One of my friends who has been diving for many years told me that I should get just a decent suit. Don’t spend a lot of money on the expensive one because I’ll get fatter as I age. He claimed that he changes his wetsuit every five years (he’s been diving for about 30 years). What do you think? Is it typical to change wetsuit every five years because you get bigger?


Patrick

Patrick,
All suits are not created equal and do not compress at the same rate.. In the past suits used to be made out of real neoprene and not al these blends.. The suits were much more durable and warmer, current suits are much easier to get into..

My personal choice these days is to go to fully custom suits.. My choice is wetwear in florida (direct sales only) .. They can even make suits out of g231 nitrogen injected rubitex ( The bubbles are actually under pressure so they dont compress as much)..

In warm water I like 3mm suits, I do alot of deep diving but even when I am on the shallow side of my deep dives (maybe 200 to 250 fsw), most brands I have tried are now like skins, probably under 1mm, but the suit I use thes days is still probaly the equivalent of a 2mm suit . I can get away with a 3mm where others need a 5mm..

Fully custom suits are not cheap, but have lots of options available to them.. The last one I purchase was over $800 (most people spend in the $500 range)

 

[LSDeep]

no probs here with it here. dive 5mm and it seems as warm as my old 5mm. beside the above mentioned compression / less insulation issue you have with nearly all suits it sounds like a bunch of bs to me. if you wanna get around / minimize compression look for a crushed neoprene suit. denser material = less compression = less insulation loss at depth. or go for (semi)dry . poss overkill.

 

[LSDeep]

Patrick,
All suits are not created equal and do not compress at the same rate.. In the past suits used to be made out of real neoprene and not al these blends.. The suits were much more durable and warmer, current suits are much easier to get into..

My personal choice these days is to go to fully custom suits.. My choice is wetwear in florida (direct sales only) .. They can even make suits out of g231 nitrogen injected rubitex ( The bubbles are actually under pressure so they dont compress as much)..

In warm water I like 3mm suits, I do alot of deep diving but even when I am on the shallow side of my deep dives (maybe 200 to 250 fsw), most brands I have tried are now like skins, probably under 1mm, but the suit I use thes days is still probaly the equivalent of a 2mm suit . I can get away with a 3mm where others need a 5mm..

Fully custom suits are not cheap, but have lots of options available to them.. The last one I purchase was over $800 (most people spend in the $500 range)

using "of the rack" and custom suits for years, i cant really agree. yes the custom might fit better, especially if you are sized in a way thats usually kind of in between the usual sizing. by not overstretching material from start it keeps you warmer. beside that, sofar every suit was more or less "done" within a year. if you have a high quality of the rack or a good custom your 5mm will be about equivalent to a 3mm if it is substandard material it might be insulating like a 2mm. still usable as an undersuit or warm water suit. while having used billabong and camaro for years, i dont see any "out of normal" probs with the HH suits. of the rack fits me great, so no real point to waste money on custom suits (well give me a good deal and i take it). good suits are not cheap period, nothing to do with fitted or not, neoprene comes in many qualities and gets expensive fast if you dont use cr*p. as example a custom camaro cost not much more than a standard (we talking $50 to 100) same material, maybe a couple more zippers and stuff at your choice.

by the way, if the shallow side of your deep dives is at about 200 to 250ft - you might wanna consider drysuits considering deco times, total divetime and the usual heatloss. i couldnt imagine, even here in the caribbean, to do any dives where the shallower end is in the 200ft range to use anything less than a semidry (and thats getting friggin cold in the end).

 

[terrasmak]

I hate my HH suit , if i would have known i would have never bought it . I get cold easy , so 70 degree water with the 7mm i still froze.

 

[ScubaRandy]

Greetings Patrick!

I dive a 5mm Titanium Hyperstretch here in TN.... I got the Combo, which is the 5mm Core Warmer and the 5mm full length wetsuit.... This time of the year here in TN, I dive the Core Warmer as a shorty.... Been down to about 50 ffw here in a local quarry as recently as last weekend where the temp was a balmy 60 degrees, and got a bit cold... Put the 5mm full length on the next day and was comfortable in it... I have been down to about 110ffw in the full length and the temp was in the upper 50's, and was comfortable....If I don't want to dive dry, but want to stay warm, I put on the full length suit, and the core warmer over that, which gives me 10mm thru the torso, and a HH hood... That is good for me down to about 48 degrees... Below that, it's break out the drysuit and undergarments. I've had the HH since it came out, and have been diving it all the time since then.... It is starting to need replacement.

Hope this helps.

Randy

 

[Sideband]

HH in the presence of velcro will show "pilling" and "runs" much more quickly than others. The 200 to 250 dive lifespan is less on an HH.

True about the pilling but I have on the plus side of 250 dives in my hyperstretch and it is going strong. There are a couple of small snags and such that I should touch up with Aquaseal but there are no holes and the arms and legs are still firmly attached. I plan on getting at least 100 more dives in wearing it this summer.

Joe