Hi Dive Maven,
In short; Lavacore is a new revolutionary fabric that has been design specifically for the watersports... The facric has changed peoples ideas and concepts on traditional uderwater thermal protection, and has become very popular within Australia and New Zealand divers.
Worn as a stand alone garment it offers similar protection to that of a 1.5 - 2mm neoprene wetsuit, and adds about 3mm equivalent when worn under any suit.
Lavacore offers many advantages over a traditional wetsuit, but not necessarily replacing a wetsuit. Depending on water temps, Lavacore means you can half the thickness of your wetsuit, and as its neutrally buoyant save on weight. It has increased movement as its extremely flexible, and you can also enjoy the luxury to wear it in any water temp by offering the versatility of layering.
Hope this helps.... there is more information on their webpage goto; w ww.lavacore.com.au