TLDR; get a 5mm mixed or open cell suit. It’s the most versitile for this area.

We’ve been swimming and spearing in the Med for over 3 years now and have learned a thing or two about wetsuits in the process. One thing that surprised me when I first got here was how cold the water was, even at the end of summer. It always feels great to take a dip on a hot summer day but after being in there for 20-30mins things start to get a little chilly.

Obviously spearfishing sessions need to last a lot longer than that (unless you’ve got the greatest luck in the world, which we definitely don’t have haha). So, we’ve done a fair bit of research and trying out of various different types and thicknesses of wetsuits, and we’ll try and summarize it below.

The article will cover the following topics:

1. Type – Open cell versus Closed Cell
2. Average Water Temp
3. Thickness
4. Our Recommendation

If you have any extra thoughts or questions feel free to reach out to us!

Open Cell vs Closed Cell Wetsuits

For those who don’t know the main difference between an open cell wetsuit and a closed cell wetsuit is the exposure of the neoprene. As you can imagine an open cell suit has the neoprene exposed while the closed cell has the neoprene covered with cloth.

This is helpful because it allows for much better insulation and quicker dry times. When the neoprene is exposed to the skin it creates a ton of tiny little suctions that allow the neoprene to stick to the skin and maintain consistent body temperature. It’s also significantly more flexible because you’re not having to stretch cloth as you’re moving around.

The downside of this is that it’s significantly more fragile. So, when you’re bumping up against rocks or putting it on or taking it off you have a much higher chance or ripping the suit. Which has happened to us before. One time we had a friend who was putting his open cell suit on for the first time and as he went to take it off it ripped completely in half. Bye bye $100. So, be careful and I’d highly suggest looking up how to properly put them on and take them off when starting out.

Closed cell are kind of the opposite in their pros and cons. They’re not nearly as warm because the neoprene doesn’t insolate as well. They also don’t dry nearly as fast because they’re fabric and they’re not as flexible. But they’re also significantly more durable.

Mix of open cell and closed cell suits exist and it’s what we use most here. I’d highly suggest starting with this because they’re durable but also have the advantage of having at least the open cell on the inside.

How thick your wetsuit should be?

So the TLDR on this one is most people in the European side of the Med wear a 5mm suit because it’s the most versitle year-round suit. But personally I think this is a bit of a tricky one. We’ve noticed that we each handle the temp of the water a bit differently. That said we’ll give a general idea of what we’ve experienced.

• 2-3 mm for water temperatures from June to September
• 3-5 mm for water temperatures from September to October
• 5-7mm for water temperatures from October to May

For ease of knowing what the water temp is normally in Barcelona, here’s a table showing average sea temp for each month of the year:

• Jan – 13C or 55F
• Feb – 13C or 55F
• March – 13C or 55F
• April – 14C or 57F
• May – 17C or 62F
• June – 20C or 68C
• July – 23C or 73F
• Aug – 25C or 77F
• Sept – 23C or 73F
• Oct – 20C or 68F
• Nov – 17C or 62F
• Dec – 15C or 59F

Keep in mind there are some days where it’s much hotter in the summer and fall months that has made me want to just wear a 3mm suit and use it as a way to cool off a bit when I’m in the water.

A little hack that I’ve been using personally is I have a 3mm suit and a 7mm suit for very middle of the coldest water months. If I can handle not wearing the full 7mm I’ll pair my 7mm top with 3mm bottoms. That way I don’t have to wear as much weight on me.

Lastly, just remember to take into conderation some of these things as you’re going out.

• How long you plan to be in the water.
• The depth of the water you’ll be diving in.
• Temperature of the water.
• Temperature of the air.

The lower these are, the thicker your wetsuit should be; but it’s always a matter of personal comfort.

Conclusion

I think the best wetsuit thinkness for The Mediterranian Sea would be a 3mm or 5mm, depending on the season. As always though, aim for what is going to make you the most comfortable, and happy hunting!