'Open Cell' neoprene in a Mer tail?

[Merman Andrew]

Hey all, so I recently was doing a bit of research into free diving as I'm looking to take some classes to make me a better mer swimmer. I read about these special wet suits that free divers use called 'open cell' wet suits which are supposedly much warmer and more snug fitting than regular neoprene (so much so that they have to use a kind of lube just to get them on). I'm just wondering if anyone has ever tried using this in a mer tail or is there a reason it would not work at all for mer tails?

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[Echidna]

I have an open cell suit, and there is absolutely no reason why you couldn't use it as a tail.

The lower part is easy to get on too (the top, especially hooded, is another matter :lol:), it's very thick and would thus wonderfully disguise the leg outline, as well as warm if that's an advantage for you.

I made a tail from a wetsuit already, there was no issue (I did it by hand).
If I didn't need the opencell one for cold water diving, I'd turn it into a tail as well.

[Rett]

I am sure that it would work great, but I don't think personally I would ever make a tail from it because that material is (from what I have read) much thicker than normal neoprene and so would be both very expensive and very hard to sew without a special heavier-duty sewing machine. It has great potential though for anyone willing to give it a try :)

[Mermaid Jaffa]

Is that the same as scuba knit?

[Merman Andrew]

From what I've read there is no thickness requirement for it to be 'open cell', apparently it just means that the backing layer on the inside of the neoprene isn't there, so you could make an open cell tail any thickness you want. Free divers use thicker neoprene of course for the added warmth factor, but if you weren't making it for free diving in a cold ocean then you could go for less thick fabric.

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