My D4 strap also broke 3 weeks ago.

Got a strap replacement quote from a local divestore for R499

So this is what I did:

I created myself an account on Suunto's website and then emailed them complaining about the strap. They replied that they want a photo of the broken strap, proof of purchase and also my shipping details so they can send me a new strap...

Now to find my proof of purchase...

We live in a age where we have so many tools/ products to make life easier and safer for us.

Personally I think SWB is our biggest enemy whilst spearfishing.

Look at this Freedivers Recovery Vest by Terry Maas and team.

oceanicss.com/frv/index.htm

I would rather invest in this than a shark shield

Daz, I use this this same knot on all my reelguns.

I also add a small knot at the end of the line to give you something to grab onto when you need to release the spear in a hurry.

I have shot 2 Saily's over 40kg, cuta up to 25kg, numerous amberjack and tropical yellowtail up to 22kg, etc and the knot hasnt failed once...

Johann I can also help.
Just redid my trailer, new axle,springs, hubs, rims, etc

So what are the materials we should be looking at? What should we be asking for when we go in for a new suit?

The biggest factor that I can pick up throughout this forum is that the material is the most important factor so if I am going to buy local, what should I be getting? Specifically with regards to chicle.

Thanks Jeremy, from what I understand then is that having nylon on the inside will make it slightly less warm than open-cell, but does that trade off against having a stronger suit?

I'm very hard on my suits and I'm worried about getting a full chicle suit (inner and outer) as I've seen some break just by looking at them. I would be prepared to lose a bit of warmth if the suit lasted longer. That said I also want to be comfortable in sub 18deg water like we had last weekend in durbs.

Join a club. Make friends with everybody there and be like a sponge... When I started spearfishing, I walked into a shop and bought a gun, but I couldnt even load it. I went for a couple of shoredives with an unloaded gun and then lost interest. A couple of months later I joined HUC and within another 2 months I shot my first daga salmon of 28kg.

Then a piece of advice for when you are more experienced... Guyla told me this a couple of years ago.

Try and use the best equipment you can. Improving your equipment is a easy way to improve your total performance. An example is a badly fitting mask. Yes it might do the job, but you can have a much better performance by replacing that badly fitting mask with one that suits your face better. It improves how comfortable you are in the water and thus how long you can stay down.

Just keep in mind every piece of equipment has its place. ie dont buy carbon fins if you are primarily going to shore dive.

Another example of conditioning could be the following:

I have stopped using a marker buoy at areas like cracker at Aliwal and also Protea because they seem to attract the sharks especially the blacktips. Could be due to the fact that most shark operators use a similar buoy to to hold the chum bucket.

Great topic Guy, controversial, but a great read.

Personally I would love to have an Elios suit on my rack, from all the reports and having dived with people wearing them they seem awesome (I'm sure a lot of the overseas brands are great) That said I would definitely lean towards a localy manufactured suit. For me the service is the key selling point, I'm pretty tough on my suits and its great to have the local backup.

I recently received a suit from Imersion and although its adequate its definitely not on a par with suits I've had in the past, the material seems fine but the stitching is a bit sub-par and the fit isn't great. It must be said, I did opt for a 'cheap' suit so as Coats explained you get what you pay for. If you are a one suit diver go to your local dive shop, if you do decide to go offshore for a suit, do your research and make sure you know what you are in for.