I only have my 3/2 surf one and have never had a problem. The seals on modern day wetties keep you toastie warm as well for their thickness. The only problem i see is that surf ones are more of hassle to get in and out of rather than the dive ones. Plus i feel like the michelin man in a 5mm!

I've never looked back since getting my first dedicated freediving wetsuit with an integrated hood. Harder again to get into than the surf suits (requires lube), but oh so flexible and warm.

 Both free diving and scuba more scuba though.. Even though the surf suit is harder to get into dont u think they are a lot more comfortable?

 Reason I ask I'm in surfers ATM and at the retail stores I can pick up the latest surf wettie for 130... Tried it on fitted good just was unsure of the durability of them... Plastic bags on the feet make it much easier to slip into 

For $130 and youre happy with it you cant go wrong! However it will be at the lower end of the quality spectrum. I get my suits(rip curl e bombs) from the states for around the mid to high $300's, locally they're in the $500's nudging $600. If i get a few years out of em im happy, and i always have.

And yeah plastic bags make it easy, but the best sealed suits these days are chest zips and if you're not nice and flexi(like me!) you've gotta do a bit of wriggle to get in em.

Surf suits are incredibly flexible, but they can't compete with a two-piece dive suit which has 6mm on the belly and 3mm on the arms, and the integrated hood is a world apart. You don't need torso flexibility for diving, but the freedive suits have no nylon lining on the inside so they are really flexible in the legs and I think they are more comfortale than a surf suit for the purpose.

The other thing is that deep diving will crush the neoprene on a surf suit and you will lose warmth pretty quickly. Over time the crush will be permanent.

You can get a 3mm freediving wetsuit cheaply for $300, but some reckon that they cop a hiding for scuba, so probably worth looking at dedicated scuba suit.

80% of the time i dive 3/2mm surf steamer and i rarely get cold in the ocean around summer ( diving generally 20-30m) I only dive with my 5mm semi in the river in the winter when it gets down around 14c!

In terms of rips and tears, my old west  surf wetsuit lasted me 10 years+ my new billabong wont see me past 2 . I still think a decent thinner diving suit is the way to go.

dive wetties will keep you always warm if you have the right one, i have 2. one is a 5 mm wettie wetsuit, two piece with long johns. the other a beuchat reversible 3.5mm with long johns, i went up north with the 3,5 and was to hot so the next trip took a 3mm steamer.. i was freezeing all day long. if its too hot for the two piece i just wear boardies and the top half and that sees me through the day no worries, just remeber sunscreen on the legs :P

 Thanks for the help 

Mate look around for a place nearby that does a custom job. Yellow pages or internet will lead the way. They will measure you up so that it is a perfect fit and you can get whatever seams/seals/thicknesses you want. It is always suprisingly cheap (usually as cheap if not better than good ones off the rack) and they will be helpful if you're not exactly sure what you need. Off the rack is getting better but once you go custom you will never look back.

Custom suit - make sure to put in a comfort zip

Mate i buy cheap as chips Sub $100 jobs( 3mm no name stuff) and use them as almost like disposables up north and in summer and amazing how well they work with a sharkskin underneath

for this time of year and around south i have proper semi dry, worth every cent as it gets u to dive longer/colder places

if your chasing crays and climbing into caves I would buy a cheapo 2nd hand 2 piece dive wetty. I got my last one for $50 from a shut down sale at a dive shop ex rental suit. Why buy a new weety that will get torn to pieces on the reefs.

If your just diving looking at things and not hunting and getting in the reef then get a decent wetty. I would never buy a new wetty for cray diving though.

 Try Thailand 

 You can get really good suits made in Thailand - tailored even - for a whole lot less than here

 Octopus Wetsuits in Phuket I've heard are the best

even diving up north I used a 5mm set of long johns and 5mm long leave wetty jacket mainly for protection against coral try Perth dive academy they usually sell of there hire suits at this time of the year(EOFY) cheap

T^ry the scuba warehouse MThawthorne Scarbrough beach road

they have a good cheap range of both