About Seventhwave
Seventhwave was founded in Christchurch in 1987 by Paul Zarifeh — a backpack maker who took a bet on wetsuits and never looked back. Nearly four decades later, we're still here, still making every wetsuit by hand in Ferrymead, and still using the same Yamamoto limestone neoprene from Japan that Paul ordered in that first shipment.
Today Seventhwave is female-owned and run by a team with decades of combined experience. Our core customer is the surfer — but anyone who loves the water and refuses to let the cold win will feel right at home here. Beyond wetsuits, we manufacture custom neoprene products for commercial and industrial clients — from rescue and safety suits to fishing sleeves, neo braces, and specialist applications you won't find off the shelf. We also make wetsuits for amputees and people with disabilities who deserve to get in the water too.
We're based in Christchurch because these are our waters — cold, demanding, and perfect for testing whether a wetsuit is actually as good as it claims to be.
Our mission is to utilize innovation, PASSION, creativity, and a a ridiculously great attitude to deliver to our Worldwide team of water sports fanatics the best fitting, highest quality, stylish, NZ made gear using only the best and most sustainable materials, while leaving the smallest footprint possible.
We've found approximately a third of people don't fit a standard sized wetsuit, so if you want the best fit, maximum warmth and top performance then our Custom-Fit option is it. A custom fit can be applied to any of our wetsuit models.
You can read more about how this works and what you can expect for a custom fit on our Custom page
Our warranty fully covers your gear for any faults in workmanship or materials. Our Lifetime Warranty is on stitching and workmanship. Materials are covered by a one year warranty, but with careful use you should expect 2-4 seasons (or more) from your Seventhwave wetsuit. If you are not happy with your product, send it back to us within 30 days of the date of purchase, in the original packaging and we will refund or replace.
Our aim is to provide efficient and prompt sales support and service. Please contact us for any assistance or advice you may require.
We pride ourselves on exceptional customer service and expert knowledge. Our customers are spread throughout New Zealand and the world and we love them.
Our products are made to fit, made to perform, made to last, and made in New Zealand. We want you to know how to look after your Seventhwave gear, so that you get the highest mileage from all our products.
Our warranty does not cover the cost of shipping both too and from our shop.
We repair all brands of wetsuits for all kinds of problems. Fin cuts, reef grazes, dog bites, heater burns... you name it, we've seen it before. Our razor-sharp repair service gets your suit back to you before the next swell hits your local break!
Just pack your clean and dry suit into a box or courier bag and send it to us with your contact details. Upon receipt, we will assess the damage, contact you with a quote, then repair and deliver back to you in a few weeks.
To contact us, click here.
NZ shipping ranges from $8-$25 (rural being $25).
We ship anywhere in the world using NZ Post Courier or DHL.
Whether you're in Raglan, New Zealand or Vancouver Island, we've taken the hassle out of your online shopping experience.
Grown out of your old suit? No longer using that old model? Our unique trade-in service means you can bring in your old or unwanted Seventhwave suit and trade it in for a new one! We'll give you a trade in value off your new suit purchase. This service is especially popular with child/youth sizes between 2 and 12 years old.
About Our Wetsuits
Seventhwave wetsuits are built from the world's most technically advanced neoprene — Japanese Yamamoto limestone neoprene — making them exceptionally warm, lightweight, and flexible. Every suit is engineered for surfers and water sports athletes who demand the best, with continuous research and development driving improvements in warmth, stretch, and durability.
For the ultimate performance, our Custom-Fit service is available across our premium range — the Max, Siren, Viper, and separates. When you combine the world's finest neoprene with a suit made specifically for your body, nothing comes close.
Seventhwave wetsuits are made exclusively from Japanese Yamamoto neoprene — and there's a very good reason for that. Yamamoto consistently produces the finest neoprene in the world, and when you're handcrafting premium wetsuits in Christchurch, only the best will do.
With over 60 years of rubber manufacturing expertise and 40+ years setting the benchmark for neoprene innovation, Yamamoto's limestone-based rubber is in a class of its own. Here's why:
Made from Limestone, Not Petroleum
Most neoprene is petroleum-based. Yamamoto uses special polymers derived from calcium carbonate (limestone) to create a rubber with a completely independent closed-cell structure and multi-directional stretch. The result is a more advanced, higher-performing material — and a genuinely eco-friendly wetsuit for the 21st century.
99.7% Water Impermeable
Yamamoto's perfect uniform closed micro-cell structure means water simply can't get in. With 93% closed-cell content compared to just 60% in standard neoprenes, this rubber stays drier, lighter, and warmer than anything else on the market.
Nitrogen-Infused Cells
Every individual cell is packed at extremely high density and filled with nitrogen gas to maximise heat retention and block water penetration. The nitrogen closed-cell content is over 93% — more than 30% higher than most competing materials — giving you significantly more warmth without the extra thickness or weight.
Cell Memory
Yamamoto's unique cell structure gives it exceptional durability and stretch recovery. The super low modulus stretch with optimum cell recovery means your wetsuit moulds to your body shape over time and stays that way — no bagging out, no loss of fit, season after season.
Superstretch
Yamamoto's maximum elongation is 480–580%. Human skin under the arm stretches to around 60–70%. That extraordinary flexibility translates directly into unrestricted movement in the water — paddling, duck diving, and carving without your suit fighting back.
Yamamoto materials we work with include SCS (Super Composite Skin) and #39 Yamamoto — selected for their exceptional warmth, stretch, and durability. We are also currently working with #40 Yamamoto, the most flexible and premium grade available, pushing the boundaries of what's possible in a high-performance wetsuit.
Not all Yamamoto neoprene is the same. Yamamoto produces different grades of limestone rubber, each with distinct characteristics around stretch, durability, and density. At Seventhwave, we've spent years understanding exactly which grade belongs where — because the right rubber in the right place is what separates a good wetsuit from a great one.
Yamamoto #38
Our most durable Yamamoto grade. #38 has a denser cell structure that prioritises longevity over stretch — making it the ideal choice for high-wear areas, youth suits, and commercial applications. It's the foundation of our Vortex range and forms the body and leg panels of our Siren and Viper, where toughness matters most.
Yamamoto #39
The sweet spot of the Yamamoto range — exceptional stretch, warmth, and durability in equal measure. In all of our #39 suits, we spray Yamamoto Ti-Alpha titanium directly onto the neoprene before layering the nylon over the top — locking heat-reflecting technology right into the construction of the suit where it performs best.
Our Max range (available from 1.5mm through to 5mm) is built entirely from #39 with titanium throughout. Step up to the Max Ultra and we add a zirconium fibre lining to the chest, back, and thigh panels — a heat-reflecting yarn that bounces infrared energy from your body back onto your skin, creating double the warmth in the panels that matter most. The arms and entry panels stay in standard nylon to keep the suit flexible and easy to get on and off.
Our Enduro Stretch construction takes #39 further still, pairing it with a tougher, more durable nylon laminate and titanium throughout, plus zirconium through the chest and kidney panels on the 4/3 model. Built for rescue swimmers, coastguard, canyoners, wingfoilers, and surfers who demand longevity without sacrificing warmth or performance.
Yamamoto #40 — Coming Soon
#40 is Yamamoto's most flexible and premium grade — extraordinarily soft and stretchy, but at a cost. It's more expensive and less durable than #39, and at Seventhwave we've built our reputation on wetsuits that last. We're not prepared to put #40 into production until we're completely confident it holds up to real NZ conditions over multiple seasons. We're currently sampling suits combining #40 with lycra panels and will share results when we're ready.
The flexibility difference between #39 and #40 is less clear-cut than most brands would have you believe — and in real-world surfing conditions, a well-constructed #39 suit performs every bit as well. We'd rather put our energy into perfecting the construction for longevity than chasing a grade number.
Here's the complete Titanium Alloy Alpha section ready to copy:
Titanium Alloy Alpha — The Science of Staying Warm
Titanium Alloy Alpha is Yamamoto's heat-retaining technology — an ultra-thin titanium alloy film originally developed for use by NASA. It works in two directions simultaneously — reflecting your body heat back toward your skin while blocking cold water and air from penetrating from the outside. The result is a wetsuit that works with your body's own heat rather than just insulating against the cold.
Independent testing shows Titanium Alloy Alpha increases thermal performance by up to 40% compared to untreated neoprene of the same thickness. In real terms that means you can surf longer, stay warmer, and do it in a thinner, lighter suit.
At Seventhwave we use Ti-Alpha in two distinct ways:
Built into our wetsuits
In our Max and Enduro ranges, Ti-Alpha is sprayed directly onto the #39 neoprene rubber before the nylon lining is applied — making it a permanent, integral part of the wetsuit construction rather than a coating that can wear off over time.
As a standalone thermal layer
Our Titanium Hot Top is built from Yamamoto's ultra-thin 0.5mm MODETEC rubber with Titanium Alloy Alpha 2.0 — no nylon backing, just pure heat-reflecting neoprene. As far as we know, no other surf brand offers a standalone garment using this material, making it a genuinely unique piece of kit. At just half a millimetre thick it weighs almost nothing, yet it's fully waterproof and UV protective. Wear it alone in mild conditions, or layer it under your wetsuit for serious cold water warmth without the bulk.
Thinnest. Warmest. Lightest. Best-Fitting.
Four claims. All backed by science — and 35+ years of making wetsuits in New Zealand.
Thinnest
Yamamoto's nitrogen-infused closed cells retain heat so efficiently that our 3mm wetsuit performs as warm as a standard 4mm. Less rubber, more time in the water.
Warmest
With over 93% closed-cell content compared to 60% in standard neoprenes, Yamamoto limestone rubber is over 30% warmer than Chinese petroleum-based neoprene. Add Ti-Alpha titanium sprayed directly onto the neoprene in our Max and Enduro ranges, and zirconium infrared-reflecting lining in our Max Ultra and Enduro 4/3 — and you have the warmest wetsuits we know how to build.
Lightest
Yamamoto limestone neoprene absorbs virtually no water — meaning your suit weighs almost the same wet as it does dry. No waterlogging, no wind chill, no dragging a heavy suit out of the water at the end of a session.
Best-Fitting
Every Seventhwave wetsuit is handcrafted in Christchurch. Our premium Max, Siren, Viper, and Enduro ranges are available as Custom-Fit — made to your exact measurements for maximum warmth, performance, and comfort. Because even the world's best neoprene performs best when the suit fits perfectly.
BEST FITTING
Custom-fit: hand-crafted wetsuits made to your unique measurements.
Smoothie
Smoothie refers to single-sided nylon neoprene — fabric on one side, bare rubber on the other. For years it was standard practice across the wetsuit industry to use smoothie panels on the chest and back to reduce wind chill, as the rubber surface sheds water quickly rather than holding it against the skin. You'll still find smoothie panels on many surf and swimwear wetsuits today for exactly this reason.
At Seventhwave we've largely moved away from smoothie for two reasons. First, we use non-absorbent Yamamoto limestone neoprene, so the wind chill problem smoothie was designed to solve simply doesn't apply to our suits. Second, in a glued and blindstitched construction — which we use on all our winter suits — blindstitching through smoothie would both tear the rubber and compromise the watertight seal. This is why many mainstream brands simply glue their smoothie chest panels without stitching them at all — and it's exactly why those panels are often the first part of a wetsuit to fail. At Seventhwave, that's not a compromise we're prepared to make.
The one exception is our Retro Jacket, which uses flatlock construction where smoothie can be stitched normally — and where the classic rubber finish is part of the appeal.
The way a wetsuit is built is just as important as the materials it's made from. At Seventhwave every construction decision is made with longevity, warmth, and comfort in mind.
Flatlock
Flatlock stitching is achieved by lapping two panels of neoprene together to create a flat, comfortable seam with no raised edges. It's breathable, flexible, and ideal for spring, summer, and autumn conditions (water temperatures from around 12°C upward). You'll find flatlock construction throughout our Vortex range and in areas of our other suits where chafing can be a problem, particularly in the upper body.
Glued and Blindstitched
Our standard construction for all winter wetsuits. Panels are glued and butted together, then blindstitched on each side using a curved needle that doesn't penetrate through to the other side of the neoprene — creating a highly water-resistant seal that keeps cold water out where it matters most.
Where most brands leave the thread end on the outside of the seam — where it's exposed to abrasion and can unravel over time — at Seventhwave we take every thread end back through the seam with a needle, knot it, and seal it with gel. Every wetsuit has 28 seam points, and every single one is finished by hand this way. It's a small detail that takes more time, but it's the difference between a seam that holds season after season and one that starts to fail after a few months. It's the kind of thing you'd never notice until you compared it side by side — and exactly the kind of thing we refuse to cut corners on.
Heat Sealed Tape
All of our glued and blindstitched wetsuits are fully taped on the inside seams. The tape reinforces every join for added strength and durability, and creates a smooth inner surface for comfort against the skin. It's a mark of quality construction that adds significantly to the longevity of the suit.
Zig-Zag Stitching
Used to finish cuffs, collars, and zips. Unlike a straight stitch, zig-zag stitching stretches with the neoprene — making it far more durable in high-movement areas.
A note on Overlock
Overlock was once the most common wetsuit construction method — two edges of neoprene rolled together and stitched tightly around them. It's strong, but it creates a raised seam that can cause discomfort and chafing over a long session. It's an older construction method we've largely moved away from at Seventhwave in favour of flatlock and glued construction.
Wetsuit Care
Your Seventhwave wetsuit is built to last — but how you look after it makes a real difference. From rinsing and drying to storage and repair, our full wetsuit care guides cover everything you need to know to get the most out of your suit season after season.