What style wetsuit is best for swimming?
A wetsuit should fit like a second skin. It should feel tight but not restrictive, with no gaps in the nooks and crannies of your body such as under your arms, the lower back and behind the knees.Fit: A wetsuit should be snug but comfortable. A too-loose fit will allow water to flood the suit, undermining its warmth, while a too-tight suit can be constricting and uncomfortable. Thickness: Wetsuit materials come in a range of finely tuned thicknesses.The first few times you wear a wetsuit may be uncomfortable because of the new sensation of having tight fabric against your body. Once you get used to swimming in a wetsuit (there’s plenty of helpful guides on our blog), you can use the wetsuit as a tool to help make swimming easier.THE SCIENCE BEHIND WETSUIT THICKNESS Your body heats that water, and the neoprene helps retain the warmth. The thicker the neoprene, the warmer you will be, so thicker wetsuits are better suited for colder water. Wetsuit thickness usually ranges from 2mm for hot summer days to 7mm for very cold conditions.
What to know before buying a wetsuit?
Whatever you use your wetsuit for, the most important thing to get right is the fit. Your wetsuit should feel snug and tight all over. If there’s excess material in places like the neck and cuffs, it will let water in and negate all its insulating properties. Don’t be too taken aback by the tightness of a wetsuit. A well-fitting swimsuit is a great choice for women looking to wear a full-coverage piece under a wetsuit. Benefits include ensuring comfort, preventing skin irritation and providing additional warmth.Expensive wetsuits are often made from higher-quality neoprene, which offers better flexibility, warmth, and durability. High-end neoprene like Yamamoto, known for its superior warmth and stretch, is commonly found in pricier models.The key is finding the sweet spot between thickness, buoyancy and mobility. A thinner wetsuit will provide less warmth and buoyancy but more mobility, and a thicker wetsuit will keep you warmer and buoyant but can be more constrictive and uncomfortable for swimming.So, if you’re not a particularly floaty person wearing a wetsuit might make you feel less “sinky” in the water and can make swimming feel a little easier (and sometimes faster). If you’re a naturally buoyant person wearing too thick a wetsuit might make you too floaty. That, in turn, can make it harder to swim.
Do you wear swimmers under a wetsuit?
As we’ve delved into, wearing a swimsuit under a wetsuit is a common practice that comes with its own set of advantages. Whether you choose a bikini or a swimsuit, the essential factors remain the same. The fit should be snug but not restrictive, allowing ease of movement and preventing chafing and discomfort. Buy a swimming specific wetsuit there are a multitude of wetsuits on the market but not all of them are designed for swimming. The design, panelling and buoyancy of a swimming wetsuit is designed to improve your body position and reduce drag in the water.Yes, wetsuits are naturally buoyant. The buoyancy comes from the neoprene material they are made of, which contains small gas bubbles that displace water, helping you float more easily. The thickness of the wetsuit also plays a role—the thicker the neoprene, the more buoyant the wetsuit will be.Yes, a wetsuit will do a much better job keeping you warm in cold water temperatures. This is because when you first enter the water, the wetsuit fills with water. Your body heat warms that thin layer of water, which is trapped by the thick neoprene of the wetsuit, and that keeps you warm.The majority of wetsuits on the market are only designed for surface swimming and don’t allow for the lateral leg movement required for the breaststroke technique. This is where the Aspect is different.
Does a 3mm wetsuit help you float?
Wetsuits provide moderate buoyancy, which is helpful for divers or surfers in slightly cooler waters. Wetsuits offer a significant increase in buoyancy, suitable for cold water where additional flotation and warmth are needed. A safe open water wetsuit should be a 3:3 thickness for women and a 3:5 thickness for men. This means 3mm of neoprene around the chest and legs for women, and 3mm of neoprene around the chest for men and 5mm of neoprene around the legs for men.How right fitting should a wetsuit be? In general, a wetsuit should fit snugly, like a second skin but not so tight that your range of motion is limited. The sleeves (if full-length) should fall at the wrist bone and the legs just above the ankle bone, and there should be no gaps, pockets, or rolls of neoprene.If you land between two sizes, or you’re at the top of the size range and are unsure which would be best suited to you then we would always advise sizing up, wetsuits are already designed for a tighter fit without restricting your range of movement therefore its best to accommodate for this by sizing up.If the wetsuit is too loose, it will allow water to displace in the suit which can chill the body and stiffen up. It will make excess materials in areas like the armpits (what we call wing) which will result in chaffing and/or a bulky uncomfortable feeling.When the water temperature measures between 50 and 65 degrees, wetsuits are strongly encouraged, and some races may require their use. Between 65 and 78 degrees, it’s typically the athlete’s choice of whether to wear a wetsuit.
Should I wear a wetsuit for open water swimming?
We recommend investing in a properly fitting wetsuit. Swimming with a wetsuit in open water is generally safer, especially in water around 18°C or lower, as it helps you retain warmth and improve your buoyancy. A swimming-specific wetsuit has the best flexibility, buoyancy, and warmth. A wetsuit should fit as tightly as you can comfortably get into. What you need to avoid are slack areas where water can pool, or loose seals around the ankles, wrists, and neck. If your wetsuit is too loose, cold water will enter the suit freely or “flush through”.Wetsuits A 3/2 mm wetsuit is ideal for slightly cold temperatures. Suits with this thickness are often called spring suits because they are suitable for spring temperatures. While we all have different cold tolerance, 3/2 mm wetsuits are ideal for 55°-64° F water temperatures.When buying your suit, consider: Fit: A wetsuit should be snug but comfortable. A too-loose fit will allow water to flood the suit, undermining its warmth, while a too-tight suit can be constricting and uncomfortable. Thickness: Wetsuit materials come in a range of finely tuned thicknesses.Recommended Budget for a Wetsuit This will give you several thickness options. The prices of decent fullsuits start at $100 for warm water surfing and over $300 for cold water surfing. But if you have extra money, spend it on suits that range from $200 to $350.C) – 3mm thick wetsuits are perfect for average water temperatures in the UK between July and October. Gloves, boots and hood are not required in these temperatures. The O’Neill Hyperfreak Chest Zip 3/2mm wetsuit is one of our bestselling 3mm wetsuits; made from super lightweight TechnoButter 3 neoprene.