Why don’t open water swimmers wear wetsuits?
It’s almost impossible to swim breaststroke in a wetsuit, because your legs leave the water and the extra buoyancy bends your spine. This is especially true if you have your own buoyancy and insulation in the form of body fat – something outdoor swimmers fondly know as ‘bioprene’. For swimming, wetsuits are almost always the preferred option. A wetsuit not only provides warmth but also offers buoyancy, which can enhance performance in open water. Drysuits are generally not recommended for swimming because they are too bulky and restrict movement, making it difficult to swim efficiently.If your suit fits properly, that single thin layer of water becomes securely trapped, and because it’s trapped it will heat up. You’ll feel warm, lightweight, and happy when swimming. So a wetsuit should be a tight fit.Get it Wet Wearing your wetsuit in water helps it adapt more quickly to your shape. Take a short swim or soak it before your first full session.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.
Can you use a normal wetsuit for open water swimming?
In most cases, a wetsuit designed for open water swimming or triathlon will serve you best. These are optimised for swimming. General purpose wetsuits tend to have less flexibility around the shoulders and lack some of the features you find in swim-specific suits. Unfortunately, a wetsuit that is too thick does have a few downsides. It doesn’t allow you to lose excess heat and can make you feel too hot. Additionally, the thick neoprene fabric on the arms and legs can limit your range of movement, which is not what you want when surfing, swimming, windsurfing or kitesurfing.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.It is important that you use a swimming wetsuit for extended swimming and not a surf wetsuit, as the material is thicker and does not have as much give across the shoulders for the movement of swimming other than paddling. Swimming in a surf wetsuit will make your swim considerably and unnecessarily difficult.Wetsuits help solve this problem in three key ways: Increased Buoyancy – Neoprene lifts your body higher in the water, especially your legs, reducing drag. Improved Streamline – With better body alignment and buoyancy, you hold speed with less effort using less oxygen and energy at the same or faster paces.
How tight should an open water wetsuit be?
Your wetsuit should be pulled up so that it’s snug around the legs – there should be no room around the crotch. The arm and leg length aren’t key considerations: if they’re too short, it won’t affect your swimming. And if they’re a little too long, you may be able to trim them down. Ultimately, what you wear under your wetsuit is your choice. Whether you choose swim shorts, a swimsuit, a bikini, a rash vest, or nothing at all, the goal is optimum comfort, ease of movement and total confidence when in the water. If you’re unsure, try out some options before settling on what suits you best.How tight should a swim wetsuit be? 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 are designed to be worn in the saltwater only and not in chlorinated pools. Chlorine will shorten the life of a wetsuit.
How thick should a wetsuit be for swimming?
Wetsuit Thickness: A 3/2mm or 4/3mm wetsuit is typically recommended. Suitable for warmer conditions, but may be okay if you’re active and the weather is mild. Offers more insulation and is a better choice if you tend to get cold easily or if you plan to stay in the water for extended periods. A wetsuit that fits well will be snug against your skin. There shouldn’t be any loose bits where water can pool. You should have a tight but not choking seal around your neck and you should have full range of movement around your shoulders.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.So in theory not wearing anything that can interfere with that layer will make your wetsuit work more efficiently. Also wearing anything under an already tight-fitting wetsuit will reduce flexibility, so if you want the maximum range of movement in your wetsuit, it’s probably best to wear nothing under it.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.
Is there a difference between a swimming wetsuit and a surfing wetsuit?
Generally, a lower thickness is recommended for open water swimming. As swimming involves more constant movement, your body heat will be higher than when surfing, naturally keeping you warmer. Alongside the overall thickness, where that neoprene is placed also differs between swimming and surfing suits. Does wetsuit thickness affect buoyancy? Yes, the thicker the wetsuit, the more buoyant it will be. This is because thicker neoprene contains more air bubbles, increasing your lift in the water.Full wetsuits are more buoyant than short suits, which can make diving and swimming easier. This extra buoyancy will also help keep your head above water after a wipeout when you’re surfing, skiing, or wakeboarding.Men can wear swim shorts, briefs or jammers under a wetsuit. We wouldn’t recommend boardshorts as your wetsuit is meant to be really tight and boardshorts are usually not. They tend to bunch up and could cause chafing and generally lead to discomfort.Swimming Jammers / Swim Shorts What Makes Them Ideal: Jammers offer more coverage than standard trunks, helping to prevent skin irritation from the wetsuit. Their compression fit reduces drag in the water, which can boost efficiency during training or racing. They’re easy to wear under a wetsuit without adding bulk.Most competitive swimmers wear special swimsuits including partial bodysuits, racerback styles, jammers and racing briefs to assist their glide through the water thus gaining a speed advantage. For diving in water temperatures above 25 °C (77 °F), special bodysuits called dive skins are worn.
What do you wear under a wetsuit for open water swimming?
Swimming Jammers / Swim Shorts What Makes Them Ideal: Jammers offer more coverage than standard trunks, helping to prevent skin irritation from the wetsuit. Their compression fit reduces drag in the water, which can boost efficiency during training or racing. They’re easy to wear under a wetsuit without adding bulk. Jammers, with their tight, body-hugging fit and streamlined design, do not trap water. Instead, they repel it, mimicking the sleekness of marine animals. They help swimmers maintain a more horizontal position in the water, reducing resistance and maximizing forward motion.Swimming Jammers / Swim Shorts What Makes Them Ideal: Jammers offer more coverage than standard trunks, helping to prevent skin irritation from the wetsuit. Their compression fit reduces drag in the water, which can boost efficiency during training or racing. They’re easy to wear under a wetsuit without adding bulk.