How to choose the right wetsuit

Wearing a wetsuit in a long swim or even a triathlon can significantly aid your swimming.

Tegan MilellaCoach

Wetsuits help keep your body warm, make you more buoyant in the water and even acts as a protection against other swimmers and their flailing arms.So surely a wetsuit is a wetsuit all serve the same purpose, right?Wrong.There are so many different styles of wetsuit on offer with so many features lending themselves to different styles of swimming and types.So how does one choose the right one?

The 1st triathlon wetsuit was developed in the late 1980s, by a man named Dan Enfeild. He was an ironman athlete and basically set about to try and create a wetsuit that made him faster through the water and also through transitions. 40 years later, through technology and innovation we have thousands of wetsuits to choose from. How do we choose the perfect fit?

Ask yourself these questions:

What is my swimming style?
What are my goals for these races?
How warm do i want the wetsuit to keep me?
What is my price range?

Firstly we must know what we are looking at:

Differences:
Wetsuit Type	Surf Wetsuit	Triathlon Wetsuit
Thickness	Thicker for insulation as one would sit long with little movement. Tougher less flexible for durability. More buoyancy due to thickness.	Thinner as you are constantly moving keeping body heat. Multiple panels of varying thickness depending on preference and swimming style. Designed for easy removal during transition.
Speed	All rounded thickness high/over buoyant. Difficult to remove.	Designed for optimal hydrodynamics. Thicker neoprene over the hips. To reduce drag. Smooth skin neoprene.
Styles	Variety of styles to fit differences in water temperature. (full length to vest)	Usually just full suit or sleeveless, again to help create buoyancy and reduce drag.

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Care for wetsuit:● Rinse wetsuit in and out with fresh water then hang to dry.● Avoid direct sunlight when drying.● Hang on rounded hanger or long wide pole to avoid damaging or cutting into the neoprene when suit is wet and drying.

Try Before you buy:Number 1 rule to buying any wetsuit, of all items you can buy online and express ship, never let one of those items be a wetsuit, unless it is the exact same manufacturing company you have used previously sending the exact same suit. (1) make sure it fits good, nothing is worse than the ballooning in the arms of a too big wetsuit or trying to zip a too-tight wetsuit. (2) try different brands. Each brand will have slightly different cuts, designs, buoyancy focus and you want the perfect snug fit it worth finding the cut that fits your shape and swimming style. (3) make sure it fits well. Triathlon suits are more snug than the regular water-sports wetsuit, just refer to the brands size and weight charts using your height and weight, if you do find your height and weight do not sit a certain category, i recommend to go by your weight, of course you can contact the brand and get personal suits made.

What do the numbers on my Wetsuit mean?All wetsuits have a ratio of neoprene they normally appear as 3:5.The first digit (3) is the thickness of neoprene in the chest and the second digit (5) is the thickness in the legs so 3:5 for instance means 3 mil neoprene in the chest and 5 mil neoprene in the legs this wetsuit would have a higher buoyancy in the legs.

Price:Different brands, cuts, sizes, zipper preferences and neoprene ratios effect the cost. A basic full triathlon wetsuit can cost from AED 250 to AED1,500. Custom costs from AED500 to AED2,000 depending on personal preference.

Buying the right wetsuit is a very personal thing and should be a worthy investment. Your suit can effect your comfort in race and therefore your performance. The swim is the first leg of the race so remember a good start makes for a great race and and even better finish.

Differences:

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