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Let me begin with an explanation what a wetsuit actually is. It is a protection suit used in sports like swimming, surfing, windsurfing, kitesurfing, scuba diving, triathlon and others. All water sport activities can benefit from using a wetsuit. It function is to keep you warm and protect you from cold water.

How does a wetsuit work?

A thin layer of water is trapped between your skin and the wetsuit. This water is heated by your body and then acts as insulation. The neoprene in the wetsuit itself also has very good insulating capabilities.

Wetsuits are less effective in deep water; this is one of the reasons that dives use thicker wetsuits.

What materials are used in wetsuits?

Manufacturers generally use neoprene to make wetsuits. Neoprene is a synthetic rubber fabric with little pockets of gaseous nitrogen. Several pieces of this stretchable material are attached together to form a body hugging garment that those who love water sports cannot do without. The cuffs, leg and neck openings are sealed in such a way that the egress of water is prevented.

Wetsuit thickness plays an important role in choosing a wetsuit. Thicker wetsuits are made out of thicker neoprene and are suitable for colder conditions since they are warmer. The typical wetsuit thickness ranges from 2 to 6 millimeters although there are wetsuits that are also much thicker. Sometimes other materials are also added to improve the warmth and insulation of the wetsuits.

The sewing process itself can be quite complicated and wetsuits manufacturers invest heavily in the research and improvement of this process. So far the best stitches are blindstitch sealed using liquid sealing.

Wetsuits also have a zipper. Since wetsuit should be really tight to stop cold water from entering your suit, zippers allow you to put them on. Zipper can be located on the back (most common) or on the chest or even front of the wetsuit. There are also zipper less wetsuits where you enter the wetsuit through a hole that is later closed with elastic string or Velcro.

Some wetsuits can also be customized and adapted to the conditions in the water ” sleeves and legs can be removed. But the top of the line wetsuits do not have this since this means less warmth and worse performance of the wetsuit.

Wetsuit Types

Most popular wetsuit models are shorty, spring suit, full suit and winter wetsuit. They range from wetsuits meant for summer surfing to wetsuit for cold winter days. But either way the most important thing here is fit. The wetsuit should fit you ” meaning it should feel tight. Otherwise water will rush in and you will feel cold.

Wetsuit should also be tight around the neck, wrists and ankles so that water can not come in. Just not to tight, make sure that you can breathe and move comfortably. If you get a good wetsuit and if it fits you right you can surf, swim, dive etc at some really low temperatures.

Tags: Diving