An Introduction and Overview of Wetsuits

The swimming wetsuits that one sees adorned by world famous surfers, scuba divers, tri athletes and so on are much more than initially meets the eye. It has taken many years of design and research, as well as testing and trials of these swimming wetsuits to have achieved their purpose and functionality.

The swimming wetsuits beginnings started in the early 1950s with a variety of materials, some of which are still utilised today, with the addition of different techniques and processes to provide the insulation that the swimming wetsuits provide for their wearers.

The primary material that these wetsuits are made out of is neoprene, which is stitched, glued or sealed together in parts to cover whichever part of the body each specific design covers. There are a number of different designs of these swimming wetsuits which include the so called shorties which mainly cover the torso of the body and not the arms or legs. Alternatively one can get a full length or full body version, of which certain makes offer the detachable arms and legs therefore providing a two in one type wetsuit. The warmth of the wetsuit is normally dictated by the thickness of the neoprene, with a varying thickness of 3 to 6 millimeters available. There are swimming wetsuits that are manufactured from a combination of materials including spandex and lycra, which are incorporated with or without the neoprene. These combinations of the materials have allowed and increasingly snug fit, as well as a more stretchable fabric that does not require the traditional zip to close the suit. The way in which these swimming wetsuits are put together in terms of stitching or sealing will determine the suitability of the wetsuit for the desired climatic conditions that one intends to utilize the wetsuit for.

The way that these wetsuits actually work is contained within their name, in that there is a layer of water that infiltrates the wetsuit, where the body temperature of the wearer will heat up that wetsuit and will therefore form a layer of insulation around the suit area and keep the wearer warm. Hence the wetsuits acts as a self heated barrier against the surrounding cold water, therefore the name wetsuit.

One of the main points that a buyer must be aware of when purchasing these swimming wetsuits is that the wetsuit fits correctly and tightly around the body, but not too tight that its constricts and prevents easy movement. There are two points to this; the first being that any baggy parts that do not fit will allow the cold water in and the second part is that a loose fitting wetsuit can cause what is known as a wetsuit rash. This rash is caused by the chaffing of the material against the skin and therefore producing this rash, which can be somewhat uncomfortable and at times downright painful. If one consistently swims in saltwater, this saltwater will also burn the rash which makes it even more painful. One also has the option of wearing a rash vest which will help alleviating any potential rashes.