Buying the Perfect Wetsuit

Wetsuits vary greatly in price, but if you are a beginner who has the money to spend then you need to choose between an entry level wetsuit and a top end suit?

Entry Level Wetsuits

If you are a beginner then you should go for a basic entry level wetsuit. Made from a fairly durable neoprene, the suit will be slightly thicker in the legs and body to give you more buoyancy. More floatation means better body position higher in the water and this will make you swim faster.

The disadvantage of an entry level suit is that the rubber used is not quite as good quality as you would expect from a top end suit, which means it will be slightly less flexible in the shoulders. This can also make it more difficult to get off. However, for a beginner, the buoyancy is the most important thing, as this will enable you to swim faster.

High Performance Wetsuits

As you get better at swimming, and your stroke improves, you should upgrade to a better suit.

Top end wetsuits will work better with your swim stroke and will come off quickly so you don’t loose valuable time in transition. This is due to higher quality neoprene which is more flexible round the shoulders. The material is thinner, which also makes it more flexible.

Professional wetsuits have more advanced hydrodynamics to make you faster through the water. This means that the neoprene may have little dimples which will help with catching air bubbles for buoyancy. It will also have a rougher neoprene on the forearm so that you can catch the water better.

Quite simply, a more expensive wetsuit is better, as the materials are more advanced. The one key reason why a beginner would buy an entry level wetsuit is that it will be more buoyant, thus aiding floatation.