Wearing a wetsuit in a long swim or even a triathlon can significantly aid your swimming.
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:
Firstly we must know what we are looking at:
Differences: | ||
| Wetsuit Type | Surf Wetsuit | Triathlon Wetsuit |
| Thickness |
|
|
| Speed |
|
|
| Styles |
|
|
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.