How a Wetsuit Should Fit
How a Wetsuit Should Fit
Shopping for a new wetsuit? Before you consider features and performance you need to consider fit. Fit comes first. How that new wetsuit fits your unique body will contribute more to your safety, comfort and enjoyment of diving than any new technical advances in wetsuits, hoods or hooded vests. Fit matters with every thing we wear underwater, but it is most critical with exposure protection. Here’s what to look for.
Wetsuits: Your Second Skin
Ideally, you should be dipped in neoprene rubber, the wetsuit equally snug all over. But, how tight should the suit really be? Probably tighter than you think, up to a point. You still have to move and you have to breath, but not without some resistance if being warm and comfortable in the water is your ultimate goal.
The wetsuit works by allowing a small amount of water into the suit, trapping this thin layer of water between your skin and the neoprene, and your body heat warms it. The neoprene insulates the warm water layer against the surrounding colder water. If the suit is too loose or has gapping in it the warmed water will simply be pumped out of the suit and replaced with cold water. At this point the effectiveness of the suit is greatly diminished as your core temperature begins to drop from constantly re-warming the constant influx of colder water.
Thankfully, current wetsuit technology has brought us very flexible outer layers for neoprene that allows even 7mm suits to be comfortable and the best manufacturers offer up 18 different stock sizes so that it is much easier to find the perfect fit. So, when you are choosing a wetsuit make sure you look at the size chart link and if you have questions simply write us an email or put in your measurements at check out so we can confirm your fit and get it right the first time. Click Here for Scuba Wetsuits
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