Let's talk wetsuits and open water swimming

I just got around to putting AquaSeal on a fingernail cut from my race last year...haha

My main wetsuit horror story is just feeling like I couldn't breathe, but that was in a super cold reservoir in Utah in a tight cheap wetsuit. Water stank and was eerie..after hearing about Tiger Muskies that lurked around. I remember coming around the last buoy turn and thinking how going to finish this. But somehow I did. Never warmed up till second half of the bike. Was absolutely freezing.

Wow - that does sound unpleasant. What wetsuit are you using now that feels better?

Amy

No true horror stories except that both of my current wetsuits are falling apart.(Have just ordered a replacement for one.) I've had both for a while and the sleeveless shorty has, oddly, seen a lot of pool use. Generally in Oregon, where the water can be f... cold in the summer and air temps can easily be in the 40's early mornings. But lately even here--the heater for our (indoor) pool has completely gone kaput, they keep waffling about replacing it (trying to find a lower bid, I think), water is piped in unheated from an underground tank, and it's been in the 22-24 degrees C range. Not sure what that is in F but it's too cold for me to swim without cramping. Despite being babied along with rinses and shampoos, my pool suit feels like jelly and has more patches than suit in places.

My full suit began falling apart last year as well. I hadn't worn it much for a few years due to warmer than normal lakes in Oregon in summer, but my HIM in Washington state featured a pretty cold lake swim. But when I put the suit on, multiple rips appeared. I think it was brittle from a few years of minimal use. NOT the way you want to spend the day before a HIM, running around trying to find a patch kit. I finally found some wetsuit glue at a dive shop, but not sure it would hold. Patched the worst of the rips and just hoped for the best. One of them split again as I was putting on the suit. It was on the leg so just hoped that wouldn't have really disastrous effects. I actually had a plan for what to do if the suit totally failed--the swim was across a narrow lake surrounded by houses and docks and back, and the RD said weaker swimmers could just stick close to the docks, as long as they rounded the buoy at halfway, so they could always have somewhere close to take a rest if needed. So I decided if the wetsuit totally failed, I'd just haul out at a dock, abandon it, and swim like hell for the finish. Fortunately, that never happened, and I made it to the finish with my best HIM split (32 something). I did swim like hell as I thought the suit would fail at any time. I was shaking so hard after that I ripped the suit again taking it off in T1, and the first 20-30 minutes of the bike felt pretty rough. Probably the only time I have overworked the swim in a tri. But did end up with a PB, so I guess it's a horror story that turned out well.

Edited by Hot Runner 2016-03-03 5:59 PM

Oh geez that sounds like a stressful swim actually. Trying to swim fast enough that your wetsuit doesn't fall apart on you. That's one I hadn't heard before. Thanks for sharing!

I am using a Zone3 wetsuit (from UK) Vortex

nice suit

I found out 10 days before an oly that it would likely due to weather and water temp be a wetsuit mandatory race. I didn't own a wetsuit. I couldn't figure out a way to get to a store that sold wetsuits as my schedule was so busy. I had never even tried on a wetsuit. I ordered one online. I got it. I figured out how to get it on. It didn't fit well, but oh well. Partway into the race I felt like I was dragging half the lake with me there wa Sao much water in the suit. After the race I looked at the suit more closely and realized the company had sent me a men's suit rather than the women's suit I ordered which explained why the shoulders were too big and gapped badly. Live and learn. I will only shop in person in future.

I just bought my first suit through Craigslist for $60. It's a profile design medium, prob several years old but minimally used. I've tried it on around the house a couple times. It feels real tight through the chest (I'm a stocky 5'9") but it doesn't feel like it restricts my shoulders when I raise my arms overhead or bend over and do a swim stroke motion. I thought I had read once I get in the water it may feel like it has loosened up a bit. Truth to that?

That sounds like it was a stressful situation. I honestly can't imagine how cold the water was for a wetsuit mandatory swim. Brrrr.

There is truth to that. A wetsuit will be more comfortable in the water than standing on shore. Couple things that might help.

The motion I suggest to make is more of a one arm up and one arm down with your arms to make sure that you have ample fabric when you are fully extended in the reach phase of your stroke - so with one arm out front and the other completing the pull.

And then the thing that I do to make more fabric available in the shoulder area is what I call a burp. Once the suit is up over my shoulders I squat. That squat position makes the fabric loose over my belly. I then inch the fabric up toward my neck and it usually shifts a few inches. It makes a massive difference. I do this twice once before I go in for my warm up swim and then again once the suit is really wet after my warm up swim.

I hope this helps.

Sounds like the time I went for a swim in the Adriatic near Trieste (Italy) in June. For some reason I'd thought it would be nice and warm, and it definitely wasn't. Marginal with my sleeveless shortie--I only stayed in for about 20 minutes. I'm guessing low to mid 60's. Most of the locals were just splashing and sunning on the beach, and a few crazy triathlete types were out swimming in full wetsuits. Some Russian tourists came along, bellies hanging out over their tight speedos, and just casually jumped in. (Access by a pier.) They were screaming and flailing and carrying on. You know it's wetsuit time when even the Russians think it's cold!

Wetsuit number one (two really) was from Profile design. It had to be almost two sizes too big for me. I ordered one in what was likely close to the right size. When it came it felt so tight when I tried it on in the study that I sent it back for a bigger size. Not smart. Used it for two seasons.

Wetsuit number two, used from a forum member, from Zoot. While it was appreciably smaller than wetsuit one, it was still way too big for me. I really realized how big it was when I did ironman AZ it.... when I went to get out of the swim the suit was so full of water that I weighed about 300 pounds. I had to wait for it to drain before I could really move. Additionally, I almost froze with that much water in my suit. It took until about mile 30 on the bike to get warm.

Wetsuit three, Tyr Cat 5, in the right size for me according to Tyr's size chart. It was so tight that it took me 20-30 minutes to get on. Once it was on, I loved swimming in it..... but it was just too much of a struggle to put on. Plus, the thing was so fragile......

Wetsuit four, Aquaman Cell Gold, about seven years old, bought off a local triathlete. Ahhhhhh. Heaven. Finally found my wetsuit. Fits perfect. Swims so nice. Keeps me warm. Unfortunately, being seven years old, it was pretty fragile and I put my hand right through it trying to put it on before a race.

Wetsuit five, new Aquaman Cell Gold. Love this suit. Sized right and so comfortable. Love, love, love this wetsuit. It fits me perfectly. Bonus, it is one of the warmest suits out there and I hate being cold. Can't say enough good things about Aquaman and this product.

Wetsuit six, Aquaman sleeveless. Decided that I needed a sleeveless suit for wetsuit legal but borderline hot swims. Fits me just as nicely as the Cell gold above.


So, it took me a long time to find my wetsuit nirvana. I started Tri in 2006 and bought the Aquaman Suit in 2013. My takeaways from all of this: new triathletes will likely buy their suits too big. I see it all the time, people at tris with suits that are way too big for them. It will feel too tight when you first put it on. It needs some water in the suit between the suit and your skin to loosen it up and make it feel better. How it feels in your study is not a good indicator of how it will feel in the water. What works for me may not work for you. You need to find the suit that fits your body. It may take some trial and error to get there. I sold or gave away most of the suits once I realized they weren't going to work for me. Try to buy from a place that will allow you to swim in the suit and return it if it doesn't work. I have worn my wetsuit to the pool. People look at you funny but I had to get in a swim in the wetsuit.

Lastly, there is no substitute for comfort in the water. A wetsuit is a great buoyancy device and will help you float but it won't cure those open water panic issues. It wasn't until I really started swimming a lot (for a middle of the road triathlete) that I got comfortable in the open water. I remember when it happened, I was in a scrum of people a couple hundred yards off shore, getting the snot beaten out of me by the hooligans all around me, and I remember thinking, "this is fun." A year earlier the same situation would have been a panic-inducing event in my race. Swim a lot and you will be comfortable in the water.

Sorry for the book.

50's that is really really cold. You are one tough cookie!

Long journey to find a suit you loved.

That's a good book. Thanks for sharing. Very good points.

I agree there is no substitute for being comfortable in the water. For me the only thing that does that is lots and lots of swimming. I have yet to love the super rough and tumble starts of some swims but I don't panic anymore I just swim :-)

Fun story!

Anyone have any good recommendations for a full suit? Doesn't have to be super-cheap but not spending a ridiculous amount either. Challenges--I'm medium-tall with a small frame and light weight for my height (not quite 5'8" and 115-120 pounds), so it can be hard to find a good fit. My calves also seem to be the biggest part of me and the suits always get stuck there! I'm really cold-blooded, but hate suits that are too restrictive. My old suit (the one from the falling apart story) is a TYR Category 1. It's very warm (before it got holy, at least) and buoyant, and I've had fast swims in it, but I find it very restrictive in the shoulders and uncomfortable. Maybe a fit issue, or I just don't use it often enough to get used to it--not sure. I'm a strong swimmer and don't depend on the wetsuit to finish the race, just to keep warm.

I've thought of getting a longer sleeveless suit, as water temps at the races I do (in the US) usually aren't extreme (I would DNS if water was below 60--super-cold water seems to trigger asthma attacks for me and so far no combination of warmup and preventive inhaler has solved that), but worried that I might regret it if the water was just cold enough to need/want that last little bit of warmth that a full suit would provide. Below about 68-70, the shortie is really not enough for me, and I'm not sure a longer sleeveless suit would be either, at least for a longer workout, Oly or HIM swim.

Current wetsuit is a Synergy (endorphin I think). Nothing but good things to say. I have wide shoulders so it was a little difficult to find a wetsuit that fit. Ordered directly from them and was able to try out different sizes in a pool to make sure it fit. 7 years old amd knock on wood no rips tears of any sizes of age. I take good care of it outside wear which I am kind of rough on it. Zippers a little sticky but that's it. If this one fell apart today I'd try a ROKA suit next.

I have a Roka suit that I picked up in their 50% off sale last year. I just got a chance to do my first really long swim this past weekend and I really like the fit.

Before that I had a Pro Motion sleeved suit which I also really liked. They put zippers in their calves which might be something for you to look for if your suits get stuck there.

I think TYR is known for being a good fit for lean tall swimmers so you might think about another TYR actually.

My brother is tall and lean and wears an xterra.

Thanks for the ideas. My sleeveless shortie that I've been very happy with is a ProMotion--they are an Oregon company (where I live when not overseas) and have great customer service, so might look into their full suits. Zippers on calves would be awesome. I think because I'm tall and skinny, I ended up with a suit size that's a bit shorter than it should be (so the tightness would work), and the part of the suit that should fall closer to my ankles falls mid-calf. And that just doesn't work with calves that have been built from 36 year of running!

Not sure about TYR. The fit was really not good. I don't know if that has changed though or their higher-end models have more flexibility. Might also check out ROKA. It seems like a lot of the pro women wear those and some of them are kind of built like me (alas, I'm not nearly as fast!).

Edited by Hot Runner 2016-03-07 5:58 PM