I'm a buoy!

 x2-

I had the same feeling with my wetsuit during training and my first race.  My shoulders felt much more fatigued than without the suit.  While I was getting suited up for my second race this last July, I was talking with another racer.  He mentioned that I should really make sure that I pull the suit up my arms.  Not just put your arms through but really tug them up and get all the slack into your shoulders.  I knew this was true for the legs and torso of the suit but for some reason hadn't brought that logic to the shoulders.  It made all the difference in the world, really freed up my arms and I haven't had the issue since.

Happy swimming.

Yeah, the full-sleeve wetsuit is great for those deep-water starts - everyone else is treading and you're just floating there, not expending energy

Re: the arm restriction - I think some feeling of tightness is normal, until you break it in. At least that's what other folks have told me. I was also told to try to pull it up far enough that there is actually a little bit of a bunch of material in the shoulders, while just standing there. I guess it will smooth out when you start to swim. I'm also guessing that the more you wear it, the more it will mold to your body and the less restrictive it will feel. I do not really like my wetsuit, but it seems to fit just fine - just seems like it makes my arms and shoulders tired.

I got a new Vector Pro X2 just before Labor weekend as well. Couldn't beat that sale with a stick.

The buoyancy is second only to the glide factor. I did quite a bit of swimming over the holiday and even tried the breast stroke. I could not believe how much further I could glide and extend my stroke.

As far as the shoulder tightness goes what model did you get? I spent the extra money on the Vector Pro because they said it was more flexible and comfortable. Also make sure that you work all the extra material from the waist and arms up to your armpits and on top of your shoulders. It took me like 3-5mins just to do this the first time.

Happy swimming,
Andy,

I bought the Vortex 2 suit, and I probably did not spend enough time getting all of the extra material in the right places.  I was shocked by the overall thickness of the suit.  I guess because I dive in 1mm, a 3/2, or go straight to drysuit.  When I was gliding I almost felt like I didn't really need to stroke much.  I kept on thinking to myself, "wow, this is insanely easy."  I think someone would have to try hard to be able to sink in a suit like the ones we have.

With a properly fitted wetsuit you should not feel any restriction. Frankly after a couple of strokes I forget I have one on.

My biggest complaint about wetsuit buoyancy is that they make sighting incredibly difficult. I suppose if you are drafting and relying on others for navigation it is not a problem, but if you are on your own whether it be FOP, MOP or BOP, trying to get a clean sighting on a buoy regularly is difficult/exhausting. This past weekend I lost sight of someone breaking away and by the time I saw him I had run out of time to catch him (if I could).