Using Dive Skin for Triathlon??

Would you be doing this for warmth, or for a little extra bouyancy?

JC

I've seen a thread similar to this one in the past.  I don't know a lot about dive skins, but I'd keep the sleeves.  Everything I've read/heard says that full wetsuits are faster than sleeveless.  The theory is that the sleeves add a bit more surface area to push water.

You probably won't get the buoyancy with a 1mm skin.  Most tri wetsuits have up to 5mm in the body for added buoyancy.  If you're a strong swimmer, I'm sure the dive skin will be adequate.  Eventually, you'll probably want to get a tri-specific wetsuit.

I've only done a few open water swims and I use a surfing wetsuit.  It's a 3:2 so it's not as thick in the torso as some of the tri wetsuits, and it has seams so it's probably not as smooth in the water, but the disadvantage can probably be measured in milliseconds.  I'll probably spring for one of the Xterra wetsuits when they go on sale again.

I hope this helps.

Ray

As a short term solution, this will work... you're giving up some of the buoyancy but more importantly, some of the movement. Think about how you are moving your arms while diving... not the same as you are when you're swimming right? Tri suits are designed to allow good movement...