Wet suit for beginner

agree with the rental to buy option.

A wetsuit also isn't necessary to tri, especially if you aren't planning on racing early or late season or in lake Ontario which can be unpredictable is the water turns over. I did triathlons for 6 years before I bought a wetsuit. it is nice to have, but not a necessity.

I agree with the two posts above that a wet suit isn't really necessary except for early and late season races, HOWEVER I completely understand the merit behind having one especially if you are not 100% comfortable with swimming or swimming open water.

Endurosport is selling some of their older models at reduced prices, not sure if this is a steal, but something for you to consider.

https://www.endurosport.com/shop/

Make sure you get in more than a couple practices with the wetsuit!! I used to swim competitively and only practiced twice with a new wetsuit before a race, the experience was pretty scary and eye opening. A wetsuit creates quite a bit of pressure on your chest and forces you to shorten your breaths slightly, which isn't a big deal during a practice, but when adrenaline is tearing through your veins the discomfort is quite apparent.

Have fun shopping!

Many people try the sport first then buy the gear. I did my first tri in swimming trunks and a tank top and rode a 10spd comfort bike - I'd suggest that is a common start for most. Just pick a race with warm water conditions - i.e. small, shallow lake in July / August.

The rental route is also popular. At many of the MSC races (aka 'Recharge with Milk' series) there are vendors who rent suits right before the race.

If you're hell bent on getting a wetsuit, check out the Xterra specials with the 'BT' discount code (you can find other discount codes if you scour the interweb a bit). Typically they will take 50%+/-10% off the retail price, so you can get a decent intermediate suit for about $200.