BT Forum

Go with what you got. Plenty time to get a swimming wet suit. Sleeve vs sleeves is personal opinion.

That's a really bad idea for several reason.

Most of all, remember that a Triathlon Wetsuit is designed for buoyancy and flexibility. A surf wetsuit gives you neither of these. It's designed to protect you from the board and keep you minimally warm. A surf suit will, in my opinion, weigh you down more than going without.

You could do it in a surfing wetsuit but it's going to be more work. A tri wetsuit has boyouncy built into it along with a skin over the neoprene making it more efficient. A surfing wetsuit is just going to keep you warm and slow you down.

Previous posters are right to say that the suit won't be "fast." However, if the water is too cold for you to be comfortable without a suit and you have practiced swimming the distance in the surf suit (no chafing etc) then go for it.

Thanks so much for the responses. Would you rent a swimming suit for these projected water temps?

Surface Water Temperatures for October: 57.74 (minimum), 64.17 (average), 69.26 (maximum), 57.74 (2009)

All wetsuits have bouyancy, it may not be as fast as a swim specific wetsuit. Then again it's a sprint distance, and if its a tight fitting suit that does not restrict your arm it will work just fine. Worst case is it slows you down a little but you stay warm.

Yes

I did my first tri in my old wetsuit I used for windsurfing. It did the job but the biggest problem was the restriction in the shoulders - they are not designed for swimming! It tired my shoulders out much quicker than pool swimming and compared to my current wetsuit. Being a thicker suit the buoyancy was a lot more than a normal so you were higher in the water than expected which affected my stroke a bit. That said it got me throught my first 2 tri's before I decided it was worth shelling out for a new one. If you do use it make sure to practice a few times in it just to get used to the differences.

I would rent a wetsuit for those temps but definitely not a surf suit. As those before me have said, the two are completely different. I know Tribonzai.com has an excellent deal and they do a really good job, ship promptly and cheap too.

Another down side of wearing a surf wetsuit is the ankle length. Surf suits go all the way down where tri suits only go down to the calves. This is to make the transition easier since the cuff is wider at the calf than the ankle. You've been surfing for a while, so you should be familiar with the struggle that it takes to remove the suit right after a session.