Diving Wetsuits—What You Should Consider Before Buying One

Before buying diving wetsuits, simply because they have the most impressive brand or tag price, you should consider that things that actually make them good wetsuits to begin with. Otherwise, you might be spending too much money on a wetsuit that you don’t actually need, or too little on one that you can’t use at all because it’s too thin or it has the wrong cut.

The tips below should serve as your guideline when you’re looking for the perfect diving wetsuit.

1. Always think about temperatures and thickness. All diving wetsuits are made from neoprene, but not all of them have the same thickness. You diving wetsuit can be as thin as 1mm or as thick as 4mm. Naturally, the thicker wetsuits are pricier.

You have to consider the environment in which you’d be wearing these diving wetsuits. The simplest rule here is that water tends to get colder as you go deeper, so diving wetsuits are usually full body with a thickness of 3mm to 4mm. Wetsuits with 3mm or 4mm thickness can protect you from water temperatures 70ºF and below. If the waters you’ll be diving in are a bit warmer, you can probably settle for a 2mm wetsuit, although it’s least likely that you’ll survive in one with only 1mm thickness.

2. Your wetsuit should also fit your body very well, and no one brand can guarantee this unless you go to the shop and try it on. The openings of your diving wetsuits should always have only enough room for a single finger to slip between your skin and the fabric. The zippers of full body suits are always at the back, so keep this in mind when fitting the suits to keep yourself from rookie embarrassment.

Once you’re in the wetsuit, try to move your arms and legs. Full body diving wetsuits are more movement restrictive compared to other wetsuit cuts, but the seams of your suit shouldn’t look strained. The fabric around the zipper area should fit snugly, although it shouldn’t seem like your zipper’s going to give way.

3. Do your homework if you are going to think about purchasing a second hand or used diving wetsuit online. Wetsuits, no matter how expensive or thick they are, are prone to wear. They also adapt to the body form of whoever wears them, so this means that a used wetsuit will always fit you the wrong way.

You can’t afford to have a suit that has portions that come too loose. This will keep packets of air and will decrease your suit’s capability to keep your body warm. This also means that your suit will be letting in too much water. This is also known as a “water “slush” and can put your body in shock, defeating the very purpose of the wetsuit.

4. Look at the seam-work of your wetsuit when you’re shopping. The best seams not exposed, and are usually even covered by an extra layer of neoprene. This helps the wetsuit keep out water better. Diving wetsuits with exposed seams let in more water and give minimal protection from the cold.