Surfing in a cold day is impossible, nor scuba diving or snorkeling nor any other water sports. Wetsuits are there to make all these possible. It also pays to know how wetsuits work so you will know how to choose a wetsuit that fits you.

Wetsuits are often designed for a specific water sport. Although some wetsuits like surfing wetsuits can be used for wakeboarding and general water sports. Wetsuits work the same. They preserve your body heat when you are submerged into cold waters by warming a small amount of water in between the suit and your body.

The water between the suit and the body will act as ‘insulator’ avoiding the loss of body heat that leads to hypothermia. The risk of hypothermia in water is higher, thus wetsuits are designed to make you enjoy the water without the risk of hypothermia.

Wetsuits are made of neoprene, a synthetic rubber that contains tiny gas bubbles of nitrogen that also keeps the wearer warm by reducing the loss of heat from the body, or heat from the layer of trapped water. The suit cuffs also have flexible seals that helps retain water.

Aside from keeping the body heat, Neoprene is also buoyant and very light. This has become another benefit of wetsuits to triathlon athletes and swimmers. In scuba diving however, where a user is suppose to submerge into the water, divers are advised to choose a certain thickness of their wetsuits that neutralizes their buoyancy in water.

It is however required that a wetsuit should fit the wearer snugly in order for the wetsuit to work efficiently. A loose wetsuit can let water between the body and the suit escape and can take along the body heat, defeating its purpose. It should not however be too tight that the wearer cannot move freely. For a surfing wetsuit, make sure that the suit fits well on the neck to avoid cold water blasting down into your back.

The idea of a wetsuit keeping the wearer’s body completely dry is incorrect. Wetsuits do not keep the body dry. In fact, it allows water in, though in just a small amount, to preserve body heat.

There are many kinds of wetsuits, and most often, they are made for specific water sport. There are wetsuits made for scuba diving and wetsuits made for triathlon, but whatever it is for, they all work the same.

They are made for protection. They do not only keep you safe from hypothermia, they also keep you away from underwater injuries when diving and from stings of this slimy little jellyfishes.

Tags: Surfing

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