If you truly have the surfing bug, chances are, you need a wetsuit. A wetsuit allows surfers to go out in colder water temperatures, giving surfers an opportunity to surf more often, more times of the year.
So how do you properly put on and care for your wetsuit? To put on your wetsuit, get your feet through the legs, pull the wetsuit up to your waist, pull the wetsuit up to your chest, put your arms through one at a time and zip up. To care for your wetsuit, be sure to rinse it with cold water and hang it up every time you use it. Taking some extra steps to maintain your wetsuit can make the all difference.
How Do You Put On A Wetsuit?
Getting a wetsuit on and off can be a huge pain. While the tight, form-fitting suits can be a lifesaver in cold water and are necessary for activities like scuba and surfing, they are truly a pain in the ass to get in, or out of for that matter. The task becomes even more difficult if either the suit or the person trying to put it on is already wet. The first step to get one on is to put protective gear on first. This often includes a rashguard or rash suit usually made of Lycra. I should mention that this is optional and some people prefer to wear their bathing suits, or even nothing at all. So do whatever floats your boat in terms of comfort here, though I would personally recommend wearing a rashguard undeerneath at first.
Next, unzip the wetsuit. You’ll want to make sure that the suit is fully unzipped. With most wetsuits, the zipper will go in the back. If there are any hitches or kinks in the zipper, work them out now. Then, start with your feet and legs. Once you have the wetsuit lined up, pull your wetsuit over your foot and ankle, gradually working it up over the knee one leg at a time. Make sure that any wetsuit padding is properly aligned. There shouldn’t be any large wrinkles or folds. Once the wetsuit is up around mid thigh, switch to the other leg. If either you or the wetsuit is wet and you have difficulty pulling it on, consider using plastic bags or socks on your feet to make it easier. You can also use conditioner or vegetable oil to lube yourself up if it’s an especially tight fit. Work out rolls and ripples in the wetsuit as you move up your legs.
Next, pull over your hips and torso. Once the suit is past mid thigh on both legs, gently pull the suit past your hips until the seam is nestled snugly in your crotch. Now pull the suit up over your torso and onto your shoulders. Your crotch shouldn’t be pinched, but you shouldn’t have any loose fabric or pockets either. It should feel like a firm second skin. You can jump up and down to make sure that the fit is right. Loose pockets will circulate cold water, ruining the purpose of the wetsuit so be sure to avoid those. The wetsuit shouldn’t overly constrict movement either. If it feels too tight or like you can’t move, take it off and get a bigger size before you waste more time because if you can’t swim, you can’t surf.
For the arms, simply put them through one at a time. Use the same method that you did with your legs. Be extra careful with fingernails on the fabric, in fact you should trim your nails before even getting in the wetsuit. Next, gently pull the suit up your arms and then lift it onto your chest. Just like it was with your crotch, you’ll want the wetsuit to be snug and tight without constricting movement. Then, seal the deal. If you have a rear-zip wetsuit, have a friend help you zip up. Reaching and trying to zip it yourself can put strain on both the zipper and suit so if you can, be sure to avoid that. The next step is to “lock it up” so to speak. Your suit should have Velcro fastenings over the zipper and at the neck area. Close these fastenings to prevent the zipper from unzipping and make your suit more watertight.
Next you’ll want to check the fit. Walk around, raise your knees, rotate your shoulders, bend your arms, and maybe do a few jumps or squats. While you should be able to feel the snugness of the wetsuit, your movement shouldn’t be overly constricted. You shouldn’t have any big pockets or loose areas either. If your movement is constricted, take the suit off and get a bigger one. If you have large pockets or loose areas, take the suit off and get a smaller one. It’s tricky, but with wetsuit sizing the goal is to find a happy medium that is both snug and doesn’t greatly constrict your movements. The suit should be a little tight, but not cutting off blood flow. Now that the suit is on and you feel that it’s properly sized, you can put your hood on if if it has one and hit the water. You may have wrestled a piece of fabric but it’s all worth it now. Surf on!
How Do You Take A Wetsuit Off?
First things first, unzip the wetsuit. If you were wearing a hood, remove it. Leave it inside out. Have a friend unzip your wetsuit fully if it is a rear-zip wetsuit. Remove the wetsuit from your neck and shoulders. Peel the wetsuit off of your neck and down your shoulders. To get it off of your shoulders it helps to slide a thumb between your shoulder and the wetsuit. Then, slide out your arms. One at a time, remove your arms from the wetsuit. Be sure to use your fingertips rather than fingernails as again, nails can damage the fabric. Pull each arm fully out of its sleeve, leaving the arms inside out. Pull it down your torso and hips then peel the suit down your torso like a banana. Then you’ll want to pull it past your hips in a single motion. Wiggle if you need be, to get the wetsuit past your butt and out of your crotch.
Next, remove your legs. Roll the wetsuit down your legs and put a hand inside of the wetsuit at the ankle to use it to hold the wetsuit leg open while you slide your foot out. Repeat with the other foot when you are done. Fortunately, taking off a wet wetsuit is way easier than putting one on. Rinse your wetsuit with cold clean water and leave it inside out so that it can get some fresh air. Leaving the wetsuit inside out is necessary for proper cleaning, especially since you may have peed inside of the wetsuit. Believe it or not peeing inside your wetsuit is fairly normal, especially in scuba diving. Strange as it may seem you’re not only stuck in it for long periods of time, but the pee can actually make the wetsuit a lot warmer while you’re in cold water!
The final step is to clean the wetsuit. Be sure to rinse the wetsuit down with cold, fresh water. Let the wetsuit hang dry. Never use heat or an automatic dryer to dry it. Heat can cause the rubber of the wetsuit to become brittle. Be sure to clean the wetsuit thoroughly, especially on the inside!
How Do You Take Care Of Your Wetsuit?
Let’s face it, wetsuits are cool. It’s like putting on a superhero costume every time we surf. Yes, surfing in boardshorts is undeniably more comfortable, but breaking in a new pair of trunks is nowhere near as satisfying as surfing while wearing some soft, fresh rubber. At $400 a pop or more, good wetsuits are annoyingly expensive but worth every cent. Keep that new suit new for as long as possible by sacrificing a few minutes of your post-surf come down for some crucial wetsuit care. Proper, meticulous, obsessively over-the-top maintenance will not only prolong the useful life of your suit, it keeps it looking and feeling fresh a whole lot longer.
First things first, give your wetsuit a thorough freshwater rinse. If you do nothing else, rinse your suit inside and out each and every time you use it, even if you’re planning a second session. Salt will destroy your suit faster than everything but direct sunlight. Save time by dousing yourself with a big jug of warm fresh water after you get out of the water but before you take your suit off. Then when you get home rinse out the inside with cold fresh water. Take the time to do this every time.
Then you’ll want to hang up your wetsuit properly, but not in the sun. Not draped over your car’s side mirror. Not slung over your balcony. And definitely not by the neck or shoulders as this will quickly stretch everything out. Take a plastic hanger, slide the top or bottom of the suit through, and hang it doubled-up, inside-out in the shower or the garage or somewhere in the shade if you absolutely must hang it outside. The most common place to hang wetsuits is on a shower rail.
Next, turn the suit inside out each day until it’s dry. If you don’t surf for a couple days, only the side of your suit facing outward will dry, leaving the other half marinating in a rubber-destroying moisture farm. Once the outward part of your suit is dry, flip it inside out again to dry the other side. This is a commonly overlooked routine that will greatly lengthen the life of your suit.
You should also occasionally use some wetsuit shampoo. No matter how thoroughly you rinse your suit, you’re going to miss some spots, letting salt collect in crevices where it will happily erode the warm, flexible, but infuriatingly fragile space-age neoprene that you spent all that money on. Fill up your wetsuit changing bucket with cool water and a few capfuls of whatever wetsuit cleaner you like, get it nice and sudsy, drop in your suit, then get your hands in there and knead the cleaner into the neoprene. Pay attention to the zipper too, you’ll want to keep that nice and clean and free of corrosion.
Banish the stink. You can buy products like Mirazyme, specially made to flatten odors from bacteria and mildew in wetsuits, and add that to your wetsuit shampoo regimen. Or you can use a little bit of Listerine instead, both work great.
You should also make a habit of slowing down when you take your suit off. Diagonal chest-zip suits are a godsend when it comes to sealing out water and improving comfort. But they are hell to take off. Trying to quicken the process by grabbing at any piece of rubber you can and ripping it from your body like an animal isn’t doing the neoprene any favors. Try not to use your thumbs when you’re pulling the top of the suit off. Don’t stand on one leg of your suit while trying to yank your foot out of the other. Especially not while grinding the suit into oily asphalt. Take it slow, apply pressure across a broad area when slinking out of the suit, and keep those seams happy. You’d be surprised at how much longer your wetsuit will last just by taking a few extra seconds to remove your wetsuit gently versus yanking it off and stretching the fabric out.
Why Do Surfers Wear Wetsuits?
Primarily surfers wear wetsuits to keep them warm in cold water. They can also be good for securing your swimwear as they’ll always stay on even if you fall off your board and hit some nasty riptide. Wetsuits can also absorb some impact when you hit the water, protecting you from the wrath of waves and helping you surf harder and longer. Another reason surfers wear wetsuits is because believe it or not, wetsuits can help you float because of the small amount of air that’s trapped between you and the suit. And last but not least, they also look pretty cool. Wetsuits look great on many body types, are flexible for the range of movement needed to surf and come in many styles for different coverage and comfort preferences.
What Are Some Cons Of Surfing In A Wetsuit?
Though wearing a wetsuit generally provides positive features, wearing one does come with some cons. Some people with sensitive skin are susceptible to rashes when wearing wetsuits, making them uncomfortable to surf in. Wetsuits can also be expensive, with the average price of wetsuits totaling around $100-$300. Wetsuits also require specific care and have special instructions to wash them. One cannot simply throw a wetsuit in the washing machine. Wetsuits are also not ideal for normal leisure activities like swimming and are difficult to take on and off in a hurry.
What Should I Look For When Buying A Wetsuit?
When buying a wetsuit do not buy anything unless it specifically states that it is designed to keep you warm. This is because wetsuits come in different thicknesses. It is recommended that you look for 3 MM thickness. It’ll keep you much warmer than the thinner 1.5 MM fabric.
Wetsuits also are designed to fit snug and tight. Therefore you should order a size or two too large so that it fits tight, but doesn’t suffocate you. Wetsuits fit tighter dry, but stretch out in the water and over time so it fits more comfortably over time. When determining your wetsuit size, height and chest are the most important measurements. Measure your chest at the widest point, with the tape gently snug. Regarding length, it’s generally ok if the suit is a little on the long side. It’s generally not ok if the suit is too short. It will likely be uncomfortable in the crotch and neck.
So if you’re stuck choosing between two sizes, go with the larger size.
In summary, there are many options to keep your skin safe and your body rocking for a long day on the surf whether you’re a pro or a newbie. Find out which garment fits your needs, weather conditions and personal preference best and get out there! Because when you feel good, chances are you’ll surf good too.
Why Is Taking Care of A Wetsuit Important?
There are many reasons. For starters, wetsuits aren’t cheap. If you’re serious about surfing, you probably want to spend in the $300-$400 range for the best possible performance. And like any investment, you want to make sure you got your money’s worth. That starts with maintaining the wetsuit to ensure that every time you go surf is just as good as the last. Another reason is because you already spent a lot of time and money finding the perfect wetsuit for you. A perfect wetsuit fits snug, aligns with your body type and is perfectly catered to your comfort preferences. There’s absolutely no reason to spend major cash on the perfect wetsuit, just to trash it by not taking a few easy extra steps to take care of it. Cuz if you really have the surfing bug, you won’t want to let things like ocean temperature get in your way. So suit up when the surf’s up and remember to rinse out when you come out! Happy surfing!