What is the difference between different wetsuit models? What is the difference between wetsuits for different sports? Can you use a diving wetsuit for snorkleing, windsurfing or swimming? Are they interchangeable or not? It depends. Generally wetsuits are designed to keep you warm, but the models can be quite different.
Two the most important things when it comes to wetsuits are warmth and fit. Warmth is decided by the thickness of the neoprene and it must be chosen by the location where the wetsuit will be used. Are you going swimming, snorkeling and diving in the tropics or are you going somewhere where the water is really cold? The other thing is the fit. If your wetsuit is to big it will not be warm no matter what, so the right fit is essential.
To take an informed decision, you need to understand how a wet suit works. Wet suits are basically made from neoprene, which is a highly porous material that contains millions of tiny little bubbles. Neoprene uses the nitrogen bubbles to create a barrier of air between the water around you and your body. A thin layer of water enters this barrier and gets heated up to your body temperature. As you reach greater depths, the suit starts getting looser as the Neoprene compresses against it self. When this happens, any water that may have entered, leaks out. At the end of the day, the wet suit must protect you and keep you warm.
Water temperatures keep changing. The change with the seasons, the change with the location… So you have to know when and where are you going to use your wetsuit to choose the right one. Wetsuits are also a bit different if you are a man or a woman.
Since women have more surface area than men, they tend to feel colder, faster. Hence, it is more practical for a woman to wear a comparatively warmer suit than a man diving in the same area. Ideally, you need to buy a wet suit which is a bit warmer than you require. This is based on the premise that if you are being kept too warm by your wet suit, you can let some water in to cool you down. However, if you feel cold while diving, you dont have much choice but to get out of the water.
If you want to get a really warm wetsuit than you should get a two piece suit. Here your body is covered by two layers of neoprene. On the other hand a two piece wetsuit is clumsier and not that suitable for other sports but diving. Also, you will need to carry some extra lead with this wetsuit when you are diving since it is more buoyant than normal one piece wetsuit.
With water temperature and wetsuit thickness covered you need to worry about the fit. Only the right fit will let you use your wetsuits insulation capabilities to the max.
Clement is a long time cold water surfer and he share his wetsuits experiences on many sites online, where he helps you how choose the right wetsuit.