People wear wetsuits to protect themselves from cold temperatures when surfing, diving or swimming. They provide warmth, buoyancy and compression during long stays in the sea. Wetsuits are designed to be worn close to the skin. When you first start wearing the wetsuit, you may feel that it is stiff and restricts your movements. If you wear it over and over again, it will gradually adjust. Thus, over time, it will adapt to your body shape.
Despite the many benefits a wetsuit offers, some people find it uncomfortable to wear. Although wetsuits are designed to be skin-tight, you should not feel extremely uncomfortable while wearing them. Initially, the wetsuit will be too tight for your body, but each time you put it on, it will become more comfortable.
Try the wetsuit on before you surf for the first time to ensure comfort. It will always feel tighter when you’re not in the water, and a little looser when it fills with water. Before you dive, know how to care for your wetsuit.
In this article you will learn:
- How to recognize that your wetsuit does not fit
- How to find the perfect wetsuit size
- How you should and where not to put on a wetsuit
4 ways how to tell if a wetsuit is too tight
If your wetsuit is too tight, you will feel uncomfortable and cold while surfing. It will also affect your performance. If the wetsuit is too tight at the legs, neck, underarms, shoulders or groin, you should choose a larger size. Otherwise this will have a huge negative impact on your swimming experience.
Below are some signs that a wetsuit is too tight:
1. Tightness around the neck
A wetsuit is too small if it is tight around the neck. The wetsuit should not hang over the neck, otherwise too much water would penetrate, causing you to cool down quickly. The wetsuit must fit snugly because stretching and shrinking are equally challenging. But it is also important that the neck of the wetsuit is not too tight, so that you can not breathe and water can not penetrate.
A wetsuit that is too tight at the neck can cause bruising, which can be very uncomfortable. Try sliding a finger through the neck of the wetsuit while wearing it to see how well it fits. If you feel uncomfortable pressure on your finger, your wetsuit is probably too small. However, if you can still fit two fingers in, the wetsuit might be too big for you.
If the wetsuit is too tight at the neck, you can tell because you will have trouble breathing. This is risky because you will be doing cardio-intensive exercise. In your wetsuit, you can test this by moving quickly while walking or even running lightly.
2. Overstretching
The wetsuit is too small when it stretches so much that the material no longer fits the wearer’s body. For example, if a wetsuit is stretched too far and forms a hollow at the back, water can enter the suit and it can no longer keep you warm. Wetsuits are designed to keep the diver warm by preventing water from flowing around.
3. A wetsuit is too small if it restricts breathing or blood flow
Wetsuits are designed to fit snugly for best performance, but they must also provide enough room to breathe and move freely without difficulty. If not so they can block breathing and blood flow, which can in rare worst cases, have drastically consequences underwater.
4. Extremely difficult to put on
The wetsuit is too small if it is pushed so tightly over the diver’s body that it becomes thin in some places.
The diver will not be as warm in the overstressed material as he would be in a suit that fits him properly. If your wetsuit is too tight in the crotch and legs, this is another sign that it is too small for you. You might feel your ankles being constricted by the lower part of the wetsuit.
If this is the case, you are quite uncomfortable in a wetsuit of this size.
If your wetsuit is too tight at the ankles, it can be very uncomfortable and difficult to put on and take off. In the case wearing your wetsuit causes you crotch pain due to excessive compression, the wetsuit may be too small. You could add a pee zipper or scupper, but most customers don’t want this feature and spend extra money on it.
Finding the perfect size
You can better judge whether the wetsuit is too tight, too loose, or fits properly by stretching and making small movements.
Choose a wetsuit that is the right size; don’t buy it expecting it to stretch out when you break it in. Choose wetsuits made of higher-quality materials if you’ve found your perfect fit but still want extra stretch. Super stretch neoprene, for example, has a 300 percent stretch limit.
If you want to find your perfect fit, feel free to check out our size guide, which will help you to determine how to measure your size correctly while paying attention to wetsuit specific details.
Do wetsuits loosen up in the water?
“Breaking in” means that the wetsuit is loosened to allow minimal restriction of movement, but still fits tightly.
Wetsuits naturally become looser once they are filled with water, so they appear tighter and tighter out of the water. If your wetsuit is too loose, it will not be able to absorb water.That’S becausewetsuits are made of neoprene material. Regardless of how much neoprene is made, the higher the quality, the softer and more flexible it is.
If a cheap and low quality material is used, the neoprene will stretch a little and over time due to wear and tear they will become looser. Buy a tighter suit if you are unsure of the correct size. Neoprene stretches a little when it gets wet.
Should you wear anything underneath a wetsuit?
It is up to you if you want to wear something other than a wetsuit. Most surfers and divers prefer to wear something under the wetsuit, as anything loose under the wetsuit restricts movement, promotes chafing and encourages water accumulation.
Dive pants or fitted bike shorts provide excellent protection for your wetsuit body. They make it easier for you to put on and take off your wetsuit. They also serve as an extra layer when diving or surfing in cooler temperatures. If you are a woman, you should wear a cotton sports bra for extra protection.
Also, the suit keeps you warmer and gives you more buoyancy because there is a small layer of water between your body and the neoprene.
How to prevent the wetsuit from rubbing?
Wetsuit rash occurs when the skin is irritated by moisture (water or sweat) and friction between the wetsuit and the skin.
Check sealed wetsuits or sealed wetsuits with liquid-bonded seams if you suspect your wetsuit’s chafing is due to flatlock seams.Put on a cold weather protector or baselayer under your wetsuit. Rash guards prevent skin irritation and sunburn. A rash guard or applying an anti-chafing cream will help prevent the wetsuit from chafing. Also, use wetsuits with softer neoprene and internally sealed seams to prevent chafing.
How tight should a wetsuit be?
A well-fitting wetsuit should be snug all over the body and not wrinkle. It should feel like a second skin and have no gaps in areas such as arms, thighs, armpits, crotch, torso, etc.The fit around the neck should be comfortable but not too tight. The ideal fit of the suit should be such that a finger is between the neck and shoulder. The secure neckline prevents excess water from falling into the suit. Proper neck closure is also important to prevent the wetsuit from rubbing and sore skin!
Always try on your wetsuit before you buy it. Even if you do your best to break it in, you should focus on being comfortable in it, not on the fit changing significantly. Once you’ve tried the wetsuit on a few times, you’ll realize how easy it is to put on and take off. Despite your best efforts, a wetsuit that is too tight will probably never expand enough to fit you comfortably.
Tips when buying a wetsuit
The most annoying part is diving or swimming and putting on a wetsuit. But it doesn’t have to be that difficult to put on a wetsuit if you follow these tricks.
- If you are buying a wetsuit for the first time, you should go to a store rather than buying it online. Because there you can try it on and get advice from a salesperson.
- If the blood circulation is hindered, the wetsuit is not the right size.
- The wetsuit does not fit well or is too loose if it does not fit your body shape (i.e., there are a lot of wrinkles and gaps).
- It is too tight if your neck feels constricted and you have difficulty breathing.
- You should wear a swimsuit or cycling shorts under the wetsuit if it continues to rub against your skin.
- The wetsuit is too tight if certain areas are extremely stretched (e.g. if you have thick thighs, broad shoulders, a large chest, etc.).
How to loosen up a tight wetsuit?
Modern wetsuits require relatively little break-in time, as the neoprene material is already quite elastic. Getting into a wetsuit doesn’t require a lot of tricks. You just have to wear it often and go surfing in it. Every time you put on the wetsuit, it will get a little longer.
The shoulder area of the wetsuit is the part of the suit that stretches the most when you wear it. If you reach down to pull it up through your legs, the legs will stretch less. After putting on the wetsuit, you can do light stretches, exercises or movements. You may also consider a normal warm-up before doing any strenuous activity.
You can even wear the wetsuit out of the water as long as you can tolerate the heat or cold to speed up the break-in process.The quality of the neoprene material will deteriorate if you stretch the wetsuit when you are not even wearing it. You should wear and use your wetsuit naturally instead of stretching it.
If water seeps through the wetsuit, that’s normal. However, if water can easily both enter and leave the suit, that is unusual. This indicates that the wetsuit may be a little too loose.
4 Tips how to avoid that your wetsuit gets too loose
- Apply a water-based lubricant on the wrist and ankles to put on the wetsuit more easily. It will help them glide through the tightest part of the wetsuit.
- Insert polythene around your foot and each hand before sliding it into your wetsuit.
- Some manufacturers install zippers on the wrist and ankles so that it is easier to put on the wetsuit. If you bought one without zippers, you can ask a custom wetsuit designer or tailor to install zippers. The only drawback is that it may break or reduce thermal protection.
- Avoid using greasy or oil-based lubricants because it may deteriorate the quality of neoprene.
Also, do not use shampoos, conditioners, detergents, soaps, and other solutions as it may affect the neoprene quality and cause skin irritation.
Conclusion: To break into a wetsuit is elementary so that the wetsuit fits well
A new wetsuit is tight fitting, stiffer and warmer than an older one. For water sports such as swimming, diving and surfing, where the extra flexibility plays a major role, breaking in is extremely important. It is important to look out for any signs of thighness when trying a wetsuit on. If you feel that it is extremely difficult to put on your wetsuit and that you are generally uncomfortable moving or breathing, this may be a sign that your wetsuit is too small.
You should be aware that a wetsuit becomes looser with the time and in general, while you are in the water. You can use very easy things to prevent your wetsuit from becoming to loose. Prepare your wetsuit in advance to enjoy it for a long time.
