Do wetsuits protect you from jellyfish?

Yes, they do! There are even some special wetsuits that are made just for protecting you from jellyfish while you are swimming. There is nothing special about these wetsuits, any other wetsuit will protect you from jellyfish. It is just that they are really light and thin since they are made for swimming in warm water where you otherwise wouldnt have to wear a wetsuit.

All the wetsuit info you will need!

I will try and put all the important wetsuit information into this one post. I think it is the best if I make this post and give info in the form of questions and answers. We will start at the beginning and work our way down :)! Lets go!

What is a wetsuit?
It is a suit made out of neoprene that is designed to keep you warm in cold water.

How does the wetsuit work?
There are two ways how wetsuit keeps us warm:
1. Neoprene is a very very good insulating material since it has a lot of air bubbles inside. These air bubbles act as insulation. More bubbles the better the neoprene (and warmer) it is. It is also important how thick the wetsuit is. Thicker neoprene means more insulation and warmer wetsuit.

2. Wetsuit is not a dry suit :). So some water will get in. And neoprene will catch this water and a thin layer o water will become trapped between your body and the wetsuit. It will be heated by your body and you will stay warm. Here is also a good time to tell that you do not actually want water in your wetsuit. Since water will come in anyway. If too much water comes in it will constantly fush out the warm water and it will be replaced with cold one. And you will be cold, not warm. So look for a wetsuit that has a snug fit.

Damn, I forgot all about this post. I allready did a full and complete wetsuits buying guide over here. I just posted this for some aditional info if anyone is interested.

What temperature do you need a winter wetsuit for?

The thinnest winter wetsuit would be a 4/3 wetsuit I think. I don't really think that 3/2 can be categorised as a winter wetsuit. So... how cold must the water be that you will need at least a 4/3 winter wetsuit?

I'll just copy the temperatures from my other wetsuit post (Which wetsuit do I need):

TEMP: 59F–64F / 15C–18C
A good 3/2 full suit, 4/3 wetsuit is better.

TEMP: 54F–59F / 12C–15C
4/3 wetsuit+ booties, If you surf 54F a lot get a 5/3 wetsuits.

This is aproximately it, for more info check the link in that post that I mentioned before.

When do you need a wetsuit?

When do you need to start wearing a wet suit?

This depends on the water temeprature, air temeprature, wind etc... Generally you put on a shorty when the water temperature drops between 72F–77F / 22C-25C and the weather is not that hot.

I suggest that you check out the What wetsuit do I need post. There you will find a full wetsuit temperature guide.

Which wetsuit do I need?

So you want to know which wetsuit do you need. Before anyone can answer that question you will have to ask and answer yourself the following questions:

1. What is my sport? Do I need a wetsuit for surfing, diving, windsurfing, triathlon etc...
2. Where and when am I going to use it? Is it going to be summer, winter, cold water, warm water...
3. How much money am I willing to spend? Better wetsuits cost more, I think they are worth the money... but if you won't need it a lot, maybe a cheaper one is a better idea.

I cant answer or predict the first and third one for you, but I can give you a water temperature guide/chart for wetsuits. You can check this link or to sum it up here (the temperatures are water temperatures):

TEMP: > 77 F/> 25 C
You don't need a wetsuit

TEMP: 72F–77F / 22C-25C
If the the weather is colder wear a shorty. Or a wetsuit top maybe.

TEMP:68F–72F/20C–22C
Shorty. Or even spring suit/ 3/2 full suit in cold weather.

TEMP: 64F–68F / 18C–20C
Spring suit or full suit 3/2. 

TEMP: 59F–64F / 15C–18C
A good 3/2 full suit, 4/3 wetsuit is better.

TEMP: 54F–59F / 12C–15C
4/3 wetsuit+ booties, If you surf 54F a lot get a 5/3 wetsuits.

TEMP: 48F-54F/9C-12C
5/3 or 5/4/3 wetsuit + booties + gloves + hood.

TEMP: < 48 F / < 9 C
5/3 wetsuit is OK, 6/5/4 is better. Use THICK booties, gloves and hood (5mm or more).

Hope that helps.

A few reasons why you should wear a wetsuit

You have no idea what sorts of hazards there are in a long, dark street, or in the choppy, murky sea. A lightweight and skintight wetsuit that most water sports professionals wear will not only protect you from cold, but also help you swim better.

The three most important things that a wetsuit does for you are the following - they keep you warm in the cold water, the give you extra protection against rocks, your equipment etc.. and they improve your buoyancy.

1) Hypothermia. You might not think this is a serious problem, especially to those who only surf in the summer. However, you will find that the risk of contracting hypothermia is still there even when you are swimming in warm waters at noon. It's due to the fact that water is 25 times more heat-conducting than air, making you lose your body heat. So, the longer you stay in the water, the more body heat you will lose. Here is a cool guide that will tell you  how thick wetsuit do you need in different water temperature.

How does the wetsuit keep you warm? A thin layer of water comes between your body and the wetsuit. Body heats it and the wetsuit prevents the heat from escaping further, hence you have an insulation layer. Because neoprene contains many bubbles the air in them also acts as great insulation. This of course only works if fresh cold water doesn't constantly flush your wetsuit. So your wetsuits should be tight fitting, snug.

2) Wetsuits can also serve as protection against your own equipment, somebody else's equipment, rocks, corals etc... So even if the water is warm it is sometimes wise to wear a thin wetsuit for protection. There are for instance special swimming wetsuits that protect you from jellyfish if you are swimming in areas that have lots of them.

3) And finally there is buoyancy. I already mentioned that neoprene is full of air filled bubbles, so wearing a wetsuit will help you float better. Here I would like to warm you that before you take on any water sports you need to know how to swim - swim good! Wetsuit is not a life vest.

And this is why it is hard for me to imagine what the water sports world would be like without wetsuits.

The complete wetsuits buying guide

I want to start from the beginning here, so anyone can use this guide. So I will start with the most basic question I can think of :) - 

What is a wetsuit?

Wetsuit is a insultaion suit that is made out of neoprene and is used in water sports. It keeps you warm and it offers some protecton. Wetuits were invented about 50 years ago by a few people at about the same time. Jack O'Neill is mostly credited to be the first one to produce a wetsuit. Those old wetsuits were of course nowhere near the wetsuits that we have today (but we still have O'Neill wetsuits :)!). Next you want to know what kind of wetsuits are there?

WETSUIT MODELS
There are many different wetsuit models. They are divided by the thickenss of the neoprene and by how much of your body do they cover. Lets list them: 

- rashguard - this is more like a t-shirt for protection against sun. It's not made out of neoprene so I can not really call it a wetsuit...
- wetsuit top - it is made out of neoprene and it looks the same as rashguar, this one is for summer surfing
- shorty wetsuit is also mean for summer. It is called shorty because it has short legs and arms.
- spring wetsuit is a bit thicker than a shorty and has either long arms or long legs. And then you have a full range of
- full suits or full wetsuits. These will covers your whole body and can be found in many different thicknesses. You will find numbers like 3/2, 4/3, 5/4/3 etc.. on them. 

What do 3/2, 4/3 etc... numbes on wetsuits mean?
For instance 4/3 means 4 millimeters and 3 millimeters. This means that this wetsuit is amde out of two neoprene sheets of different thickness. Logically - thicker is warmer. Once you surf in really cold water you will also need wetsuit boots, wetsuit gloves and wetsuit hood.

How does a wetsuit keep you warm?
Wetsuit catches a thin layer of water between your body and the neoprene. This water becomes warm since your body radiates heat and you feel warm. Wetsuit is also an insulation against the cold. The neoprene used in wetsuits has lots of small bubbles that act as great insulators. Beter neoprene has more bubbles and is therefore warmer. Also as I said - thicker neoprene more insulation warmer wetsuit. If you want to know what kind of wetsuit do you need for certain water temperature then you should read this water temperature and wetsuit thickness guide and chart. While you are at it also check their wetsuit guide. I think it is the most detailed wetsuit guide that you can find online.

What makes a good wetsuit?
When you are buying a wetsuit you need to consider the following things. Ask the salesperson:
- how good is the neoprene, how warm it is and how stretcy?
- what about the seams, are they waterproof?
- is there some aditional insulation inside the wetsuits?

other things are really not that important.

So, to keep warm you need that thin warm layer of water in your wetsuit. But you do not want new cold water constantly flushing the inside of your wetsuit. The first thing here is - make sure that your wetsuit fits - that you have the right wetsuit size. If it is to big, the water will get in easier. But even if it's the right size water can come into the wetsuit through
- stitches,
- zipper.


Wetsuit zipper is not watertight. There are a few solutions here - shorter zippers and specially shaped teeth in the zipper. Then there is also a thin neoprene membrane under the zipper called bat wing (other names also exist...) that stops stops the water that comes through the zipper. Every wetsuit brand also has a zipperless wetsuit model (or models). These are actually better but they don't last that long since they get stretched out faster.

Wetsuit stitches
From worst to best:

Over lock stitch
Flat lock stitch 
Blind stitch (needle never penetrates the neoprene - no holes)

Liquid taped stitches - these are the best, usually you begin with blidstitch and then seal it with liquid rubber This makes the seams 100% waterproof. 

Other wetsuits features and expressions that you need to know are:
- single lined/double lined neoprene - neoprene is lined with nylon. Single lined only on one side, double lined on both. A lined neoprene is more durable, neprene without lining is smoother and it better repels water and wind. Windsurfers use it a lot. Single lined neoprene also has names like mesh skin, smooth skin etc.

- titanium - if wetsuit is lined with titanium (between neoprene and nylon lining) it will reflect your body heat back into the wetsuit.

- aditional insultaing fabric, fibers - todays modern fabrics can be made out of hollow fibres that have great insulation capabilities. Some winter neoprenes have this on the inside. This is called aero core, fire skin etc.

- stretchy neoprene - if neoprene is more flexible, it will put less strain on your muscles, it will be much more comfortable etc. This is a really cool thing. Wetsuits are getting stretchier every year! 

- reinforced knees, key pocket... - here just choose what suits you, it's not that important.


I think that I covered most of the things that you need to know before you buy a new wetsuit. If you still have some questions you can ask in the comments. Cheers!

How to test a wetsuit if it is waterproof?

This is a cool simple wetsuit test that you can do in the store when you are buying your wetsuit. First we need to make one thing clear - all wetsuits get wet inside. That's why they are called wetsuits. If they wouldn't get wet then they would be called dry suits. And there are suits that are called drysuits and are used for extremely cold condition, diving etc... But most of them are to clumsy to be used for action sports (allthoguh there are models designed for that, but they kind of don't catch on...). So if we are talking about a wetsuit that is waterproof we are talking about waterproof seams.

How to test the wetsuits seams if they are really waterproof?

Grab the wetsuits sleeve under the armpit and sqeeze it tight. Then grab the end when your would come out and blow into the sleeve like you would want to blow into a baloon. Any stretchy wetsuit will expand when you pump it with air and you will quickly see if the wetsuit seams are really watertight or not. If the sleeve quickly deflates then they are not, if it deflates slowly than they are OK.

You can do this test in the store or wherever. Watertight seams/stitches are a must in todays cold water wetsuits.

Rent a Wetsuit

Before we go the our complete wetsuit guide and give you all the "before you buy" info you need I want to cover one more thing - renting a wetsuit. First thing you need to be aware off is that if you rent a wetsuit you will not be the first person to wear it. I mean... this is not a problem in any way it's just that some people might be uncomfortable wearing something that is really tihgt and others have worn. With that clear let's take a look at why would you rent a wetsuit:

• You will only need it once and never again - like you will go rafting or canyoning, you will go diving on your vacations...all the activities that require a wetsuit and you know you will only do them once - just rent a wetsuit.
• Trying something for the first time - you want to try surfing, diving etc... but you do not have the equipment (wetsuit). Now the smart thing to do is to rent it the first couple of times so you see if you like it. Later you can buy your own.
• Travel - often you just don't have the space to take all the things you might need with you. A wetsuit can take a lot of space. Once you get there you see that the waves are perfect but surely you will not buy a new wettie if you have one at home, so you rent one.
• And lots of other situations...

What to look for when you rent a wetsuit?

You need to look at all the same things as when you buy one:

• What kind of wetsuit do you need - for what sport?
• How thick and warm wetsuit do you need - where will you go and how cold will be the water and the air?
• Check the seams - are they waterproof?
• How flexible is the wetsuit?
• Make surf it fits you right!

Usually wetsuits that are available for rent are not the best quality... I mean nobody buys the best wetsuits (and the most expensive ones) for renting them.

Besides that, also check that:

• rented wetsuit has no holes, no broken seams, it's not torn...
• it doesn't look to old
• it doesn't look to streched out and
• it still feels flexible.

What about the costs? How much does it cost to rent a wetsuit?

This depends so I can not really help you. But I can tell you this - if you will rent a wetsuit for a longer period like for a week or maybe even two weeks then:

• You should get a big duscount
• You should calculate if it isn't best if you just buy a wetsuit, you can still sell it later.

That's all I have to say about wetsuit rental. In the next post I will cover all the main things that you need to be aware of when you are buying wetsuits. Cheers!