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by Scott Richardson

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How to Put on A Wetsuit

By Scott Richardson | Last Updated: October 6, 2020

When wearing a wetsuit, it’s important to take the necessary attention and care to assure long-lasting durability and high performance. Basically, failure to put on your wetsuit appropriately will certainly lead to huge issues, either in the water or in your bank balance. Moreover, putting on an unfitting wetsuit will limit your range of movement in the water. Thus, you can’t use your arms and legs effectively.

Consequently, it adversely affects your performance and speed, and you’ll end up using a lot of energy and strength throughout your swim. Besides, failure to take the necessary precautions when wearing a wetsuit may lead to the tear and wear of the neoprene material and cause costly damage.

Fortunately, to ensure you get the best out of a wetsuit, we’ve gathered the best tips and tricks on how to put on a wetsuit appropriately. It would therefore be wise to follow this guideline to the end to ensure you optimize your performance in the water and avoid any unwelcome damages.

Tight wetsuit

Some Wetsuits are Extremely Tight!

Before getting into detail about the tips and tricks that make the process of wearing a wetsuit a walk in the park, you must remember that some spearfishing wetsuits are just too tight. Here are some signs showing that a wetsuit is extremely tight:

  • The wetsuit limits blood flow and breathing
  • The wetsuit squeezes uneasily around the neck
  • The wetsuit stretches to the end, and the material still fails to conform to your body
  • The wetsuit material is pulled very tightly over your body such that it’s stretched thin in some parts

Simple Steps on How to Put on a Wetsuit

Step 1: Be Cautious to Avoid Snagging the Neoprene Wetsuit Material

When it comes to wearing a wetsuit, it’s important to avoid damaging the neoprene material. It’s essential to put on or take off a wetsuit on a flat and clean surface as a precaution. Remember that you could easily damage the suit if you’re standing on stones, rocks, or any other rough surface.

Besides, be extra cautious if you’ve got jewelry or watch as they easily tear or snag the suit as you put it on. It would also be best to use the fingertips when putting the suit on as fingernails could easily nick the material. If anxious about nicking the material, you can either use fingertip pads or put on gloves.

Step 2: Pull the Wetsuit on the Legs

The ideal way to wear a wetsuit is by putting in a single foot at a time. So, put your first foot inside, and then cautiously pull up the suit inch by inch. Remember, don’t be in a hurry and try to pull it up quickly, as you may end up damaging the suit. Therefore, take your precious time, slowly pull up the suit over your foot, and stop when it gets approximately one inch above the ankle.

Repeat the process on the other foot provided you can fully put your foot on the surface, and there’s no part of the suit between the surface and your heel. If you encounter problems sliding your foot through the wetsuit smoothly, we recommend wearing them with either sock or even a carrier bag wrapped around the foot.

Step 3: Slowly Pull Up the Wetsuit Over Your Legs and Body

Slowly pull up the suit on every leg, taking turns between the legs at steady intervals, so the wetsuit is climbing your body at a constant level on every side. First, move the wetsuit over the hips. Secondly, move it into the crotch as high as possible. Ensure the wetsuit’s kneepads or knees are seamlessly aligned with your knees.

It’s important to follow this process to the latter to make sure that the suit fits snugly. So, if there’re substantial fabric wrinkles, you need to keep pulling to smoothen them out. One of the common sections where you can get these wrinkles is behind the knees.

Step 4: Putting the Arms into the Wetsuit

put on hands
Once the suit is above the waistline, you can start concentrating on the arms. Remember, you’ve to put on one arm at a time! As you put on the suit around your arms, ensure there’s no material twist along the arms. Put one arm in, and progressively move the sleeve up the arm, one inch at a time. Ensure you cautiously move the sleeve up as you did with the legs.

After safely getting the shoulder into the wetsuit, lift it into the underarm as high as possible. Repeat this process on the other arm. Ensure you’ve got an optimal range of movement and flexibility for both the shoulders and arms since this will be crucial to your performance and movement in the water.

Step 5: For a Snug Fit, Pull Up any Extra Neoprene

put on in sholders
After fitting in the shoulders and arms, it’s time to turn your attention to working on any extra neoprene. When it comes to the excess neoprene, just pull it up into the shoulder and chest area. Preferably, it’s essential to ensure the suit is as high as possible, and the shoulders fit comfortably. Afterward, get the wetsuit around the neck and pull it up accordingly.

As mentioned earlier, remember to be cautious with the fingernails since here is where you can easily scratch the material. If there’s any extra neoprene on the body to sort out, just bend over from the middle and then pull up any extra material towards the neck.

Step 6: Zipping the Suit Appropriately

It’s important to get somebody else to do the zipper up, if possible. Well, in addition to putting minimal stress on the zip, it lowers the risk of the zipper snagging on the neoprene. All in all, if there’s no one to help you, grab the cord and use a steady and slow-motion to pull it up. Tugging can easily damage the rubber seams or the material.
How to Put on A Wetsuit

Ensure the suit is wholly zipped up to ensure the suit’s neckline is directly pressed on your skin. Also, ensure the flap on the neck lays flat on the body, grab the cord, precisely attach it to the Velcro, and finally close the flap over it.

Step 7: Check Whether the Suit Fits Correctly

After wearing the suit fully, take your time to verify that everything fits appropriately. Besides the suit giving you a snug fit, you want to feel extremely comfortable in it. So, move around and do a couple of squats to certify there’s no leg movement limitation. Also, make sure you do the same with your arms.

When it comes to verifying whether you’ve got a comfy fit on your arms or not, consider impersonating swimming strokes in the air to certify you’ve freedom of movement. Additionally, check for any considerable gaps under the arms.

What is the easiest way to put on a wetsuit?

Getting into a wetsuit alone isn’t an easy task, particularly if you’re sweating. That’s why we’re giving you unique tips on how to put on a wetsuit easily. Here are the tips:

The Lubricant Method

One of the best tricks to use when wearing a wetsuit is to use Vaseline to lubricate the movement areas such as calves, wrists, knees, heels, shoulders, neck, and armpits. Lubrication lets you get it on and position it flawlessly easily. Remember, you need to avoid using moisturizing cream to avoid potential damage on the suit.

The Sock Method

You can wear socks, plastic bags or even old tights to avoid struggles when getting your suit over the feet, arms or legs. Indeed, this technique is proven to preventing your arms, legs, or feet from getting stuck into the suit.

The Soap and Water Method

The Soap and Water Method
Perhaps, this is one of the oldest and most popular tricks. The trick needs you to wet the inner parts of the suit with soap and water. Again, the trick encompasses lubricating the suit by pouring a couple of soapy water onto it to allow easy movement onto your body. You can always use warm water if the water is cold.

The Bathing Method

Bathing is also a great trick because there’re no limitations, and it needs no equipment. Well, the technique merely entails wearing the wetsuit in the water. It’s still much more pleasant and useful to incorporate this trick when the water is at the best room temperature.

The Shower Method

Well, this is a pleasant and efficient trick to use during the winter. Basically, the technique involves you getting into the shower and wearing the suit at the same time. In fact, using hot water is much better.

How to take off the wetsuit

Well, you’ve gotten into a wetsuit, jumped into the water and gotten out, and now the time to take it off has come. Don’t get anxious because we got your back. The high chances are that your suit is wet when it comes to taking it off. Basically, this can make the process quite tricky since the suit will somehow be sucked to your skin. All in all, don’t worry; follow the steps outlined below to remove your wetsuit effortlessly.

Step 1: Undoing the Back Zipper

The zipper is typically the starting point. Thus, undo the zipper first, whether it be a back zipper, zip-free, or even chest zipper. Ideally, grab your zipper’s strap, undo any Velcro covering, and give it a firm, nice pull downward.

Step 2: Pulling the Suit Off the Arms

After pulling down the zipper, you should have the ability to pull out your arms from the sleeves freely. So, pull out one arm of the suit’s sleeve followed by the other.

Step 3: Pulling the Suit Down the Body

Pull the suit towards the waist, practically like you’re peeling off a certain piece of cloth. If you’re taking off the suit in public, it’s important to tightly hold the undies as you start pulling it down past your hips.

Step 4: Taking the Suit Off One leg at a Time

Lastly, continue pulling the suit down towards the ankles and then take out one foot at a time. Typically, sitting is allowed as it adds time to your transition.

What to wear under a wetsuit?

From small briefs like speedos and board shorts, or nothing at all, you’ve got a wide variety of options to put on under the wetsuit. While there’re several pros and cons of what you wear under a wetsuit, safety needs to be your number one priority. Here is what you can wear under your wetsuit:

Board Shorts

Board shorts are quick-drying, loose-fitting shorts loved by most men. The only disadvantage about putting on the board shorts under a wetsuit is that they bunch and wrinkle under the suits. In the end, it needs you to straighten the shorts out after taking off the suit.

Women’s Swimsuits

When it comes to finding the right outfit to put on under wetsuits, women have a huge advantage over men. Generally, most women’s swimsuits rest on the body tightly and don’t move as the diver takes off the suit.

Men’s Briefs

Men’s briefs like the Speedo brief is ideal for putting it on under a wetsuit. The best thing about it is that it stays in place and doesn’t shift or bunch when wearing or removing a wetsuit.

Neoprene Pants and Shorts

The neoprene pants and shorts are readily available. The outfits are primarily made for divers to put on under wetsuits because they tightly lay on the diver’s body without shifting or bunching. The outfits also enable the wetsuit to slide over your thighs easily.

The Bicycle-Style Shorts

The bicycle-style shorts are amongst the best outfits to wear under a wetsuit. The best thing about them is that they offer significant coverage compared to the women’s bikini bottoms and the men’s briefs.

Neoprene Shirts and Vests

Usually, these are the best for you if you prefer easy chilling. Wearing a neoprene vest under your suit is a great way to conserving your warmth without increasing the suit’s thickness.

Underwear

While some undies are unsuitable for scuba diving, you can still put on underwear under a wetsuit. However, you need to avoid wearing the cotton-based underwear as they don’t last long when worn under the wetsuit.

Nothing

There’s no point in wearing something under your suit as long as you’ve got a place to change into the suit. In fact, there’s absolutely nothing inappropriate with going commando!

How to wash a wetsuit

You put on a wetsuit because it does an incredible job of keeping you warm throughout your water adventures. However, you’ll sweat through the watery adventures necessitating a thorough suit cleaning. Basically, rinsing the suit after each use keeps it fresh. Here are the steps to follow when it comes to washing a wetsuit:

  • Get a suit cleaner and a container of cool water, and then stir it thoroughly in the cleaner
  • Open the suit zippers, turn it inside out and immerse it fully
  • Squeeze the cleaner into the suit and allow it to sit for a couple of minutes
  • Rinse the wetsuit thoroughly with cool water and hang it to dry

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About Scott Richardson

A great lover of outdoor activities and especially fishing. I work for a pretty big company in California. I’m very keen on different types of fishing, especially spearfishing. Read more...

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ABOUT ME

I’m Scott Richardson – a great lover of outdoor activities and especially fishing. I’m very keen on different types of fishing, especially spearfishing.

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