Wetsuits and Drysuits: When to Wear One
May 11th, 2009 | by Sean Galusha |If it is your first time to try water sports or you want to try scuba diving or snorkeling for a change, you might face several choices of what to use or buy-a surfing wetsuit, a scuba diving wetsuit, a triathlon wetsuit, a wakeboarding wetsuit why not a drysuit?
It pays to know the difference between a wetsuit and a drysuit so you will know what exactly you will need.
Flexibility is one difference you might find between the two. Drysuits are not flexible, while wetsuits are flexible and stretchable. They also differ in their fit, as drysuits are baggy while wetsuits are snug. Although wetsuits are snug, they allow free movement because of its flexible material. Drysuits allow movement in the space between the suit and your body. Both suits however preserve body heat when you are exposed to cold weathers.
Because drysuits are waterproofed and sealed, they prevent the escape of body heat to the waters outside the suit. Additional clothes can also be worn underneath to add more warmth. In wetsuits, limited water is allowed which will eventually preserve body heat and one may or may not use clothing under it.
Both drysuits and wetsuits affect your buoyancy in water, but drysuits affect your buoyancy more than wetsuits. Because of this, drysuits have inflation valves that allow you to manage your buoyancy in water. Wetsuits on the other hand is made from a buoyant material, but come in different thickness that you can fit to your body weight to control your buoyancy.
So, if you are looking for something to wear for surfing or your wakeboarding activities with friends, or probably just swimming, you may have known why wetsuits are worn and not drysuits. Drysuits are baggy and not flexible so they might not give you the flexibility you need in doing your sport. Because of the clothes worn underneath it, it may also add to your weight which would be quite difficult for your movement.
In snorkeling, most people would prefer wearing wetsuits over drysuits because it is more flexible and allows fast movement underwater than wearing a drysuit. The latter could also be bulky because they are loose and clothing is worn underneath. If drysuits have leaks, which sometimes happen if pricked by sharp rocks, it can also interrupt your fun in the water.
What snorkeling enthusiasts want about wearing a wetsuit than drysuit is that they are able to freedive. Drysuits may allow you to freedive but the suit may cause welts on your skin when the air inside is sucked.
The same is true to other water sports that require speed and flexibility and not really require you to be dry. A triathlon wetsuit or a wakeboarding wetsuit for example is more suitable than a drysuit.
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