Wetsuit legs filling with water?

AlisonSAlisonS Member
edited May 2017 in Beginner Questions

Hi. I was just hoping for advice please for my daughter doing her first 10km swim (and first time wearing a wetsuit.) We recently bought her a good quality Orca wetsuit but when she did a trial swim yesterday when she got out the legs of the suit were quite full with water and lots came out when taking it off. I'm not sure if this is ok/ normal or will it be a problem? When researching this problem one of the kite surfing sites mentioned making a hole at the back of each leg but I'm apprehensive about doing this. I also worry about a smaller size being too tight for her first race? Thanks for any advice you can give!!

Tagged:

Comments

  • You may find more knowledge about this subject on a triathlon forum. This forum is about marathon swimming, i.e. non-wetsuit swimming.

  • wendyv34wendyv34 Vashon, WASenior Member

    Is the suit loose/baggy in the legs? Wetsuits function by trapping a layer of water next to the skin, which is warmed by body heat, so there will definitely be water running out upon removal. There shouldn't be big wrinkles or spaces where large quantities of water are pooling up in the suit, but it also shouldn't be too tight (restricting movement or breathing) either. You can spend a fortune trying to find one that fits perfectly, especially if your daughter is still a growing young person.

    Personally, I can't even imagine the misery of swimming 10K in a wetsuit. The extra drag would be exhausting and the chafing gets to be torture pretty quickly, especially if salt water is involved. I'd recommend training to swim the event without a wetsuit. You didn't mention the location or expected water temperature of the event, but most events are usually swimmable by most people without a wetsuit, if proper training has been done.

    It's always a bad hair day when you work at a pool.

  • ZoeSadlerZoeSadler Charter Member

    @wendyv34 In the UK a vast number of events are wetsuit compulsory, so you either swim with a wetsuit or don't swim at all. This may be the case here.

    @AlisonS Regarding the pooling of water in the wetsuit legs, this suggests that the wetsuit is too loose. Your daughter should try a smaller size or try a different brand (they do fit differently depending on brand). I'll 'fess up now, I own 2 wetsuits and both fit me very differently. I hadn't used either of them since 2011 but I did go in the lake in April 2016 with one of them on (first swim of the season and I was cold!). I couldn't breathe in it as the chest was too tight, but the legs filled with far too much water. (There should be some water but there shouldn't be a bucketful).

    I don't think it would be a good idea to cut holes in the knees - swimming wetsuits and surfing wetsuits are quite different beasts with different purposes. I would have thought the neoprene would continue to split once you've cut it and created a weak area in the suit.

    KatieBun
  • Hi. Thank you everyone very much for the replies! I didn't realise marathon swimming was mainly non-wetsuit so that is impressive! My daughters swim is in Lake Taupo New Zealand and we have been told that if the lake is under 18 degrees c which it often is then it is unfortunately wetsuit compulsory (she did the 5k last year no wetsuit as they are t allowed one at that distance but it was a cold day and lots of kids weee being pulled out of the water!) Thanks for the good advice Wendy and Zoe I will read it all again and take it on board when deciding what to do! (And appreciate the knowledge that the wetsuit will most likely be too big.) Also just to mention in regards to the kiting site commenting on making the holes they suggest doing this with a soldiering iron as the way of the hole not getting larger (or they use Velcro straps) ... But as you mention a totally different sport so I think I will scrap that thought. Thanks again!

  • brunobruno Barcelona (Spain)Senior Member

    As pointed out by ZoeSadler, the wetsuit is too loose. This may be due to the size, or perhaps because the velcro at the back of the neck wasn't tight enough. Fitting oneself in a wetsuit is not rocket science, but it's not easily done either. In a triathlon store, or where you bought it, they should teach you how to do it properly.

    But be aware that in triathlon stores they use to sell wetsuits for, well, tris, i.e. up to 1500 m swimming (and a few for 3500 m); hence their advice for a 10K (regarding model of wetsuit, chafing, etc.) is not always the best one. You'd better ask a local group of wetsuit-long distance swimmers.

    Regarding the size, most makes have a "size guide", e.g. https://www.sailfish.com/en/sizing-chart .

  • brunobruno Barcelona (Spain)Senior Member

    Also, googling "swimming wetsuit" or similar you'll find lots of videos regarding how to put on one, like this one:

  • SoloSolo B.C. CanadaSenior Member

    Welcome to the forum AlisonS! Please let us know how your daughter does after her race. 10k is a significant swim, and I would love to hear her race report.

    suziedods
  • wendyv34wendyv34 Vashon, WASenior Member

    Wow, 18c=64.4f, seems not very cold for a mandatory wetsuit.

    I guess I could see it for a youth race though, since kids tend to be thinner, have less body mass and train mostly in pools.

    suziedods

    It's always a bad hair day when you work at a pool.

  • curlycurly Issaquah, WASenior Member

    wendyv34 said:
    Wow, 18c=64.4f, seems not very cold for a mandatory wetsuit.

    I guess I could see it for a youth race though, since kids tend to be thinner, have less body mass and train mostly in pools.

    It's not just kids with those characteristics. I'm afraid that is my build as well and why so far my low temp cut off is still 65F. But rather than swim with a wetsuit I retreat to our pool with its balmy 83F temp. It unfortunately softens me up and it takes a while for me to venture into the lake in spring. I'm debating using a farmer john so I can ease into the lake sooner. We will see...

  • brunobruno Barcelona (Spain)Senior Member

    curly said:
    I'm afraid that is my build as well and why so far my low temp cut off is still 65F. But rather than swim with a wetsuit I retreat to our pool with its balmy 83F temp. It unfortunately softens me up and it takes a while for me to venture into the lake in spring. I'm debating using a farmer john so I can ease into the lake sooner. We will see...

    One year ago I decided to start quitting the wetsuit in winter. I did it gradually, and I finally managed to swim a 10K in May, in 16ºC water, with an old Cressy Glaros 1,5mm-thick shorty.

    This winter I'm still building endurance to cold (cool?) water, and the shorty has proved useful a couple of days I didn't feel like swimming for 1h in skins. (The water here is now around 15ºC.)

    curly
  • ZoeSadler said:
    In the UK a vast number of events are wetsuit compulsory, so you either swim with a wetsuit or don't swim at all.

    Can any Brits explain the reasons for this aspect of UK swimming culture? Seems remarkable for the land that basically invented marathon swimming.

  • andissandiss Senior Member

    If the suit is being filled with water, it can also be coming in further up, around torso.

    Was the zipper properly closed, is there a gap in the neck or sleeves?

    The suit should be as tight as possible all over - but be careful - we have seen lads locally getting swimming induced pulmonary edema even at shorter(!) distances like less than 3km...but it has only happened to lads with wetsuits.

  • david_barradavid_barra NYCharter Member

    Maybe it's not water?

    suziedodspavlicovKatieBun

    ...anything worth doing is worth overdoing.

  • There is also a certain amount of water that will always come out of a wetsuit. A wetsuit is basically a compression suit I think, and a thin layer of water is held next to the body. So when the compression is released... whooosh.
    I still am of the frame of mind that a wetsuit doesn't let the body "learn" how to stay warm... and while 18C is rather warm for compulsory wetsuits 10K is a challenging distance , in or out of wetsuit. Use anti chafing.. or you'll be sorry.

  • Thank you so much everyone for your responses!! Great advice and information... I really appreciate those of you who took time out to give advice. Great to get info on things I'd never known about such as wetsuits vs non wetsuits, Pulmonary Edema, the anti chaffing etc! My daughter wants to keep her wetsuit and according to the 'charts' it should be s perfect fit for her... Talked to someone and we realised the bottom leg of the suit was bunched up at the calf when she tried it last so really hope this was the problem... the race is the weekend after next so will keep you all posted on how it goes.

    dpm50
  • dpm50dpm50 PA, U.S.Senior Member

    Wishing your daughter success in her swim!

    Re wetsuits in general.... I broke down and bought a wetsuit in late 2015. My open water group was swimming right up to the end of October, and I had managed okay without a wetsuit until the water temp dipped below 60. I might have given it a try even then without a wetsuit, but the supervising coaches insisted that those with limited experience in that temp wear wetsuits, and that included me. Must admit that even with a wetsuit on, I didn't last long, and was a bit panicked at first. I decided it was enough at that point just to get in the water and swim a bit to get the feel of that temp, which felt scary cold even with a wetsuit.

    This past year, I was able to swim without a wetsuit at 62 degrees, but my coach became alarmed when, afterward, I bundled up in winter clothes and was still shivering. So he told me wetsuit going forward. I have to admit I had no objection, although I did persuade him to relax that restriction when the water temp went up to 65 and we had an unseasonably warm day. I felt so free!

    After that, though, it got colder. By the next time I swam, water temp had dipped into the 50s, and back into the wetsuit. This time, however, I lasted longer than I had a year earlier, which was encouraging (1500m as opposed to something like 100-200m). Our open water swim sessions ended after October, but there was a polar bear swim/5k run on New Year's Day, for which, again, my coach told me to wear a wetsuit--which I decided would make sense, since I was going to run right afterward. Swim was short--not more than 100 yds--but the 40 degree water temp still felt like a shock to my system. However, I went in carefully, took it slow to start, and finished chilly but certainly not dying. Two of us wore wetsuits and we both agreed that it made the transition to the run slower than we'd have liked and we're both planning to do without next time. The run warmed me up in no time. I'm not all about bragging rights--for me, it was more an experience than a race, and a chance to "test the waters," as it were, as well as support the charity that was to benefit from this event.

    My goal is to transition out of the wetsuit this year, maybe getting a short or sleeveless version (I do find the long sleeve one constricting, and that's why if possible, I prefer going skin, but I'm also a wimp, truth to tell. Just working on gradually eliminating wimpiness. :)

    So I'm not going to judge anyone who wears a wetsuit even if/when they're not required. We're in this for the challenge, and that challenge is different for each of us.

    AlisonS said:
    Thank you so much everyone for your responses!! Great advice and information... I really appreciate those of you who took time out to give advice. Great to get info on things I'd never known about such as wetsuits vs non wetsuits, Pulmonary Edema, the anti chaffing etc! My daughter wants to keep her wetsuit and according to the 'charts' it should be s perfect fit for her... Talked to someone and we realised the bottom leg of the suit was bunched up at the calf when she tried it last so really hope this was the problem... the race is the weekend after next so will keep you all posted on how it goes.

    Solo
Sign In or Register to comment.