wetsuit
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A wetsuit is a garment worn to provide thermal protection while wet. It is usually made of foamed neoprene, and is worn by surfers, divers, windsurfers, canoeists, and others engaged in water sports and other activities in or on the water. Its purpose is to provide thermal insulation and protection from abrasion, ultraviolet exposure, and stings from marine organisms. It also contributes extra buoyancy. The insulation properties of neoprene foam depend mainly on bubbles of gas enclosed within the material, which reduce its ability to conduct heat. The bubbles also give the wetsuit a low densit
Key facts
- Diving equipment.alt
- Two women in wetsuits standing on a beach. Left is wearing a shortie suit, also called a "spring suit", which has short legs and sleeves, with boots. Right is wearing a full length one piece suit with back zipper, also called a "steamer".
- Diving equipment.caption
- Spring suit (shorty) and steamer (full suit) one-piece suits
- Diving equipment.uses
- Thermal protection for water-sport and underwater work
- Diving equipment.related
- Diving suit, dry suit, hot water suit, rash guard
- Diving equipment.name
- Wetsuit
- Diving equipment.image
- wetsuit0806 crop.jpg
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- Wetsuit0806 crop.jpg
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- Wetsuits
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~43 min read
Article
34 sectionsContents
- Uses
- Insulation
- Buoyancy
- History
- Origins
- Development of suit design
- Improvements in suit assembly
- Seam taping
- Seam gluing
- Blindstitching
- Further advances in suit design
- Return of single-backed neoprene
- Types
- Configurations
- Thickness
- Surface finish
- Wetsuit lining
- Closures
- Sizing and fit
- Semi-dry suits
- Heated suits
- Accessories
- Hoods
- Boots
- Thermal protection
- Foot protection
- For scuba diving
- For surfing
- For kayaking
- Gloves
- See also
- Notes
- References
- External links
A wetsuit is a garment worn to provide thermal protection while wet. It is usually made of foamed neoprene, and is worn by surfers, divers, windsurfers, canoeists, and others engaged in water sports and other activities in or on the water. Its purpose is to provide thermal insulation and protection from abrasion, ultraviolet exposure, and stings from marine organisms. It also contributes extra buoyancy. The insulation properties of neoprene foam depend mainly on bubbles of gas enclosed within the material, which reduce its ability to conduct heat. The bubbles also give the wetsuit a low density, providing buoyancy in water.
Hugh Bradner, a University of California, Berkeley, physicist, invented the modern wetsuit in 1952. Wetsuits became available in the mid-1950s and evolved as the relatively fragile foamed neoprene was first backed, and later sandwiched, with thin sheets of tougher material such as nylon or later spandex (also known as lycra). Improvements in the way joints in the wetsuit were made by gluing, taping and blind-stitching, helped the suit to remain waterproof and reduce flushing, the replacement of water trapped between suit and body by cold water from the outside. Further improvements in the seals at the neck, wrists, ankles, and zippers produced a suit known as a "semi-dry".