What kind of wetsuit do I need for certain water temperature? This is one of the questions we get asked almost every day. What's the deal here? On one hand you want to wear as little neoprene as possible. Less neoprene and thinner wetsuit means less strain on our muscles when we move. As soon as you put on a wetsuit you not only have to move your arms to propel yourself forward, you also have to pull and stretch the wetsuit you are wearing. Because of the extra work you get tired sooner. So, boardshorts all the way :)? Great, but on the other hand you do not want to be cold. There are limits to where you feel comfortable in cool water and there are limits when cold water becomes just plain dangerous to your health and finally to your life. Cold also makes you slower, number and drains your energy. So choosing the right wetsuit for the certain water temperature is a trade-off between these two facts. You want a wetsuit that is thick enough to keep you warm and thin enough not to put unnecessary strain to your muscles. So how to choose the right wetsuit for different water temperatures? Follow our wetsuit thickness and water temperature guide to find out :)!

Wetsuit thickness and water temperature guide

You can get this info from any wetsuit manufacturer. But we find these wetsuit - water temperature charts done by major wetsuit companies a bit funny and not very realistic. Their temperature charts make you believe: "You only need a 3/2 millimeter wetsuit for 54F (12C) water, since our wetsuits are so advanced :)." If they are not talking about the battery heated wetsuits they are probably full of shit. And even if their chart is OK, this is what you need to know about choosing the right wetsuit for cold water.

What kind of wetsuit thickness should I get?

What counts? When we are choosing wetsuit thickness it is not just the water temperature that counts. There are a few factors to consider: water temperature, air temperature, wind, cold sensitivity and activity. Let's take a look at each of them.

Water temperature

True. This is the most important one. And the most obvious one. Colder water - thicker wetsuit. Neoprene acts as an insulator against outer weather elements and the thicker it is the more insulation you have. How thick? Check our wetsuit water temperature chart a few inches lower.

Air temperature

This one can be in sync with the water temperature. Lots of times it is. Warmer water in the summer, colder water in the winter. But there are also a lot of places on Earth where this isn't completely true. Places where cold ocean currents flow past hot desert coastlines. Where the air is hot and the water is cold. Here warm sun and warmer air can allow you to wear a thinner wetsuit than you normally would.

Wind

This is a really big factor. It's our guess that most wetsuit water temperature charts are written like there is absolutely no wind. If you are lucky enough for this to be true, good for you. But even your average everyday weather has some wind, not to mention windsurfers, surfers who surf wind swells etc... What does wind do? It cools the surface of your body and increases the feeling of cold. So if you use your wetsuit in wind then it should be thicker.

Cold sensitivity

This is just something the changes from person to person. How quickly do you feel cold? For some people it is anything under 75F, some are comfortable in 60F... partly this might be conditioned with your body and blood circulation and partly this is just how used you are to cold. For instance - mountain climber spend weeks at high altitudes and low temperatures and when they come back home, they say that they constantly feel hot. Normal apartment temperature is just to hot for them, so they keep opening the windows :).. well if it's colder outside. So if you want to surf, windsurf etc..whatever in cold weather and cold water there is some amount of could that you have to get used to.

Activity

This is also a major factor. If you are active you burn energy and produce heat while you do it. If we take surfing for instance. You can paddle up and down, try to catch every wave you can and you will be smoking hot. Or you can sit and wait for your wave to come or there might be a lack of swell and you need to wait 10 minutes for every wave and sure, you will be cold. Or another example - diving. Divers are as far as we know not supposed to be very active, they must try to keep their heart rate down. Slowly gliding through cold water depths requires much thicker wetsuit than doing something more aerobic and active does.

With so many factors that influence the right wetsuit thickness for certain water temperature you can understand that no wetsuit water temperature chart can be 100% right. The problem with wetsuit temperature charts is that they don't tell you that. Well - now you know!

Our water temperature and wetsuit thickness chart is therefore just for your orientation and is a bit on the safe side. Also - just choosing the right wetsuit thickness is not enough. When the water gets colder you also need to wear booties and later also gloves and a hood.

Wetsuit Quality

We were complaining all the time how wetsuit manufacturers thickness charts suck and that they only want to make an impression. But wetsuit quality is also a big factor. A good wetsuit will not easily let water penetrate to the inside. Things like double blindstitch, liquid sealing, taped seams, batflap etc... will stop cold water entering your wetsuit. So a good one is a must in cold weather and water and this is also the reason that a good winter wetsuit is not cheap.

WATER TEMPERATURE WETSUIT CHART

So what kind of wetsuit should you get? In our experience - if you wil only own one wetsuit, then buy a 4/3. It is the most versatile and useful in widest range of temperatures.

Cold water, cold weather and wearing a wetsuit tips

If cold water and low temperatures are not enough, there comes a time when you need to put on a cold and WET wetsuit. To speed this process and get it over with as soon as possible try this:

• put a PVC bag on you leg or arm when you are putting on your wetsuit and it will slide through the sleeves like a hot knife through butter.

• For the upper part of your body, where a wet wetsuit feels the most uncomfortable try this - have a dry rash guard in store and wear it before you put a wet wetsuit on.

We hope we helped you with your wetsuit water temperature choice. Have fun in winter!