Beginner Surfing Guide
Wetsuits Explained: Thickness, Fit & Water Temperature
The right wetsuit keeps you warm, comfortable, and in the water longer. Getting thickness and fit right matters far more than brand or colour.
How a Wetsuit Keeps You Warm
A wetsuit does not keep you dry. It traps a thin layer of water against your skin, which your body heats and the neoprene then insulates. That is why fit is everything: a suit that is too loose flushes cold water through constantly and never lets that warm layer form, leaving you cold no matter how thick the neoprene is.
Thickness and Water Temperature
Wetsuit thickness is given as two or three numbers in millimetres, such as 3/2 or 5/4/3 — the first is the thickness around the torso, the rest are the limbs. Thicker is warmer but less flexible. Use water temperature, not air temperature, as your guide, and treat these as rough starting points rather than rules.
- Warm (22°C and above): A rash guard or a shorty, or no suit at all.
- Mild (17-21°C): A 3/2 mm full suit suits most surfers.
- Cool (12-16°C): A 4/3 mm full suit, often with boots.
- Cold (7-11°C): A 5/4 mm suit with boots, gloves, and a hood.
Getting the Fit Right
A wetsuit should feel like a firm second skin — snug everywhere, with no loose folds or gaps, but not so tight that you cannot breathe deeply or reach your arms overhead to paddle.
- Torso: No pockets of space at the lower back, chest, or under the arms, where cold water would pool.
- Shoulders: A full, comfortable range of motion for paddling; a suit that restricts your stroke is too small or the wrong cut.
- Neck, wrists, ankles: Snug seals to limit flushing, without pinching or chafing.
Seams, Zips and Care
- Seams: Flatlock seams are fine for warm water; glued-and-blindstitched or taped seams keep colder water out.
- Entry: Back-zip suits are the easiest to get on; chest-zip and zip-free designs flush less but take practice.
- Care: Rinse in cool fresh water after every session, dry in the shade folded over a wide hanger, and never leave neoprene baking in the sun.
Buy for the coldest water you will realistically surf, prioritise fit above all, and a good suit will pay you back in extra time in the water.