expected time drop with a wetsuit

They are banned above a certain temp. The suit is for tri relay's which make no distinction about wearing one. If I'm faster I will wear it. My feeling is "when in Rome, do as the Roman's do". Does anyone have good time trial comparisons that give real speed differences with and without? I have my last SCY meet at the end of the month, then I'll do my pool time trials and report back.

Did a time trial several weeks ago over a measured distance (~1000yds) open water. Full wetsuit was a full minute faster. 17 min. vs 18. Wetsuit was first and I swam very relaxed. Wetsuit came off and I swam hard. I felt faster without the suit because my kick was more activated. I also felt good and warmed up, but I was just plain faster with the suit.

I don't think so because I swam the first almost as a relaxed warm up. The second 1000 I was warmed up and ready to go. I waited about 10 minutes between swims. I think a fair comparison would be to do the test again but reverse the swims. Do the first without the wetsuit, then after the same amount of rest, swim it with the wetsuit. Average the swim times for both rounds and compare.

I get very annoyed with the folks to wear a wetsuit if the water is even a half degree below 76. I'd think if the water is over 70 there's no need for a wetsuit. But heck, if people really want to wear one, go for it. Usually wetsuit wearers are put in a separate category anyway. If some dude can swim 1K at the North Pole in 30 degree F water w/o a wetsuit I think everyone else can probably handle 70! :)

Wetsuits make you faster. No question. Period. Doesn't matter if you start out as a strong swimmer or not. You will go faster. Swimmers with good body position get even better body position with a wetsuit. Buoyancy rocks! Especially when you start to get tired in a race. Over the past six years, I have done dozens of open water swims - about 50/50 with or without a wetsuit. I have found that I go approx 1 min faster per mile with the wetsuit. That's about 4 secs per 100. I train at approx 1:05/100yd pace. That's comperable to the guy who said he is 8 sec/100 faster and holds 2:00/100. The absolute and unquestioned key to the wetsuit is fit. It MUST fit properly. A poor fitting wetsuit can actually make you slower. If buying one, try many on. DO NOT buy the best looking one or the most affordable one. Buy the one that fits properly. I promise you will pay double in the middle of a race for the better fitting suit than the affordable one. And no one will see the more attractive one while you are swimming in the middle of the ocean or lake. Also, skip the full sleeve. A longjohn is all you need. The sleeves increase the risk of a poor fit. And I can promise you will never race in water so cold that full sleeves are necessary. My longjohn has kept me plenty warm in water in the low 50s. When trying on wetsuits, make sure you test them in the water. A wetsuit fits differently while you are standing on dry ground than when you are laying flat on top of the water. Warning: Not every retailer will let you try them in the water before committing. Ask first. Walk out if they don't. I suggest ordering many types and many sizes on-line. Try them all and return the ones that don't work. Only costs you a little shipping for the return.

Thanks RuffWater for affirming my suspicion. Aquageek as kicked the butt of many wetsuit wearers because he, or she is likely an accomplished pool swimmer. Aquageek, did anyone emerge ahead of you in a wetsuit, or did you beat all wetsuit wearers? Was this thumping at one of the Ironman World Championship 70.3's or fulls where wetsuits are legal? That may be where you would find other accomplished pool swimmers with wetsuits that you can test against.

Aquageek as kicked the butt of many wetsuit wearers because he, or she is likely an accomplished pool swimmer. Aquageek, did anyone emerge ahead of you in a wetsuit, or did you beat all wetsuit wearers? Was this thumping at one of the Ironman World Championship 70.3's or fulls where wetsuits are legal? That may be where you would find other accomplished pool swimmers with wetsuits that you can test against. These were by no means events populated by a bunch of accomplished swimmers, if it were I certainly wouldn't have placed that well. I just don't see the point of a wetsuit if the water is above 70s. Just swim it out and ditch the crutch. Also, I don't see the point of making a distinction between a pool and OW swimmer. A swimmer is a swimmer, some of us just love green gross lake/ocean water in the summer along with our dosage of chlorine.

I think there may be some distinction between the two forms of swimming, each with certain skills, like flip turns and underwater kick vs. navigation and efficiency in rough water. I don't think it is a crutch since I am entering a team triathlon and want to do my best for the team. I love the feel of not wearing one, but it is just hard to leave a minute on the table. The race is only 1000m, so overheating won't be an issue in 70-75 deg water. If the water is dead calm, I may go with the fast skin. You don't object to that do you? or does it have to be a jammer?

This may be a coincidence, but virtually every accomplished pool swimmer I know (that is not also a tri) has an anti-wetsuit stance. They refuse to wear them. (They will, however, wear fastskins.) Every tri I know tells me that wetsuits are undoubtedly faster. There doesn't seem to be a need if the temp is +70. RTodd: I see you posted again. Is your team wearing them? But I say go with the fastskin! Good luck! OW seems utterly different to me than pool swimming. Beguiling, but different.

Did a time trial several weeks ago over a measured distance (~1000yds) open water. Full wetsuit was a full minute faster. 17 min. vs 18. Wetsuit was first and I swam very relaxed. Wetsuit came off and I swam hard. I felt faster without the suit because my kick was more activated. I also felt good and warmed up, but I was just plain faster with the suit. How long did you wait between swims? I would bet if you kept the wetsuit on, your second 1000 would still be slower than the first. -Rick