Wetsuits & health risks?

Former Member
Former Member
I'm curious what the ratio of deaths is for the swim portion of triathlons vs open water swims. Or maybe phrased a better way: I wonder if swimmers wearing wetsuits are more at risk of health issues than those not wearing wetsuits. This comes after learning of another death in the swim leg of a triathlon (athlete was wearing a wetsuit, but also had a known heart problem). I sometimes feel nauseous after swimming in a wetsuit. I wonder if the constrictive nature of the suits might exacerbate any health issues in athletes (such as cardiac problem or other). Just curious. I'm not against wetsuits, but I have a feeling the industry targets triathletes since they're less familiar w/ swimming and believe they require more of a cushion.