The Wetsuit Style by Sport-Specific Design

The cut and paneling are often optimized for a specific activity.

A. SURF WETSUITS

Focus: Maximum flexibility in the shoulders and back for paddling. Warmth is secondary to mobility.

Key Features: Often made with the stretchiest neoprene (like Japanese Yamamoto limestone). Seam placement is designed to avoid chafing in the armpits and along the inner legs. The "Chest Zip" and "Zip-Free" styles dominate here.

B. DIVING WETSUITS

Focus: Maximum warmth and durability. Mobility is important but less critical than for surfing.

Key Features: Often made with a smoother, more durable outer skin. They can be thicker (7mm is common for cold water) and often feature a "Farmer John" style (a bib-style bottom with suspenders) with a separate jacket on top to create a double layer over the core. Back zips are still very common.

C. TRIATHLON WETSUITS

Focus: Hydrodynamics (speed) and buoyancy. They are designed to make you swim faster.

Key Features: Made of very smooth, slick neoprene to reduce drag. They have strategic panels of "buoyant" neoprene to lift your legs and hips for a better body position in the water. They are very flexible in the shoulders but often have a stiffer feel overall. They are always sleeved and almost exclusively use a "Chest Zip" for easy removal in transition.

D. FREEDIVING / SPEARFISHING WETSUITS

Focus: Extreme warmth and low volume (to reduce buoyancy at depth).

Key Features: Almost always made from open-cell neoprene, which has a soft, sticky interior that sits directly against the skin. This creates a perfect seal with no water flush, making it incredibly warm but also very difficult to put on (lube is required). They are usually two-piece (jacket and pants) and often have a camouflaged exterior.