Westsuits are cool. They solve the floating bit of the swim equation so all you have to do is move your arms and go forward.

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Those who know do not speak, those who speak, do not know.

Check out this article for soem good tips on open water swimming for newbies.

http://www.trinewbies.com/...cle.asp?ArticleID=97

The wetuit will help you in most swims. If the water is too warm you wil overheat though, in most races if the water is over 24degrees C then wetsuits are banned for age groupers (the temp for pros is 21 degrees I believe). A triathalon wetsuit is made with thinner panels where you need to move and as such lets you swim in a more natural action than in a surfing wetuit. A surfing wetsuit will help you float but may restrict your stroke too much. Pop down to a local race that has an expo with it and have a chat to one of the wetsuit manufactures there and they will more than likely let you take one for a swim.

Best of luck.

Trev.

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"Blessed is the man who, having nothing to say,
abstains from giving in words evidence of the fact"
George Eliot

Yes, a tri-wetsuit will help you a lot but a surfing wetsuit will probably restrict your movements. Do your best to get some open water experience, it is different from swimming in a pool mainly cuz you have to sight every once in a while.

If you get tired in a race you can roll over on your back and take a breather, just make sure that you're not going to get into someone's way, starting in the back or off to the side will be easier for you. You can also hold onto one of the surf-boards or kayaks that the lifeguards are on as long as you don't make forward progress with them.

If you let us know where you're from, someone could probably suggest a good place to get some open water experience.

Good luck

jaretj

I don't want to discourage anyone from competing in their first triathlon, but if you do not know absolutely that you can finish the 1/2 mile swim and the water is not so shallow that you can stand up, don't do the race. Things can easily go wrong in an open water tri swim and you need to be completely comfortable. What happens if you collide with another swimmer? What happens if that swimmer is worse than you and panics, one of their first instincts will be to climb on top of you, pushing you under water.

There are plenty of shorter races or races in a pool. Do these until you feel comfortable with a 1/2 mile open water swim. 1/2 mile isn't too far, stick with it and pretty soon you'll be perfectly comfortable with swiiming that distance in open water.