We have a whole bunch of open water swimming events here in Victoria, Australia. Over our summer, there'd be a choice of at least 30-40 races you could do, and nearly everyone wears a wetsuit. One event alone attracts up to 4000 competitors each year.

Lot's of fun...

Wow, didn't know that. Can't think of anything like that here in the US. Water temperature or what drives the wetsuit use?

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That's interesting. I was talking to a local open water distance swimmer at the pool. He said no one in his group wears a wetsuit. This is up in New England where water temps are pretty cold in spring and fall.

it's cultural/social.... as soon as one of those guys who cares about racing gets beaten in a race by a guy with a wetsuit, the rest of the swim peleton will probably adapt.

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The guy in the wetsuit cannot beat the guy wearing approved swim gear in official races.

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Water temperature has a fair bit to do with it - before January, the temp doesn't get to 20deg C (68F), and outside our bay, I don't think it reaches 20 all summer. I'm OK with that, but for many people, that's a bit cool. By the 'eye test', I'd say 90+% of people wear suits, from the front of the field to the back.

Everyone's aware of the speed factor, as well.

I mean, it's pretty obvious that the speed/buoyancy advantage drives the use of wetsuits in triathlon. I don't get the "wetsuits are a crutch, blah blah blah" argument. Maybe, for some, they do need a wetsuit to even finish. But for myself and many others, its the advantage. That's like showing up to a time trial and complaining because you see too many deep dish wheels and aero helmets. It's part of the sport.

Just go to California. I went to Imperial beach early in the morning and a whole bunch of people wearing wet suits and surfing. I would say well over 100 people. Could be made with different material but wet suit market was right there. I also went to Coronado beach and same thing. A lot of people surfing wearing wet suits.

We have a decent amount of OW swim only events in the UK. Some are Non-wetsuit (channel rules), some are mandatory wetsuit (for safety / beginners / water temp reasons), others are a choice with different rankings for Wetduit/Skins.

Some a loops round lakes, some end to end of large lakes, seas swims, rivers all sorts.

I don't think they are as a big or as plentiful as triathlons but there is still a good chunk of events with participants well into the hundreds in most events

There is a big difference between wetsuits and aero equipment. Aero equipment reduce drag, wetsuits increase buoyancy. Wetsuits are more akin to adding a motor to your bike, it increases power.

Surfing, windsufring, kitesurfing, etc. wetsuits are different than swimming wetsuits - you don't need the same shoulder flexibility and buoyancy. As far as I recall from my surfing days its not same companies making these suits. So not really applicable to the OP question

How does any of that change the end result though? You can buy speed. Whether it's aero, or buoyancy, it's the same end result. Equipment makes you faster.

There’s a lot of open water swims in the US from events that attract 50 athletes to races that have well over 1500 participants. On the East Coast during the summer there are multiple events every weekend within driving distance. The open water swim community typically frowns upon wetsuit use. Wetsuits for diving and surfing are different from ones for triathlon. FINA just approved the use of wetsuits in international competition. Some of it was out of safety concerns, wetsuit optional starts around 69 degrees, but the he majority of the decision was financial.

Tim

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That's actually a great question. Yes there are a ton of OW swim events, even pro ones(as very cold temps) that allow wetsuits. But I believe that push came from triathlon. We made the wetsuit normal, we made it great, and we made it fast. All that pressure spilled over to OW swimming, a sport that actually had a rule against them, and was militant about it.

It is kind of like aero bars, we had them years before cyclists, but at some point, they just couldn't ignore them and the advantage they provided. Had we not been around as a sport, not sure if cyclists would even be using them today. It really was a stodgy and set in stone sport. They might have index shifting, maybe clip less pedals, and now electronic shifting, but those are all improvements on what existed before. Aero bars were alien to them, and even when they were proved to be a huge benefit, a lot went kicking and screaming over the next couple decades.

And wetsuits were really pioneered for surfing, along with diving. And funny to note that surfing wetsuits have gotten a lot more like triathlon wetsuits over the years, guess even surfers like a nice fit that is comfortable. Those suits I wore in the 60's and 70's were pretty horrible, but they somewhat worked, and no one knew any difference..

So, you'd be ok with people bringing e-bikes to your next race, because, they just make them faster like aerobars?

I have to agree for me its about the speed benefit. I was told if its legal use it. Like a disc wheel if its legal use it. Heard some guys talking trash about how people need the crutch last night at the local tri and that could be true but I know I do not need it for that. I use it for the benefits (speed, less energy expended)

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Huh? Are you trying to debate the validity of using wetsuits at all?

No, just pointing out that the speed advantage of wetsuits if fundamentally different than that of aero equipment, etc.

Swimskins are a swimming analog of aerobars, since they only reduce drag.

I think wetsuits are overused. And definitely should not be thought of as any kind of safety equipment. They won't keep your face out of the water if you go unconscious.

78-76 degrees is pool temperature, the cutoff should be lowered significantly. (maybe with some leeway for IM distance races and 60+ age groups). It would probably be good to take in account the air temp etc. So a borderline water temp would still be no wetsuits if it's going to be 80+ degrees out, similarly, if it's 50 and raining, maybe allow wetsuits.

I started triathlons before wetsuits were used/allowed. I did a shortened swim (1 mile vs 1.2 mile in Santa Barbara) and barely made it out of the water with hypothermia. Wetsuits made a lot of venues available for safe swims.
Yes, they add an advantage, but the safety advantage out weighs the speed gains.

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It’s actually not fundamentally different. It’s actually the exact same reason. You’re faster in the water with a wetsuit because it puts your body in a better position causing a reduction in drag. You’re going faster because of less drag in the water. A wetsuit doesn’t make you pull harder/faster.

The issue that swimmers complain about is that good swimmers can get themselves in a better position easier, because they swim better in the first place. So the wetsuit improvement isn’t level across the board. But this isn’t any different than any piece of aero equipment. The longer you’re on the course the more time that saves overall.

In any age group race there’s a near zero chance that someone beat you because they decided to wear a wetsuit and it closed the gap difference from you wearing a wetsuit.

The only places that I could see this really mattering is the pros where a wetsuit might get someone in the main group where they couldn’t if it wasn’t wetsuit legal. Or AG Nats/Worlds where there are people closer together.

It’s not like you’re getting 20 sec/wearing a wetsuit.

the original English Channel swim was done without a wetsuit so there will always be OW stalwarts who insist that it is "cheating." Matthew Webb swam the channel without a wetsuit because...they hadn't been invented. I doubt very much that he would refuse a wetsuit if one could time travel back and offer him one as he was getting into the water. So I think the purity aspect is kind of silly. Do we need to run marathons without shoes for it to count?

I will say, though, that I am astonished by some people's ability to withstand cold.

as monty says, I think the wetsuit market for swimmers was created by tri wetsuits..
"Real Swimmers" don't use wetsuits, but recreational swimmers like them..

Just as with ebikes, I'm all for anything that gets more people outside exercising..

my first wetsuit was a sleeveless one for whitewater canoe paddling, on the chilly rivers of the high Rockies.
It didn't work for tri ;-)

They are exactly the same thing. Wetsuits do not increase power. They allow the person to move more efficiently through the fluid by reducing drag. This is the same exact thing that aero bikes/wheels ect do.

I think the better question is;

Would there be a triathlon business without wetsuits?

I say NO. It would be the same few people at triathlons who actually could swim, doing the same few races. Ironman? Forget about it, it would have never boomed the way it did if you actually had to be able to swim!

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