I am a former triathlete. Mostly now I am a cyclist.
I am 65 but when I was much younger I used to do a lot bodysurfing and would like to get back into it.
I also like ocean swimming. Living in San Diego the water is only warm enough a few moths out of the year to go without a wetsuit and I get cold easily.
I am not sure if I should get a surfing wetsuit or a tri suit. I think a tri suit would be easier to swim in and catch waves, the only disadvantage I can think of is it could wear out or get damaged more easily.
One thing I think I remember is that having a lot of floatation on the legs makes it harder to kick with fins.
I would like to use it down to water temps of 55, not sure what thickness I would need but don’t want to go too thick.
I have a really old QR suit I used to use for ocean swimming but it is a PIA to put on and I have gained some weight and it does not fit me anymore.
I did a quick search for tri suits and Xterra which is a local company came up a lot but they seem to have terrible customer reviews.
I am not sure what the best brands to consider are. Thanks for any advice.
If you’re wearing fins I’d go with a surf suit since you won’t be swimming as much as tri plus you can probably get a good one cheaper. I don’t Think a tri suit would wear out so I would worry about that and plus you don’t need the knee reinforcements they surf suits have. So both would be good
I’m 5’10†170 and have a few surf and tri wetsuits - medium tall so if you can fit them come to OB San Diego and I’m happy to let you try a few kind to see what feels best.
Message me if you’re interested
I am a former triathlete. Mostly now I am a cyclist.
I am 65 but when I was much younger I used to do a lot bodysurfing and would like to get back into it.
I also like ocean swimming. Living in San Diego the water is only warm enough a few moths out of the year to go without a wetsuit and I get cold easily.
I am not sure if I should get a surfing wetsuit or a tri suit. I think a tri suit would be easier to swim in and catch waves, the only disadvantage I can think of is it could wear out or get damaged more easily.
One thing I think I remember is that having a lot of floatation on the legs makes it harder to kick with fins.
A triathlon suit would be too fragile for bodysurfing and possibly not warm enough? I’d go for a 3mm surfing wetsuit. I’ve never had any issues with excess flotation on the legs. Or you could always get a for a thermal rashie and then wetsuit shorts (core pants). Not as warm, but more flexibility and easier to put on.
Sounds good! Rip curl wetsuits has an outlet on Linda vista rd and you can get a discount on suits there if you go with The surf suit. I have the e-bomb one with neck entry instead of zipper and it’s toasty and flexible.
Sounds good! Rip curl wetsuits has an outlet on Linda vista rd and you can get a discount on suits there if you go with The surf suit. I have the e-bomb one with neck entry instead of zipper and it’s toasty and flexible.
Thanks for the tip. I think I need to try on some suits rather than blindly ordering online.
Was also thinking of SurfRide in Solana Beach which is near me (Encinitas)
I am debating if I should go with 3/2 or 4/3mm.
I like that 3/2 is going to be more flexible but seems is only warm enough down to 58 degrees.
Also if I want to use it for ocean swimming it might be better.
Looking at average ocean temps here it can get down to 53 but can be as high as 60 any given month.
I could just avoid going in when its too cold or not stay in as long.
Maybe I can wear something extra under it on colder days?
Surf ride should have plenty of great suits for you! Yeah that’s a tough one between the thickness. I always surf in 4/3 in the winter but I feel like surfing you are sitting a lot more whereas with body surfing you might be treading water more so I’d ask at surf ride if they rent suits. I think a 3/2 would be more than enough most of the year but if you’re looking to be going in January to March you might wanna 4/3I know for sure I’ve gotten very sweaty and my 4/3 even just surfin certain times of the year.
Kind of surprised at some of the responses you are getting, surf suits are for surfing. They are made to be on top of a board paddling, and then sitting out of the water waiting. Triathlon wetsuits are made for swimming, and to be submerged 100% of the time.
I would absolutely use my triathlon wetsuit, a De Soto two piece one, for body surfing. They are not that fragile, I have some suits over 10 years old that I still use. And there is plenty of fin left in the water when blasting to catch a wave, and you can generate more take off speed in those suits too. They also have a better overall fit, so no water rushing into the suit.
You are very close to the De Soto factory too, and you can even try their suits with a take back guarantee I believe. And at your small size, you might even be able to get different tops and bottom sizes for a really great fit…That’s the direction I would/do go when I just want to play around in the waves…
Kind of surprised at some of the responses you are getting, surf suits are for surfing. They are made to be on top of a board paddling, and then sitting out of the water waiting. Triathlon wetsuits are made for swimming, and to be submerged 100% of the time.
I would absolutely use my triathlon wetsuit, a De Soto two piece one, for body surfing. They are not that fragile, I have some suits over 10 years old that I still use. And there is plenty of fin left in the water when blasting to catch a wave, and you can generate more take off speed in those suits too. They also have a better overall fit, so no water rushing into the suit.
You are very close to the De Soto factory too, and you can even try their suits with a take back guarantee I believe. And at your small size, you might even be able to get different tops and bottom sizes for a really great fit…That’s the direction I would/do go when I just want to play around in the waves…
I do agree with your points. Yes I could go to DeSoto but they are way out of my budget.
Any other suggestions for a tri wetsuit?
Hey I was just up at moonlight beach near you this morning giving surf lessons and between some of the rides I was swimming around body surfing to see how it felt in my surfing wetsuit and I think I would probably just stick with my recommendation of getting a surf suit since my shoulders felt fine and mobile and probably can get one for a better deal
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Thanks for the feedback.
I looked into some tri suits and really have concerns about durability for use a few times a week.
Blue70 told me they do not recommend it for bodysurfing and it would void the warranty.
Roka has not gotten back to me.
I was looking at some of the newer surfing wetsuits like the O’Neil Superfreak and they are supposed to have really good flexibility and are probably easier to take on and off than a tri suit.
I am sure they are slower than a tri suit just doing swimming but bodysurfing is more about positioning yourself and short spurts of accelerating to catch the wave.
Going to try some on this week.