A dive buddy of mine suffered tremendously to put on one of his wetsuits, and I'm sure he expended more energy in the nearly 10 minutes it took him to put it on than he did during the dive. Between the heat he spent putting it on, the fact that the suit was a bit too small for him, the fact that we are getting wider every year, and how inflexible the suit itself was, the poor guy was a real pain every time we went diving.
Over time and travel I have found that on every dive cruise there is at least one person who has the same problems. I always find someone who has a great wetsuit that looks great underwater, but on the surface it's a living hell. We have put together some of the tricks to putting on a wetsuit that we have seen that we are sure will help you put on a wetsuit more easily and spend less energy and time on your next dive.
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Blow on
Blowing out the sleeves will make it fit much more comfortably. Pic by Andrea León
You will need a volunteer to perform this trick. Ask your partner to take air and blow through the sleeve of the wetsuit when you put it on, specifically through the wrist, to create an air space between your skin and the wetsuit, making it easier to get in. Yes, you can do this yourself, but it will be easier with help.
Use a bag
This is the trick I've seen most often used to avoid problems when putting on the suit. Put a bag on your feet or hands before you put on your suit and you'll see that it slips on like silk afterwards.
Very important: always put the bag away after use, if you leave it on the deck of the boat it will most likely end up in the water.
Turn it around
Another trick that works great is to turn the suit completely inside out. Then put your foot through the suit and wrap it around your leg. Repeat the process with the other leg, then the torso, and finally the arms. Quick and easy.
Put it on in the water
It is an option that I saw and it seemed complicated to me, but the diver seemed very comfortable. Before the dive, she went into the water in her swimsuit with the suit in her hand, and gradually, very easily, she put it on. While the suit sticks to your body, you separate it by pinching it with your fingers so that the water comes in little by little.
Wear an undersuit
You can wear under your wetsuit the typical lycra skin undersuit that some people wear against jellyfish stings, and that brands like Phantom Aquatics make specifically for wearing under neoprene. These suits are very thin, cover up to the ankles and wrists, and allow the wetsuit to ride up very smoothly.
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I have also seen divers wearing lycra arm and leg socks, so that may be an option if you don't want to buy the suit.
Use a water-based lubricant
Water-based lubricants can also help your wetsuit fit better. Applying a small amount of lubricant to your wrists and ankles before putting on your wetsuit will help it slide on as you put it on, especially in the tightest areas. Be careful not to use oil-based lubricants as they will damage wetsuits.
Put zippers on it
A more radical option, if your suit does not have zippers at the wrists and ankles, is to see if you can get a tailor to make you custom zippers. The risk is that these zippers will not perform as well as the factory zippers and you will lose some thermal protection as more water gets in. It is not the best solution, but you should know it is possible.
Finally, remember not to use solutions that are not biodegradable. Some divers use soaps or detergents that are not biodegradable. Why should you not use them? On the one hand, they can harm us in the form of dryness or irritation of the skin, they can damage our wetsuit by stiffening it, and on the other hand, the water seeps through the suit, reaching the sea and polluting it. Yes, little, but it does. The way we leave the ocean, a little is a lot.
Do you have a trick that isn't listed here that works for you to get your wetsuit on easily? Write it down in the comments so we can help divers in trouble together :-)
