A shorty wetsuit or known simply as ‘Shorties’, refers to wetsuits that covers the torso and has short sleeves for the arms and legs. The question of whether one should wear a shorty wetsuit has been asked and debated constantly by divers. When should a diver opt for shorties over a full body wetsuit?
Hyperflex Access Men's 2.5mm
The primary function of Wetsuits is to help to preserve body heat by trapping a layer of water against the skin; this water is warmed by body heat and acts as an insulator. The foam neoprene material wetsuits are made from; trap air bubbles in the fabric that in turn helps trap the layer of water. So won’t a full body wetsuit provide better insulation than shorties?
It is indeed true that a full length wetsuit will provide better thermal insulation than shorties. Shorties are best used in warmer waters where flexibility in movement is preferred over the need for thermal insulation. Shorties work best in water temperatures upwards of 72F (22C) providing sufficient insulation to the body to allow the diver to stay in the water longer.
Shorties are also easier to wear. Many who prefer board shorts to a cumbersome wetsuit will transition with greater ease to wearing shorties, which are easy to put on and take off. This is probably one of the greater advantages of the shorty wetsuit, ease of wear, coupled with flexibility in limb movement.
Hyperflex Access Women's 2.5mm Springsuit
There is much debate over the fact that shorties offer less protection to the arms and legs of a diver from bumps, scrapes and jelly fish stings. Those that swear by shorties will disagree, and argue that the benefits of having a lightweight easy to pack, easy to wear wetsuit far outweighs the need for the slightly greater protection that a full body wetsuit offers.
At the end it boils down to two simple factors, water temperature and personal preference. If you dive in warmer climes and find getting in and out of a wetsuit cumbersome, you may want to opt to include a pair of shorties as part of your dive gear and equipment ,that will provide you with far better insulation and improved buoyancy compared to not wearing one.
* Pictured above- Hyperflex Access Men’s 2.5mm Springsuit and Hyperflex Access Women’s 2.5mm Springsuit
