This is the second part of my blog about if you need a wetsuit for open water swimming. In this part I’m looking at the benefits of swimming without a wetsuit. Whether your someone who usually swims breaststroke, are just learning front crawl or an experienced triathlete swimming without a wetsuit has lots of benefits.
1. Feel
It feels amazing to sense the water on your skin.
2. Nature
It makes you feel closer to nature and the environment when you can feel and sense the water around you.
3. Freedom
Wetsuits can feel tight and restrictive so swimming without one can give you a sense of freedom and relaxation
4. Connection
You get a much better sense of connection to the water and it’s easier to feel how your stroke and how your body is moving
5. Breaststroke is hard
Its hard to swim breaststroke in a wetsuit because the neoprene makes your legs float. If you only do breaststroke then swimming in your costume is likely to be a much nicer experience.
6. Back and Neck Pain
Wetsuits make you float higher in the water which can cause neck and back pain for some people.
7. Less faff
It’s quicker to get changed and ready as there’s no faff of putting a wetsuit on before you swim. If you’re going for a bracing 10min dip in winter who wants to spend 10min putting their wetsuit on as well.
8. Less Kit
There’s less kit! All you need is your cossie, hat, goggles and a towel. This makes it cheaper but also much easier to go on adventures because there’s less to carry. It’s much easier to take a 1mile hike across a moorland if you haven’t got a wetsuit to carry or to take a wild impromptu dip while you’re away on holiday or travelling for work.
9. Smelly Wetsuit
There’s no smelly wetsuit to dry afterwards.
10. Chafing
Sometimes wetsuits can rub and chafe around the next or under the arm pits which can be a bit unpleasant and doesn’t look very nice. Swimming in your costume means there’s no chafing.
11. Cost and Sizing
There’s no need to invest in a wetsuit and go through the difficulty of finding the right size etc.
12. Winter Swimming
If you’re swimming in the winter, then wearing a wetsuit can sometimes mean you don’t realise how cold you’ve got leading to a risk of hypothermia. Wetsuits can be hard to get off quickly which can be a problem particular in winter if you’ve got very cold. If your hands have gone numb, then fiddling with zips and a tight wetsuit can be tricky and could be dangerous.
13. Not better – just different
Open water swimming without a wetsuit is not better than swimming with a wetsuit. lt’s just different. I swim with and without a wetsuit all year round and I encourage all my clients to keep an open mind. If you’re just starting out learning front crawl or going open water swimming for the first time a wetsuit might really help. But you also might hate it and prefer to swim without. If you’re an experienced triathlete then doing some swimming without a wetsuit might give you some new experiences and feelings that will really help to improve your front crawl technique and confidence.
Give it a go!! And let me know how you get on.
More Tips
- Choosing an Open Water Swimming Wetsuit
- Tips on how to buy a wetsuit,
- How to wear a wetsuit
- Do you need a wetsuit for open water swimming?
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