Shorty Wetsuit

The core purpose of a wetsuit is to provide the wearer protection from cold waters. Water sports enthusiasts, such as surfers, jet skiers, kayakers, and scuba divers need wetsuits, if for no other reason than they are in the water much longer.

Water that feels pleasant for a brief swim at the beach can be bone-chilling for someone who must spend 4 hours in it.

One variety of wetsuit is the shorty wetsuit, easily identified by its short sleeves and leggings.

Shorty wetsuits are meant for warm water, and are therefore typically thin - 0.5 to 2 mm. Simply put, there is little point in wearing a 6.5 mm wetsuit meant for 55 F water if it leaves the arms and legs exposed. Scuba divers can only wear these waters in tropical waters, but surfers can use them in more widely, and a kayaker can wear them for summer use in most temperate climates.

Made from neoprene, or a neoprene-based fabric like a neoprene-Lycra combination, a wetsuit works by trapping a layer of water between the wearer's body and the wetsuit. That turns it into an extra layer of insulation, since the trapped water is warmed by body heat.

The shorty wetsuit also offers protection from minor sea hazards. Surfers, snorkelers, and divers alike have problems with jellyfish stings and accidents with coral. The latter are especially noxious, since the scratches and cuts are liable to become infected. A wetsuit is pretty durable and offers good protection from both. While the shorty wetsuit doesn't cover the forearms and lower legs, it does minimize the area one has to worry about at sea.

Neoprene is also very buoyant, as it is basically a plastic foam that is honeycombed with micro-bubbles of nitrogen and regular air. It is therefore a useful swimming aid for surfers and snorkelers. While it won't stop a swimmer from diving underwater, it does make staying afloat a little easier. That can mean a lot to someone in a sport that requires hours of treading water.

Wetsuits need a snug fit to be able to work, and that usually makes them hard to get on and off. A loose-fitting wetsuit does not trap a layer of water as well, which reduces their effectiveness. The thick, tight neoprene is what makes wetsuits so hard to get in and out of, but this is less of a problem with a thin shorty wetsuit. That is one, of this type of wetsuit's, big virtues.

While it is not meant for serious cold water duty of the type a scuba diver in even mild, temperate waters is likely to encounter, the simple virtues of a shorty wetsuit mean that it is the type which is likely to be encountered across a range of sports. After all, water skiers, para-sailors, surfers, and kayakers do not spend half an hour at a time completely immersed in 70 F water. Their needs are most modest, and the shorty wetsuit fits them perfectly.