The Dive Otter

Getting Into a Wetsuit

A couple of things you are going to learn VERY quickly...

Wetsuits should go on dry

When wearing a wetsuit, its material tends to cling to your skin, making it challenging to slide on or off easily. To address this, I personally recommend wearing a rash guard underneath. These layers not only provide minimal extra warmth but also help the wetsuit glide more smoothly over your hips and shoulders during both wear and removal.

Once I'm in my wetsuit, I avoid taking it off for any reason until I've completed my dive day. Removing a wet wetsuit can be even more challenging than putting on a dry one. To manage overheating, I unzip the top, fold it down, tuck the arms into the waist, and wear it in this manner for cooling off.

The unlock code for getting into a wetsuit is lycra socks


Buy yourself some lycra socks. They make a world of difference getting the leg of your wetsuit around the heel of your foot. They also are great when removing your wetsuit.

If you want a bit of extra warmth you can get yourself some 3mm socks which will do similar work.
You can use a powder of some kind like talc or corn starch...but why?!? it makes a mess!

Flush your wetsuit

I might have been the only one who didn't know this: on my first day of open water certification diving, I put on my 7mm wetsuit, geared up, took a giant stride off the back of the boat... and went absolutely nowhere. If someone had told me to pull the neck of my wetsuit back a bit and let in some water, it would have 'flushed' about 5 pounds—yes, 5 pounds—of trapped air buoyancy from my wetsuit. It might feel cold for a few seconds, but it can make a huge difference.