About Wetsuits
Wetsuits are protective attire made for a large spectrum of uses including surfing, water skiing, snorkeling, scuba diving and jet skiing. In general, wetsuits are completely interchangeable no matter which of these sports you are engaging in. They are usually made out of neoprene which is a porous material that is constructed out of millions of tiny bubbles. Does this Spark an idea?
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Function
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The neoprene material of wetsuits makes an excellent insulator because is creates an air barrier (made out of nitrogen bubbles), between the body and the water. When thin layers of water enter, they quickly warm up to body temperature. When you dive deeper into water, neoprene compresses itself, rendering the wetsuit increasingly looser. The looseness enables the water that entered the wetsuit to leak out.
Considerations
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In order for a wetsuit to work properly, it needs to be a snug fit. It's always a good idea to purchase a wetsuit that is just a little bit warmer than you actually need. This is because when you are underwater, if you feel too warm, you can allow cold water in to cool yourself down. If you are too cold, however, there's not much you can do remedy the situation.
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Types
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There are various different types of wetsuits. They include the jacket wetsuit (covers the arms and torso), the vest (only covers the torso), the shorty (short sleeves for the legs and arms and covers the torso), the steamer (covers the entire arms, legs and torso), the legless wetsuit (long sleeves and no legs) and the long john (covers the legs and torso).
Warning
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If you plan on participating in any open water swimming events, it might not be the best idea to use a wetsuit because many people believe that they give swimmers an unfair advantage (wetsuits are believed to increase buoyancy). A lot of times in these sports wetsuits are looked down upon and believed to be against the spirit of water sports.
History
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The first wetsuits were constructed out of raw sheets of foam-rubber neoprene without any backing materials. These wetsuits were difficult to put on because the material was rather fragile and sticky. Excessive pulling and stretching could easily cause the wetsuit to be ripped into half. To slide the rubber on, people would put talcum powder all over their bodies.
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