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@dooks
^^ that looks blissful. Jealous.
Katie, yep. There's a dozen different style of surfing wetsuit in varying neoprene thicknesses and finishes. Assuming it's for use in this country most people will have a summer and winter suit. Summer, thinner neoprene or even shorties (short arms and legs) in 3mm are fine in most of the UK.
Surfing suits tend to be thicker than swimming suits for any given water temperature because as well as bursts of intense activity, surfing can involve a lot of sitting about getting cold. They're tougher as well to withstand constant contact with the board/sand/rocks/coral/sharks. Winter suits are often a mixture of thicknesses. My last winter suit was 3mm on the arms and shoulders, 5mm on the body and 4mm of the legs. Pretty hefty.
Tri or open water suits tend to be much thinner and more flexible for periods of extended heat-generating cardio. Plus they're more streamlined and easier to get off in a hurry.
My current botton the range Orca tri wetsuit was about £100 i think. It is very thin and nicely flexible. The rubberised outer covering is really fragile though. You have to be really careful pulling in on and only using the pads of your fingers. If you get fustrated and grab it, it immediately tears.
Did a woefully out of shape 1500m in Brockley last night in it. Felt like a right plum surrounded by shorts and swimsuits whilst overheating in full neoprene. Was glad of the practice though. Made me realise how horribly unprepared for my first olympic tri in 2 weeks I am.