Every surfer remembers their first wetsuit purchase. Not fondly. It usually involves standing in a shop for 45 minutes, sweating inside three different suits, and eventually picking the one with the coolest colour. Then spending the first session wondering why it feels like a boa constrictor wrapped around your shoulders.
We're going to fix that. This guide covers everything a first-time buyer needs to know — without the jargon, without the pressure, and with a raccoon who has made every possible mistake so you don't have to.
So, what actually is a wetsuit?
A wetsuit is a suit made from neoprene — a synthetic rubber foam — that keeps you warm in the water. It works by trapping a thin layer of water between the suit and your skin. Your body heats that water. The neoprene insulates it. You stay warm. Simple.
What makes it confusing is that there are dozens of variations. Different thicknesses, different entry systems, different fits. Each one is designed for a specific water temperature and activity. A suit built for winter surfing in Ireland is very different from one designed for kitesurfing in Morocco.
Key things to know before you buy
- Thickness is measured in millimetres (e.g. 3/2mm = 3mm chest, 2mm arms/legs)
- The colder the water, the thicker the suit you need
- A wetsuit should feel snug — not loose, not asphyxiating
- Surf wetsuits and dive wetsuits are not the same thing
- Price reflects the quality of neoprene — this matters a lot
What types of wetsuit exist?
There are three main suit styles, and they look different depending on how much coverage they provide:
Fullsuit
Full arms and legs. The most common type. For 14–22°C water. The one you'll probably buy.
Most popular →Hooded fullsuit
Fullsuit + built-in hood. For cold water below 12°C. UK, Ireland, winter Portugal.
Cold water →Back zip vs chest zip — does it matter?
Yes. The zip affects both how easy the suit is to put on and how much water gets inside.
🔙 Back zip
Easy to get in and out. Slightly more water entry. Great for beginners. Classic choice.
🔛 Chest zip
Trickier to put on. Less water entry. More flexible back. Better for performance surfers.
As a first-time buyer, back zip is the safer choice. You'll thank yourself when you're trying to get changed in a car park in the rain.
How should a wetsuit actually fit?
This is the question that sends more emails to customer support than any other. The answer might surprise you.
The Raccoon's Rule #1
If it feels like it's strangling you — that's normal. A well-fitted wetsuit is tight. Especially at the neck. There should be no air pockets, no loose fabric, no bagginess anywhere. The moment you hit the water, it will soften. The neoprene stretches. You will breathe again. Probably.
Signs of a good fit: snug all over, slight pressure at the neck and shoulders on dry land, no large folds of neoprene around the knees or armpits.
Signs of a bad fit: it falls off your shoulders, there are big air pockets at your lower back, you can pull the chest away from your body by more than a few centimetres.
Does neoprene quality really matter?
Enormously. This is the biggest factor in price — and in how the suit feels in the water.
Standard petroleum-based neoprene is stiff, heavy, and doesn't stretch much. Limestone-based neoprene (like Yamamoto, used in our JANGA suits) is lighter, softer, more flexible, and has a completely different feel — almost rubbery, in the best way. It also dries faster.
The difference between a €150 suit and a €350 suit is almost always neoprene quality. We cover this in detail in article 4: "Why does this wetsuit cost €150 and that one €500?"