Do wetsuits break in, stretch, or loosen up over time?

[Instructor_Tom]

based on what you describe the suit fits exactly how it should. I'm in the water almost every weekend either training form my certs or helping to train open water students. most pros know you have to squeeze into a suit for it to work properly. if its too loose water will flow in and out of the suit during your dive and you will loose a lot of body heat. by the end of our training dives the students teeth are chattering while the training staff is still warm and toasty. the instructors and I usually help zip each other into our suit since we can't get them closed on our own. one instructor even has to get in the water to stretch his suit prior to getting it zipped up. it should be as snug as a second skin.

and yes a suit will compress and loosen the more you dive it. it took my 8mil about about 10+ dives ( including a couple to 150ft) for it to start compressing and loose some of the excess buoyancy in the legs. my 3mil is complete shoot after one year and I can only use it now for summer gulf dives as a skin.

hope this info helps.

T.


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[drbill]

I don't know about most divers and their wetsuits, but I know mine are constantly shrinking. Fortunately as they shrink, my natural bioprene increases to make up for the difference.