OK, so it sounds a bit daft to write a blog on how to put on a wetsuit, but as a swim club we meet a lot of people who have actually never worn one before and proper swimming wetsuits are very fragile and as a result of an end up damaged very quickly if they're not put on in the correct way.
So after lot's of putting on and taking off wetsuits in all manner of weather and environments, here's how we suggest you do it!
Step 1
Roll the body downwards exposing the openings of the two legs and put your first leg in all the way to the bottom of the leg. Slowly move the foot into the leg and gently ease the neoprene over the ankle. Gently move the neoprene up from the ankle over the calves and up to the knees.
Step 2
Gently ease the wetsuit up the legs all the way to the crotch making sure it's nice and fitting around the top of the thighs and bottom.
Step 3
Once you're happy with how the wetsuit fits in the crotch and around your bottom, gently ease into the top half by moving the suit up over your hips. move the suit carefully up over your ribs and chest and insert one of your arms into the armhole. work the hands through the sleeves by gently pulling them up from the wrist over the elbow up to the shoulder.
Step 4
Slowly move the neoprene up the arm to the shoulders making sure it fits well under the arms and is comfortable on the shoulders with the arms over the head.
Step 5
get a friend to do the zip up for you because they can help by pulling the back panels together and then pulling the zipper up. It is possible to do this by yourself but it does cause added stress on the wet suit, especially if you are not prticularly flexible at the shoulder blades.
Walk around move your arms practice dry land swimming motions just to get a feel for the wetsuit and find out if there are any tight spots.
Make sure the velcro fastener at the top of the zipper is closed and you're ready to go!
Oh, and if you have long fingernails we strongly recommend you use a pair of cotton gloves whilst doing all of this as it will prevent your nails digging in and ripping the neoprene. For this reason we also recommend removing all jewellery such as rings, bracelets and necklaces.
That's it, good luck!