Ordering a wetsuit which fits

Purchasing a wetsuit via an online surf shop makes sense to a lot of people as it is more convenient, especially if you already owned the brand and size of the wetsuit. However, if you are changing wetsuit brand, or you have never owned a wetsuit before how can you be sure what you are buying online will fit?
Just because you maybe a large in a T shirt it doesn’t mean that you will fit into any wetsuit which has a large sing label. The first thing to remember is that different brands of wetsuits have different fittings. For example, O’Neill wetsuits have a larger fitting than Rip Curl Wetsuits which are smaller and slimmer fitting. Brands like Xcel wetsuits have a massive break down of sizes; this ensures that they fit most body shapes and sizes.
Before you whip out your credit card and make the purchase online, it would be wise to weigh and measure yourself precisely. The main measurements to obtain are height, weight and chest size. To obtain your weight, just step on some scales and see what your weight is. The next stage will be to use a tape measure and see how tall or short you are. The chest is measured by placing string underneath the armpits and around the chest whist relaxing and not breathing out or in. After you have looped the string round the circumference of the chest cut it off and measure with the tape measure.
Once you have your precise measurements you can view our sizing charts to see which brand of wetsuit would fit best.

See below all our wetsuit sizing charts.

Billabong Wetsuits http://www.freakfish.co.uk/billabong-wetsuit-chart.php
C Skins Wetsuits Men’s, Women’s & Children’s http://www.freakfish.co.uk/c-skins-wetsuits.php
O’Neill Wetsuits http://www.freakfish.co.uk/oneill-wetsuits-chart.html
O’Neill Children’s Wetsuits http://www.freakfish.co.uk/oneill-youth-sizing-charts.html
Rip Curl Wetsuits http://www.freakfish.co.uk/rip-curl-wetsuits-chart.html
Rip Curl Children’s Wetsuits http://www.freakfish.co.uk/rip-curl-childrens-wetsuits-chart.html
Quiksilver Wetsuits http://www.freakfish.co.uk/quiksilver-mens-wetsuit-sizing.html
Roxy Wetsuits http://www.freakfish.co.uk/roxy-wetsuit-sizing-chart.html
Xcel Wetsuits http://www.freakfish.co.uk/xcel-size-charts.php

The key to using the wetsuit sizing charts is to use the 3 key measurements, height, weight, chest size and make sure you fit in-between the sizing limit of each key measurement on the sizing chart. If you find that 2 of the 3 key measurements are out then it’s a good indicator the size you are looking at won’t fit. Example below

For a O’Neill Wetsuit
Size S = Small
Height Limit of 5’8” – 5’10”
Weight Limit of 135-159lb (61-70kg)
Chest Size Limit of 36 1/2 – 38 ½

Customers Wetsuit Sizing
Height of 5’10”
Weight of (72kg)
Chest Size of 39inch

As you can see the customer’s measurements above indicate that the size small would fit in height, but the chest and weight are slightly out. The next size up would a Medium in an O’Neill wetsuit as you can see below
Size M = Medium
Height Limit of 5’9” – 5’11”
Weight Limit of 150-170lb (68-77kg)
Chest Size Limit of 38 1/2 – 40 ½

If you feel that you are unsure about the sizing, please contact us and we will give you expert advice on which size to go for.

Once you have received your order through the post the wetsuit should feel like a second skin. Below are a few points which should let you know you have the best fit.

• The wetsuit should feel snug , but not restrictive
• New wetsuits will supple up over time and have a little more give.
• Wetsuit will expand in time and will feel looser
• If the wetsuit feels like it is pressing down on your shoulders it is too short
• Wetsuit can have a little excess neoprene under the armpits, but not too much.
• Also when you bend over the neoprene will fold, this is normal
• If the wetsuit is majorly baggy around the stomach, or else where it isn’t a good fit
• Make sure that the arms and legs are long enough, especially when wearing wetsuit boots and wetsuit gloves with a winter wetsuit. You don’t want massive gaps in-between the wetsuit accessories.