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Orca
Orca Athlex Float V2 Men's High-Buoyancy Triathlon Wetsuit
From $497.74$499.00Unit price /UnavailableReady to ship
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Orca Vitalis Light Sleeveless Men's Openwater Wetsuit
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Openwater RS1 Bottom Womens Wetsuit - Size Large Only
From $189.00$299.00Unit price /UnavailableReady to ship
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Frequently Asked Questions
A swimming wetsuit uses thinner, stretchier neoprene through the shoulders and arms so you can swim long distances, and adds buoyancy in the legs. A surf wetsuit like the Orca Tango is built for warmth and wear while you paddle and sit on a board, with a front zip and reinforced knees.
If you race triathlon, buy a triathlon wetsuit: it's cut for speed and a quick exit in T1, and it swims well in the ocean. If you only swim, an open water wetsuit such as the Vitalis TRN or Vitalis Thermal puts warmth and comfort first, and the Hi-Vis adds bright panels so you're easier to spot.
A race swimskin such as the Orca Apex Swimskin is a thin nylon-and-elastane suit worn over your trisuit when the water is too warm for wetsuits to be allowed. It gives no buoyancy, but its HydroSkin+ fabric cuts drag. We stock it in men's and women's cuts.
Tight on land and comfortable in the water. It should sit snug at the neck without choking, with no slack fabric at the lower back or behind the knees, and you should be able to reach both arms overhead. Neoprene loosens slightly once wet, and a loose suit lets cold water flush through.
How to choose swimming wetsuits: triathlon, open water or surf
How to choose swimming wetsuits: triathlon, open water or surf
Three kinds of wetsuit share this page, built for different jobs. Decide what you'll do in it, then pick the model.
• Triathlon wetsuits — Orca Athlex ($413–$633) and Apex ($773–$1,110). Cut for racing: buoyancy in the legs, stretch through the shoulders, and quick to strip in T1. Each comes in Float, Flow and Flex, matched to how your legs sit in the water. Most triathletes should try a Flow first.
• Open water wetsuits — the Orca Vitalis range ($150–$656), built for swimming rather than transition speed. Sleeveless and shorty suits for warm water, the 3 mm Vitalis TRN and Hi-Vis for most of the year, and the Vitalis Thermal for winter. Men's, women's and junior sizes.
• Surf wetsuits — the Orca Tango 3:2 Women's and 4:3 Men's. Front zip, taped seams and reinforced knees, made for paddling a board and sitting in the line-up rather than swimming laps.
Juniors are covered too: the Vitalis Squad Shorty and Squad Hi-Vis are sized for kids doing squad swims and nippers.
Racing triathlon? Buy the tri suit. It swims well in the ocean too. Never racing, and swimming through winter? An open water wetsuit puts warmth ahead of a fast exit.
Swimskins and thin neoprene
Two pieces sit between bathers and a full wetsuit.
• Apex Swimskin (men's and women's, $549.95) — worn over your trisuit for triathlon swims where wetsuits aren't allowed. It gives no buoyancy. HydroSkin+ fabric cuts drag and elastic panels behind the shoulders keep the stroke free.
• Neoprene Women's One Piece ($147) — 1.5 mm neoprene for surfing, kayaking, stand-up paddling, snorkelling and summer swims where a full suit is too much.
Wetsuits for Australian water
Australian water isn't one temperature, so the right wetsuit depends on where you swim. Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast swimmers get most of the year from a sleeveless or shorty suit, and much of the Queensland summer race calendar is non-wetsuit, which is swimskin territory. Sydney winter swims suit a full Vitalis TRN or Hi-Vis. Melbourne bay and Tassie swimmers going through winter want the Vitalis Thermal, plus a cap and booties from our swim accessories.
Whichever you choose, Orca size on height and weight together, not on your t-shirt size. Snug on land, no water pocket at the lower back, and you should be able to reach overhead without the shoulders pulling.
Goggles now live on their own page: triathlon and open water goggles.
Why buy from Oz Backcountry
Every current Orca wetsuit range in one place: Athlex, Apex, Vitalis and Tango. Use the "In stock – ships immediately" filter to see what leaves Helensvale today. Free shipping over $150 Australia-wide (T&Cs apply).
Related: Triathlon Wetsuits · Open Water Wetsuits · Surf Suits · Swim Accessories · Swim Goggles · Trisuits · Orca · Swim