Orca Apex Float V2 Men's Triathlon Wetsuit

The Orca Apex Float V2 is the most buoyant wetsuit Orca make, built in Yamamoto neoprene with 3 mm and 5 mm panels and Yamamoto 40 through the shoulders. It is the men's suit for swimmers whose legs drag, lifting the hips so you hold position without kicking to stay flat.

Who it's for

Triathletes and open-water swimmers whose legs sink — which is most people who came to swimming from running or cycling, where the leg muscles are dense and the ankles are stiff.

If you already swim flat and fast, this is the wrong suit: the buoyancy that helps a sinky swimmer will lift a good swimmer too high at the hips. Look at the Apex Flex instead.

Buoyancy and flexibility

The buoyancy comes from thickness where it counts: 5 mm panels through the torso and hips to lift the legs, and 3 mm where thickness would cost you movement.

Flexibility is protected separately, with Yamamoto 40 in the shoulders and High Elbow Panel technology in the arms, plus a shoulder pattern cut to let the stroke feel unrestricted. That combination — thick where it floats you, thin and elastic where you move — is the whole argument for a premium suit over a cheap one.

Water temperature range

Orca do not publish a water temperature range for this suit, and Oz Backcountry will not invent one — in open water that is a safety claim, not a marketing detail. What can be said is where it sits in the range: see the comparison above, and judge against the water you actually swim in.

Getting the size right

Orca size on height, weight and chest together, and all three have to work — a suit that fits your chest but is too long in the torso will pool water at the shoulders. If you fall between sizes, go by torso length first.

It should feel tight to the point of awkward when dry. Neoprene loosens in the water, and a suit that feels comfortable in the shop is a suit that will flush cold water through it in the surf.

Which Orca suit, and why the names matter

Orca name their triathlon suits for how much help you need staying flat in the water, and it is the single most useful thing to understand before buying.

• Float — the most buoyant. For swimmers whose legs drag, which is most people who came to swimming from running or riding.
• Flow — the middle. Buoyancy where you need it, elasticity everywhere else.
• Flex — the least buoyant and the most flexible. For swimmers who already sit flat and want the suit to stay out of the way.

Apex is the premium tier, Athlex the tier below it. Same idea in both: pick the letter for your stroke, then the tier for your budget. A strong swimmer in a Float fights the suit all day, and a sinky swimmer in a Flex works far harder than they need to.

Looking after neoprene

Rinse in fresh water after every swim, salt or chlorine, and dry it in the shade — UV kills neoprene faster than use does. Hang it folded over a wide hanger at the waist rather than by the shoulders, which stretches them out over a season. Never wring it, and never leave it in a hot car.