Apex Swimskin Mens

The Orca Apex Swimskin Men's is Orca's top swimskin, worn over your trisuit for triathlon swims where wetsuits are not allowed. HydroSkin+ fabric cuts the friction between you and the water, and extra-elastic panels behind the shoulders let you reach and pull freely, so your arms tire less on a long swim leg.

Who it's for

Triathletes racing in warm water. When the water is too warm for wetsuits, a swimskin is what you race in, and the Apex sits at the top of Orca's range. It is the suit for a Queensland summer race, a hot-water long-course start, or an overseas race where the water temperature rules wetsuits out on the day. Pull it on over your trisuit at the start, swim, and peel it off in T1.

Buoyancy and flexibility

A swimskin gives no buoyancy, so its job is speed and freedom. The HydroSkin+ face is built to slip through the water with less drag, and the more elastic material across the back of the shoulders means nothing pulls against your stroke as you reach forward. Less resistance at the shoulder is less fatigue in your arms by the final buoy.

• HydroSkin+ fabric: lowers the friction between swimmer and water.
• Elastic shoulder panels: full reach with less muscle fatigue.
• Fabric: polyamide (nylon) 80%, elastane 20%, made with sustainable materials.
• Sleeveless cut with a back zip, as pictured.

Getting the size right

The fabric is very compressive, so if you are between sizes always choose the larger. Orca's chart for the sizes we stock: XS fits 85-93 cm chest, 161-169 cm and 61-66 kg; S 90-98 cm, 167-175 cm and 67-74 kg; M 95-103 cm, 173-185 cm and 75-82 kg; L 101-109 cm, 183-191 cm and 83-90 kg; XL 106-114 cm, 187-194 cm and 89-98 kg. It should feel tight on land and smooth with no wrinkles across the chest.

Water temperature range

A swimskin is for the warm end of the season: races where officials call the swim non-wetsuit, and warm-water training where a wetsuit would cook you. In summer that covers most of the Queensland and northern New South Wales race calendar.

Looking after it

Rinse it in cold fresh water straight after every swim, hang it in the shade to dry, and keep fingernails off the fabric when you pull it on. Keep it away from rough concrete and pool edges, which snag the smooth face.