Orca Athlex Flow V2 Men's Triathlon Wetsuit

Who it's for

Your first few seasons of open water, and every race after that where you want the suit to disappear. The Athlex Flow is built around freedom of movement - it goes on, it stops mattering, and you get on with swimming.

Take this one if your stroke is already reasonable and what you want is a suit that does not fight it. If your legs drag and you want lifting, the Float is the better buy.

Buoyancy and flexibility

Flow is the flexibility-first suit in the Athlex range. The priority is a shoulder that moves with your catch and recovery rather than pulling against it, because shoulder restriction is what turns a 1500 m swim into an arm-burning grind and it is the single most common complaint about a badly chosen suit.

95% neoprene with a 5% polyamide face - light, quick to get into, and slick enough through the water that you notice the difference off the start line.

Getting the size right

This is the decision that makes or breaks a wetsuit, so take your time over it. Orca size on height and weight together, not on the shirt size you usually buy.

It should feel snug everywhere, with no slack pockets at the lower back or behind the knees. Getting into it on dry land is meant to be a wrestle - that is what a correct fit feels like, and it lets go the moment you are swimming. If you land between two sizes, take the smaller one: neoprene gives with wear, and a suit that starts loose lets water flush straight through, which is what makes you cold rather than the water itself.

Water temperature range

As a guide, a full-sleeve triathlon suit like this is comfortable from about 15°C to 22°C - which is the water most Australian racing is held in, from early-season events through to the warmer end of summer.

Above roughly 22°C most races go non-wetsuit anyway, and a swimskin is the tool. Below 15°C, add a neoprene cap.

Looking after neoprene

Rinse it in fresh water after every swim, salt or chlorine, no exceptions. Dry it in the shade or somewhere airy inside - never in the sun, because UV is what turns good neoprene brittle and an Australian summer will do it in one season. Hang it over something wide, or fold it loosely. Never wring it out.