Orca Neoprene Buoyancy Shorts

Who it's for

Swimmers whose legs sink, in water too warm for a full suit. Neoprene buoyancy shorts lift your hips and legs into position so you swim flat - the single biggest gain most people can make - while leaving your upper body completely free.

Brilliant as a training tool too. Swim a set in these and you feel what good position is supposed to feel like, which is hard to learn any other way.

Buoyancy and flexibility

All the lift is where you need it. Buoyancy under the hips and thighs raises the half of you that drops, and with nothing on your shoulders there is nothing at all between you and your natural stroke.

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.

Snug everywhere is the target, with no slack pockets at the lower back or behind the knees. Getting into it on dry land should be a wrestle - that is what correct feels like, and it lets go the moment you start swimming. Between two sizes, take the smaller one: neoprene gives with wear, and a suit that starts loose flushes water through, which is what makes you cold rather than the water itself.

Looking after neoprene

Rinse in fresh water after every swim, dry in the shade, and store them flat. Sun is what makes neoprene brittle.