Orca Vitalis Light Sleeveless Men's Openwater Wetsuit

The Orca Vitalis Light is a sleeveless men's open-water wetsuit, the successor to the Openwater RS1 Sleeveless. With no arms, nothing restricts the shoulders. Thick buoyancy panels across the front of the hips and legs lift the lower body, and 2 mm neoprene covers the torso, for swimmers who want flexibility ahead of warmth.

Who it's for

Swimmers who cannot stand anything on their shoulders, and who need little thermal insulation from a wetsuit. The Vitalis Light Sleeveless gives you the lift and some of the body warmth of a wetsuit with your arms completely free - no shoulder panel, nothing between you and your natural stroke.

If you want sleeves and more warmth, the Vitalis TRN and Vitalis Thermal are Orca's full-sleeve open-water suits.

Buoyancy and flexibility

• Front of the hips and legs: the thickest panels on the suit, there to raise your hips and legs.
• Torso, back and ankles: 2 mm neoprene, thin and stretchy.
• Arms: none, so the catch and recovery are entirely free.
• Neck and zip: Orca's Ultimate Seal Collar and a YKK 10 back zip, on Yamamoto neoprene.

Orca rate the Vitalis Light near the top of their range for flexibility and lower for warmth: you keep the lift through the hips and legs, and give up nothing in the shoulder.

Getting the size right

Orca size on chest, height and weight together, so check all three against the size chart. We stock sizes 4 to 9 and 11, plus MT (6T), which Orca now call 6T: the size 6 chest range for a taller swimmer.

Looking after neoprene

Salt and pool chlorine both damage neoprene, so rinse the suit in plenty of fresh water after every swim. A little neutral pH soap is fine, rinsed out afterwards. Dry it outside or somewhere airy indoors, out of direct sun, and store it hung draped from the waist.