Wetsuits are protective gears worn by water sports enthusiasts. Most often, you will see this protective garment worn by those who are into surfing, wakeboarding, snorkeling and most especially scuba diving.

Wetsuits are close-fitting garments that may come in different styles and designs. It may cover the entire body except the head, or it may expose the arms or the legs and can be in the form of a vest. A wetsuit may be a long john, a shorty or a vest - you can actually choose from the many designs based also on what you need.

Some wetsuits may have special features in it or may have other innovations but whatever the design of the wetsuit, it is made primarily to give protection to the wearer especially in cold water temperatures that could be a risk to the body.

When a human body is exposed to the cold, especially when submerged to cold waters for so long, hypothermia may set in. It is a condition where the body temperature suddenly drops to a level where main body functions are affected. Because exposure to the cold waters drains body heat faster than when you are exposed to cold air, the risk of hypothermia is greater in water.

This is where wetsuits play an important role in water sports. Without wetsuits, surfing or wakeboarding would not be possible during the cold months. Even in temperate waters, staying longer in the water could drain your body heat, thus wearing wetsuits is also necessary especially when you do snorkeling or scuba diving.

The introduction of wetsuits has been one important innovation for water sports. It has also become an important part of swimming competitions, triathlon race and in any competitive water sports.

Because wetsuits are made of buoyant material, it is also seen to contribute to the wearer's buoyancy and speed in water, which is advantageous especially for competitive water sports like swimming and triathlon.