Is a Wetsuit Buoyant?

Buoyancy plays a crucial part in scuba diving. You need to maintain delicate control over your buoyancy and weight so that you can properly dive. Since diving isn’t complete without wetsuits, this begs the question, is a wetsuit buoyant?

Wetsuits—especially those made of neoprene—provide divers with some positive buoyancy. While the added buoyancy might be handy for beginner divers, it isn’t always a good thing, though. That’s because you’ll need to put on extra lead to compensate for the wetsuit’s buoyancy.

Do you want to find out more? In today’s article, we’ll go through how wetsuits can improve your buoyancy and how to control your buoyancy for the best diving experience.

Let’s dive in!

Are Wetsuits Buoyant?

Wetsuits are buoyant to an extent. While wetsuits can float in water, you can’t expect them to help you float like life vests.

You also can’t control the buoyancy you get out of a wetsuit. Instead, you adjust other diving parameters depending on the wetsuit.

Typically, the buoyancy you’ll get from a wetsuit is about three pounds per millimeter of neoprene.

What Makes Wetsuits Buoyant

The wetsuits’ material is the reason behind their buoyancy.

Neoprene is the primary material of wetsuits. It’s basically a synthetic rubber that contains tiny nitrogen gas bubbles. The bubbles can displace water, keeping you afloat.

We all know that objects have to weigh less than water for them to float. Well, neoprene is pretty lightweight, which makes it buoyant. The thicker the neoprene, the more buoyant the wetsuit.

Factors Affecting a Wetsuit’s Buoyancy

Some wetsuits are more buoyant than others. Multiple factors that determine your wetsuit’s buoyancy include the following:

The Wetsuit’s Thickness

Wetsuits vary in thickness, from 3 mm to 7 mm. Since the buoyancy of the wetsuit depends on its thickness, it’ll also differ.

That said, you shouldn’t base your choice of wetsuit on buoyancy. You have to pick the wetsuit most appropriate for the weather.

Then, adjust the buoyancy through other measures like buoyancy compensators.

The Wetsuit’s Material

While neoprene is the most popular wetsuit material on the market, there are other varieties of wetsuit materials. These include nylon and thermoplastic.

Neoprene is the most buoyant of all wetsuit materials, closely followed by thermoplastic. Alternatively, nylon is the least buoyant.

The Wetsuit’s Style

Longer wetsuits have more fabric. Naturally, they’ll be more buoyant. To make things simple, here are the different wetsuit styles from least to most buoyant:

• Rashguard
• Shorty wetsuit
• Spring wetsuit
• Full wetsuit
• Full wetsuit with boots, gloves, and hood

The Wetsuit’s Condition

A well-maintained wetsuit is essential for a safe diving session.

Not only do degrading wetsuits expose you to the elements, but they also lose their buoyancy over time. That’s because neoprene compresses over time, losing the buoyant gas bubbles.

The Importance of a Buoyant Wetsuit

Any water activity requires some degree of buoyancy. If you’re swimming, you’ll want to maintain positive buoyancy, so there’s less drag.

On the other hand, you need neutral buoyancy when you’re diving. This way, you don’t dive too deep or float to the surface.

In simple terms, any floating object has positive buoyancy, while sinking means the object has negative buoyancy. Neutral buoyancy is somewhere in between, which is what we’re looking for when diving!

Wetsuits increase your buoyancy. The extra flotation can be helpful, especially for amateur divers who still can’t control their buoyancy.

How to Control Your Buoyancy When Diving

You should always keep neutral buoyancy levels when you’re diving. This way, you aren’t struggling to remain underwater or constantly swimming upwards. Still, how can you maintain a neutral buoyancy?

First, you need to understand the buoyancy of your own body. We all know that air keeps us afloat. After all, rafts and floaters are filled with air to stay above water.

The same happens in our bodies. When you breathe in, you can slightly rise. You also sink a little bit as you exhale.

By regulating your breathing, you’ll be able to keep your buoyancy while diving. If you find yourself excessively swimming vertically to maintain your level, it might mean there’s a problem with your buoyancy control.

Advantages of Wetsuits in Relation to Buoyancy

Wetsuits can be pretty handy when diving. The suits provide divers with some buoyancy, so they don’t have to control their breathing all the time.

Additionally, a well-fitting wetsuit feels like a second skin. This makes swimming a lot easier and provides less drag while diving.

Disadvantages of Wetsuits in Relation to Buoyancy

There are some drawbacks to diving with wetsuits. If your wetsuit is too thick, it might add too much buoyancy.

As a result, you’ll find yourself rapidly rising to the surface. This leads to decompression sickness and even pulmonary barotrauma.

Furthermore, as you go deeper, the wetsuit becomes compressed and loses some buoyancy. So, you’ll need to use a buoyancy compensator to remain stable.

How to Compensate Your Wetsuit’s Buoyancy

Now that you know how buoyant wetsuits are, you must be wondering, how can I descend deeper with the wetsuit keeping me afloat?

The answer is simple: a buoyancy compensator. This device allows you to add weight and release it when needed.

Alternatively, you can use lead to compensate for the wetsuit’s extra buoyancy. As a rule of thumb, divers typically require about 10% of their body weight in lead.

However, the weight might increase based on numerous factors other than the wetsuit. These factors include:

• The diving gear
• The material of the air tank
• The temperature and type of water

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How can I maintain my wetsuit’s buoyancy?

Though wetsuits can be highly durable, you should still handle them with care. To keep your wetsuit buoyant for as long as possible, make sure to rinse it after every use.

In addition, a well-fitting wetsuit is less likely to get damaged while diving and will provide you with more support and less drag.

Your wetsuit should fit snugly so that it feels like a part of your skin. Yet, it shouldn’t be so tight that it restricts your movement.

Do wetsuits make diving easier?

Wetsuits can definitely make diving much more comfortable. The buoyancy of the wetsuit can aid in holding you high. The flotation can be tremendously helpful, especially if you’re having trouble straightening your legs and hips.

On top of that, a wetsuit will make you feel like you’re not wearing anything, and you’ll be able to swim freely.

How can I calculate the buoyancy of my wetsuit?

The general rule is that the extra lead should be about 10% of your body weight. If you want to be incredibly accurate, you can calculate the exact buoyancy of your wetsuit.

Neoprene wetsuits have about 3 lbs of buoyancy per millimeter of thickness. That means if you have a 3 mm wetsuit, it’ll hold about 9 lbs.

To Conclude

Is a wetsuit buoyant?

Simply put, wetsuits are buoyant due to the neoprene material they’re made of. Thicker wetsuits provide more buoyancy than thinner ones, as long as they properly fit you!

You shouldn’t choose your wetsuit based on how much buoyancy it has, though. Instead, consider the temperature of the water and how much thermal insulation the wetsuit can give you.