Choosing the Right Swimming Wetsuit for Open Water Ocean Challenge

A high-performance open water swimming wetsuit is crucial for any elite triathlete, but what about when you're spending six months in the Pacific Ocean?

Swimmer Ben Lecomte has chosen the TYR Men's Hurricane Category 5 Wetsuit to help him swim the 5,500 miles from Japan to San Francisco over the next 180 days – an achievement that will see him become the first person to swim across the Pacific.

Lecomte says his swimming wetsuit is vital to maintain his body temperature when the North Pacific Ocean could drop to temperatures as low as 10°C, while optimising his in-water aerodynamics.

The TYR Hurricane Cat 5 wetsuit helps to optimise body position, buoyancy and speed in the water with strategically placed elevation panels in the chest, core, obliques, thighs and rear.

Drag is minimised by speed wrap panelling throughout the leg, chest and core which gives the feeling of a second skin, while the Free R.O.M (Range of Motion) Zones enable the swimmer to have a longer reach without the strain on the shoulders.

Alpha Catch Panels on the forearm allow a maximised catch-and-release stroke, while formfitting wrist cuffs prevent water from entering the wetsuit.

Lecomte will be in the water for eight hours each day, and the 51-year-old is hoping to cover an average daily distance of 30 miles.

He will also be using a TYR swim cap for warmth, TYR swim goggles to protect his eyes from the salt and other debris, and a TYR swim snorkel for oxygen. Lecomte will have a range of fins to choose from, depending on the conditions.

To read more about this gruelling challenge, read our The Longest Swim article.