Inside the journey of a wetsuit

It’s the start of the race and the stage that could determine your finishing time. The swim section of a triathlon is important for many reasons and the last thing you want is to suffer through it with an ill-fitting wetsuit that restricts your movement, or worse, leaks.

A wetsuit has many technical demands to master. It needs to be flexible in the right areas, warm and supportive with an enhanced fit, and designed for easy removal to allow smooth transition to the bike.

It’s one of the key pieces of equipment to buy when starting out on your triathlon journey and a good wetsuit will become a prized possession as you progress.

But have you ever considered what’s involved in constructing such a sophisticated piece of kit? We were granted insight into the Orca Lab to see how the New Zealand brand develops its award-winning wetsuits.

Welcome to the Lab

Since Orca entered the triathlon wetsuit market in 1995, it has forged a reputation as a leader in new technology.

Its Orca Apex 2 uses AirLite, the world’s first neoprene technology featuring tiny air pockets to improve buoyancy while the Orca 3.8 was the first to feature a breathable AirRelease panel. Orca’s drive for innovation is fed by continuous research and development, product testing and studies in the lab.

“After so many years in the industry, we have developed a wide knowledge base that helps us to be able to configure, manufacture and test different prototypes until we create the best products on the market,” says Ander López, Head of Product Innovation at Orca.

“In this sense, the research and development work that we carry out focuses on two main areas that are closely related to each other: technical standards and product testing.”

Meeting high standards

Wetsuits are a crucial but expensive piece of gear. Designs aimed at triathletes range from budget buys at £100 to well over £1,000. If you’re shelling out it’s important to know that you’re getting a piece of equipment that meets high standards.

For Orca, the main pillars of performance are elasticity and elongation, traction, thermal insulation, buoyancy, water absorption and hydrodynamics. The lab carries out specific tests for each category, including resistance to abrasion and water absorption.

Researchers will be checking to see if water is getting inside the neoprene or using sensors to detect levels of thermal comfort. It’s also where new materials are screened, tested and added to an already extensive database.

Timeless style

While a snazzy wetsuit design might be pleasing to the eye, Orca says that its focus remains on the efficiency of the design, rather than just producing an aesthetically pleasing piece.

The design team is part of “almost the entire development process,” says Agurtzane García, Wetsuit Designer. “We sketch the silhouette of the product, create the patterns, choose the best combinations and materials – alongside the development team – and set the aesthetic line to be followed.”

In line with Orca’s aim to produce quality that lasts, Agurtzane and the team propose designs that “avoid fast fashion, seeking timeless garments that can continue to be worn over time”.

Designed by triathletes, made for triathletes

Once lab tests and initial designs are complete, Orca turns to its users, athletes and ambassadors for field tests, including the University of Valencia and California to gain, says Ander, “novel proposals in materials measurement”.

A stalwart tester of Orca wetsuits is German long-distance triathlete and Ironman World Champion 2014, Sebastian Kienle, who has been with the brand for nearly 10 years.

“In the short term, I look at how the wetsuit feels in different water conditions (cold, salt water, swimming pool…),” explains Kienle. “Then I do other tests that are a little more personal. I time myself in the pool while measuring my heart rate and lactate threshold, and it gives me an idea of how fast the suit is.”

With feedback from its ambassadors in place, Orca then verifies the information with the lab tests. If it all adds up, the product moves forward, but Orca will raise the stop sign if a product doesn’t come up to scratch: “We have had many designs that were not approved, simply because they did not meet our quality and performance standards,” says Orca Marketing Manager Arrate Vidarte.

“In this way, if any of the tests yield unsatisfactory results, a new prototype is redesigned, and the necessary tests are carried out again until everyone trusts the product.”

So next time you pull on your favourite piece of neoprene, make sure it’s one that’s been researched, tested and approved to last the test of time.