Orca Vitalis Light Sleeveless Men's Openwater Wetsuit

The Vitalis Light is a sleeveless men's open water wetsuit - no arms, so nothing restricts the shoulders at all. For warmer water where you want buoyancy and a bit of protection rather than thermal insulation.

Who it's for

Warm water, and swimmers who cannot stand anything on their shoulders. The Vitalis Light Sleeveless gives you the buoyancy and the body warmth of a wetsuit with your arms completely free - no shoulder panel, no restriction, nothing between you and your natural stroke.

Perfect for Queensland summers, warm-water racing, and anyone who has ever cut a swim short because a full suit was fighting their catch.

Buoyancy and flexibility

Sleeveless is the most flexible thing you can wear and still call a wetsuit. You keep the lift through the torso and hips that makes swimming easier, and give up nothing at all in the shoulder.

Getting the size right

This is the decision that makes or breaks a wetsuit, so take your time over it.

Size on body weight: 5 is 61-66 kg, 6 is 67-74 kg, 7 is 75-82 kg and 8 is 82-89 kg.

Snug everywhere is the target, with no slack pockets at the lower back or behind the knees. Getting into it on dry land should be a wrestle - that is what correct feels like, and it lets go the moment you start swimming. Between two sizes, take the smaller one: neoprene gives with wear, and a suit that starts loose flushes water through, which is what makes you cold rather than the water itself.

Looking after neoprene

Rinse it in fresh water after every swim - salt and chlorine both attack neoprene, and neither forgives being left on. Dry it in the shade or somewhere airy inside. Never in the sun: UV is what turns good neoprene hard and brittle, and one Australian summer on a fence will do it.

Hang it over something wide or fold it loosely, and never wring it out.

Water temperature range

As a guide, the Vitalis Light is a 20°C and up suit. It is built for swimmers who want buoyancy and freedom rather than warmth, so it is the summer and warm-water choice - Queensland most of the year, and everywhere else through the season.

Buoyancy comes from a graded thickness through the lower body, up to 4.5 mm in the legs, which lifts your hips without putting anything across your shoulders.