A wetsuit is a necessity for triathletes because most triathlons require their competitors to swim in very cold water. Every wetsuit is manufactured from neoprene rubber. Neoprene rubber will allow a person who is wearing a wetsuit to remain buoyant in the open water. The rate of buoyancy of the wetsuit depends on the type of neoprene rubber that it is made out of. Triathlon wetsuits are made out of super buoyant neoprene rubber that provides more buoyancy than you would find in wetsuits that divers, surfers, jet skiers wear. The neoprene rubber used by triathlon wetsuits has more air cells than the neoprene rubber used by other wetsuits. This allows triathlon wetsuits to weigh less and be more buoyant and flexible. The additional buoyancy has another benefit. It allows people to position their bodies higher up on the water which allows these people to swim faster. Triathlon wetsuits also have a lower rate of friction than wetsuits that divers, surfers, and jet skiers use. Divers, surfers, and jet skiers use wetsuits that are lined on both sides with nylon fabric. The purpose of the nylon fabric is to protect the neoprene rubber against the damaging effects of friction. A disadvantage of the nylon fabric is that it gives the wetsuit more drag which slows the wearer down. A triathlon wetsuit has a lower rate of friction because the external surface of the triathlon wetsuit is coated with composite skin instead of nylon fabric. The composite skin has a lower rate of friction than nylon fabric and allows the wearer to swim through the water with less resistance. A triathlon wetsuit is manufactured using three different thicknesses of neoprene rubber: 2, 3, and 5 millimeter. The sleeves are made out of 2 millimeter thick neoprene rubber. This thickness will give your swimming strokes a full range of motion. The back of the wetsuit is made out of 3 millimeter thick neoprene rubber. This will give your body a full range of movement. The front of the wetsuit is made out of 5 millimeter thick neoprene rubber. This will give you the most buoyancy that you can possibly have. The reason that the thickness is not more than 5 millimeters is because 5 millimeters is the maximum thickness that is allowed by the International Triathlon Union. The reason the three different thicknesses are used is because these thicknesses will combine to give you the best performance. It is true that a triathlon wetsuit that is made entirely from 5 millimeter thick neoprene rubber would be more buoyant than one that is manufactured using a less thick neoprene rubber. But this does not necessarily mean that you will be able to swim faster. If the manufacturers only used 5 millimeter thick neoprene rubber for the front, back and sleeves, you would have a more difficult time moving your body and the range of motion for your swimming strokes would be more limited. You should be aware of potential pitfalls when you are trying to pick the right triathlon wetsuit. You should not purchase one that is a tight fit on you. Although a tight fitting wetsuit will prevent water from coming inside and provide you with good buoyancy, your body will not be able to move as easily which will slow down your swimming. However, you also do not want to buy a wetsuit that is a loose fit on you. A looser fitting wetsuit will allow your body to move more freely which will allow you to swim faster. But this wetsuit can also fill up with water which will reduce your buoyancy.