[Christine Palma]

I’m new to NY. I only have surfing wetsuits and need to get a triathlete one so I can swim open water while waiting for the water to warm up. Where can I buy locally? I tried swimming in my heavy 5/4 surfing suit last month and I wanted to die from the cold….I hope Memorial Day is swim-able.

[Jacqueline Broner]

Hi Christine. The water is in the low to mid 50s right now which is very cold to someone who isn’t properly acclimated to cold water swimming. So a wetsuit is a good idea. I don’t personally wear them so I’m no expert on the best place to go, but I’d check out Paragon Sports on Broadway and 18th. There’s also a dive shop near there called Leisure Pro but I’m not sure how much swimming gear they’d have vs diving gear. You can also ask Jackrabbit Sports if they still carry Tri gear – they seemed to change their focus to only running in the past couple of years. I think REI in SoHo probably carries wetsuits as well.

[Mary T]

Paragon has some wetsuits, but your best bet is to buy online – if you are a USAT member, you get a discount on ROKA ( great Tri suits) I know ROKA did a hands on demo with the Brooklyn Tri club last year – you may want to as their coaches if they will be back this year. ROKA also has fantastic customer support and quick shipping

[Christine Palma]

Thanks for that info! I’m bored out of my mind trying to swim in a pool & need to get back in open water!!

[Mary Elizabeth Smith]

Be sure to buy a swimmer’s wetsuit . I was also a surfer and those are made for surfing. The swimmer’s wetsuits have less of a collar to prevent chaffing and are made particularly for swimming . I always also use a rash guard .