I had been toying with the idea of getting a new wetsuit since the beginning of the season but since we were doing IM Switzerland I thought I had spent enough money for one year. I have had my QR Superfull since 2002 and have loved swimming in it but it was starting to tear easily but thought I could nurse it through the season. Over the last few races I have been having problems getting the QR off which had never been an issue before. I made the mistake of trying out a new wetsuit and realized immediately that my suit was done and that I needed a new one. It went on and off like my QR used to. The suit I tried did not fit me quite right to I started my mission to find a new one. I still had 3 races left in the season so justified the expense that way.
I had never tried an Aquaman before and really don’t see a whole lot of them around. I did my research on them and found that Jordan Rapp had done a review on Slowtwitch that was very positive ( http://www.slowtwitch.com/Products/Black_Gold_Aquaman_s_CellGold_Wetsuit_418.html). They are also one of Team Running Free’s sponsors so wanted to check them out. When it comes to equipment I tend to go to the top end and in this case it meant the Gold Cell model. I put it on and immediately knew this was the suit for me as it fit me perfectly pretty much like a 2nd skin. It uses Giga #40 neoprene which is really soft and super flexible. It is also the gold standard for neoprene which is why the suit is called Gold Cell, it just doesn’t get any better (at least right now). The inside of the suit is also neoprene so it slides on more importantly off really easily. This also allows the suit to retain less water so will be warmer. It also features catch panels on the forearms and shins which seemed to help me grab more water, though not sure how effective this feature is on any suit.
My first swim in it was at the Wasaga Beach Triathlon and have to say it was love at first swim. The suit once wet fits me perfectly and felt like it wasn’t even there. I did not feel that there was any resistance through the shoulders which was very important for me. I think the great fit comes from the fact that they use a lot of panels which allows them to sculpt the suit. Where there aren’t many panels are in the arms which allows for great flexibility as seams stretch less than rubber. The suit is very buoyant and felt quite fast in the water. I didn’t get pulling from anywhere on the suit I was able to swim as I normally would. At first I was concerned that the collar was very high and though it feels a bit tight when out of the water wasn’t noticable in the water. What I did notice is that the suit let very little water in which ultimately makes it faster. The other feature that helps the collar is that the zipper is reversed and goes top down. This allows for the zipper to be in a static position and therefore have a consistent point where it closes. It just didn’t move once I had it on and gave no hint of chafing. You will need help zipping it closed unless you are super flexible, I am not.
When I got to transition it came off very quickly. The reversed zipper was quick to undo and the suit was off in a heartbeat. All in all I think this is a great wetsuit and if you are looking it should rank high on your list. It is definitely not cheap but is by far the best suit I have ever had on. I wish that I had picked one up at the start of the season because now I only have a few more times to swim in it before the season ends.
