Think of your wetsuit as having a life of its own. Care for it lovingly and it will look after you in return – for many years to come. Jez Crook

1 Putting on your wetsuit. Make sure the fl oor surface you are standing on isn’t rocky and dirty, you can now buy ready made changing mats, it won’t take long to scuff the wetsuit material and quickly, open tears will appear. If you’ve got a back zipper and there’s somebody handy, ask them to zip it up for you, if the zip isn’t pulled up directly vertically it can put strain on the bottom where the zip is stitched and then it tears (see above).

2 Be careful when putting your wetsuit on if you are wearing jewellery, neoprene easily snags and tears if caught on sharp edges.

3 A common problem with wetsuits is that if they aren’t kept clean or dare I say it, you pee in it, they tend to smell really bad, now we’re not saying you have to clean your wetsuit after every outing but it is a good idea to wash it, say every 5 times you use it. If you ski in the sea, it’s really important to rinse it out with fresh water after every use, salt water is a wetsuit’s worst enemy, it eats into the neoprene and will quickly corrode the zip.

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