The Devil is in the Details
There is a certain kind of commitment that is needed when embarking on a journey to bring the finest wetsuit in the world to market. We start with concepts from Alex - who has an engineering degree and works to make our suits as hydrodynamic as possible.
We use only the finest materials - Limestone neoprene, which is not only more durable and flexible, but it’s also better for the environment.
We work with the best factories and the most skilled workers who piece everything together - by hand - with super precise gluing techniques and then blind stitch to ensure super strong connections without compromise.
Then we test everything with the best athletes in the world and rework whatever details they ask for - check out our Athletes section to see all the cool people who think that we’re cool too.
And then, we want to make sure that everyone is well looked after - because the world is small and round - so the factories we work with are ISO certified.
Made better by science
In order to explain what makes this suit different, we would like to take you back to the basic theory of Archimedes, which states in short "the upward buoyant force that is exerted on a body immersed in a fluid, is equal to the weight of the fluid that the body displaces."
deboer increases your upward buoyant force by using our WhaleSkin™ neoprene. This neoprene increases the surface area by 18.3%, which increases buoyancy by 18.3%. In addition, our WhaleSkin™ neoprene creates air bubbles in the water underneath the body, which naturally gives extra buoyancy across the length of the body. These trapped air bubbles roll under the wetsuit significantly eliminating drag. Water resistance is additionally lowered by the application of our exclusive GlideSkin to the surface. This specialized coating also helps to reduce cuts in your wetsuit from fingernails.
DURAFLEX™
Incredibly flexible and highly durable. Our patented ultra-thin unique polymer (0.3mm) is fingernail tear proof. It has advanced shape memory, 4-way super stretch, and is lined with an ultra-flexible insulating lining also with 4-way stretch.
ULTRAFLEX™
Warmer than our other materials yet is still incredibly flexible and highly durable. Our exclusive polymer is fingernail tear proof. It has advanced shape memory, 4-way super stretch, and is lined with an ultra-flexible insulating lining also with 4-way stretch.
DOLPHINSKIN
Developed by deboer for exclusive use with our wetsuits. DolphinSkin ensures a soft, leak-free neck. Especially useful for those who are training with longer open water swims.
WHALESKIN™ - HBF LIMESTONE NEOPRENE
Limestone neoprene has a high micro-cell structure. These are independent closed cells (like bubbles) within the neoprene that are packed together at extremely high density. Limestone neoprene has a 94% cell penetration - over 30% more than oil-based neoprene leading to greater impermeability, lightness, warmth, durability and stretch with memory allowing more freedom of movement. Our WhaleSkin rib neoprene increases the surface by 18.3%, which in turn increases buoyancy and ultimately increases your speed. In addition, it’s more environmentally friendly.
X-SKIN™ - HBF LIMESTONE LAYERED SCALE ARRAY NEOPRENE
We extensively studied scientific research papers in flow dynamics to create the most advanced surface available today. While there are many techniques to help your swim performance, decreasing drag actually is the fastest way to improve in the water. Increasing your speed in the water impacts drag exponentially: it means that swimming twice as fast creates four times as much drag.
AIRFLOAT™
Made from our HBF-Limestone neoprene (Highly Buoyant, Flexible, and lightweight 48 cell neoprene). We conducted studies to understand how adding buoyancy can affect swim position. Based on these studies, we positioned the panels to create maximum stability, minimize rotation and ensure better balance.
OCELLUS PATTERN
The Ocellus pattern increases the visibility of a swimmer. The Ocellus pattern is strategically placed on each shoulder, the point of the elbows, and the back of the calves so that a swimmer can be spotted from a distance by another swimmer, a spectator on shore, or someone on a water vessel. The Monarch color was chosen because it has been proven to subconsciously trigger an alert signal in anyone who sees it - this will help keep the athlete safer in open water.
THERMAFUR
ThermaFur is a specially designed thermal lining developed in conjunction with deboer engineers and some of the top athletes in the world. ThermaFur reflects the athletes body heat to keep them warm in cold-water swims. Therma Fur is a polyester based brushed thermal lining with a water repellent quick dry coating. The water repellent quick dry coating allows ThermaFur to be considerably lighter and more effective than traditional thermal wetsuit linings.
PROPULSION FOREARM
Increased forearm diameter (thickness), as well as matte surface allows you to catch & pull more water than ever before. Every small detail counts.
GLIDESKIN™
Our unique glide layer coating technology provides exceptionally low water friction and increases hydrodynamics. In addition, it reduces resistance when changing out of your wetsuit, thus, helping to save precious time during your race transition. This coating aids in the reduction of fingernail tears.
C8 HYDROPHOBIC LINING
C8 is a water-repellent coating that prevents water absorption and aids in the increase of buoyancy; plus it feels great. Our C8 water-repellent coating is super soft on your skin and allows for just enough water to warm up your body while preserving buoyancy.
YKK ZIPPER
We only use YKK stainless steel zippers which close from bottom to top. This makes opening the wetsuit and getting out much easier and therefore, faster in transition.
More information on how to properly secure the DolphinSkin neck closure can be viewed here.