I had a $300 gift card to SBR Shop and decided to buy my first wet suit. The limited options made for an easy decision. Which wet suits are under $300 and what do you recommend?

So I bought the 2010 Orca Equip:

2010 Orca Men's Equip

Trying on a wetsuit is harder than I thought but after 10-15 minutes of finagling it really does feel like a second layer of skin. It feels tight but not restricted.

I went with the full sleeve because I’ll be doing most of my open water training in the Berkshires where the water will be cold and can use the additional buoyancy.

Swim training has been great. I’m steadily improving and can now do 5-6 laps non-stop. My rests are shorter before I resume my next set and generally swim 36 laps in 30 minutes. My goal is to be able to swim 64 laps non-stop in 30 minutes within 4 months.

A tall order? Yes. Impossible? Never.