Fit for Adventure: The Revolutionary Wetsuit Designed for Women

The first ever open water swimming wetsuit designed specifically for the female menopausal body has been launched this week, removing a major barrier for many women interested in taking up outdoor swimming.

Open water swimming has experienced a massive rise in popularity in recent years, with an estimated one million regular outdoor swimmers making the most of the water and the physical health and mental wellbeing benefits it provides.

According to the latest reports from Outdoor Swimmer, women make up 65% of these swimmers, with an average age of 47.7 years old.

Extensive research by world leading wetsuit designers and Her Spirit, who are aiming to increase female participation in sport, revealed that the decrease in oestrogen woman often experience later in life causes fat to be stored in different areas of the body, changing the female body shape.

Dean Jackson, CEO at HUUB, said; “Until now, generic wetsuits haven’t really catered for the female body shape and it’s changing needs.

“In support of this new wave of water warriors, HUUB has spent the last two years developing new wetsuit models specifically tailored to support all women, whatever age, life stage or shape, to be able to enjoy open water swimming.

“It isn’t just about being the fastest or the best. It’s also about getting it right, and we are delighted to help make our wonderful sport more accessible and more enjoyable.”

The specific dimensions and requirements for the new wetsuits were assessed by Custom Labs fitting specialists alongside open water swim experts at Tri N Swim Well who supported the wetsuit sizing research and testing.

Mel Berry, co-founder of Her Spirit, a leading women’s health and fitness community, commented, “So many women I speak to about open water swimming respond with a look of sheer fear – and the reason why is the wetsuit. Will I get one to fit me? How will I squeeze into ‘that’? It’s a real barrier to the sport.

“So, I was delighted to provide HUUB with the insight into what is needed to break this barrier down and make the sport I love so much more accessible and enjoyable to the women of today, whatever shape they are.”

The new Araya Wetsuit models offer a fit tailored to comfortably hug the curves of the female body, whilst having the flexibility, warmth and buoyancy required for a comfortable swimming position and experience.

Beatrice Russel of Custom Labs commented, “Based on all the data we had about the female open water swimmers, we embarked on a massive research project covering all sizes and shapes and areas of concern highlighted.

“The result was a new wetsuit that is designed to better fit the changing body, giving more room around the midsection, and more support around the thighs and bottom.

“This provides a better fit and supports a female swimmer in the water allowing them to feel and move better.

“We know that people come in all shapes and sizes, and we were delighted to address this and reimagine the traditional athletic wetsuit to create the new Araya S-fit, to extend the appeal of open-water swimming to more women.”

Shareefa J, a model, presenter, and content creator who is passionate about body-positive fitness, used the new suit for the Swim Serpentine open-water swim event last year and said, “The fit was FAB! It reminds me that sport is for everyBODY, and fitness isn’t one size fits all.”

About the new launch, Dean Jackson, HUUB’s CEO, commented, “We believe open water swimming is for everyone and have worked with the best in the industry to perfect the first women’s open water and triathlon wetsuit that has been designed with a true female body in mind. 

“We hope that, with the right tools, we can encourage more women to experience the benefits of open water swimming for their health and wellbeing whatever their shape and whatever their life stage.”

The Araya Wetsuit, SS, SM & SXL, are priced at £299.99 and are available via the HUUB website, complete with hassle-free refund if you don’t like it. Check out HUUB’s tips for fitting a wetsuit and other advice here.