At the very beginning of the tourist season, the seas around the Greek islands are cool and towards the end of the season, as the days get shorter and the sun is lower in the sky, they start to lose their summer heat.

The resulting cooling leads to some finding it uncomfortable and a slow process entering the sea until they become acclimatised, and for a few, denying them altogether the pleasure of swimming.

However, for decades, diving, surfing, kayaking and other water-based sports have overcome this problem by the simple addition of a wetsuit top/jacket, but these have never caught on with swimmers. Maybe it is because they are not seen as “de rigueur”, or are wimpish, but when you go out on a cold day, you don’t feel strange or weak wearing a jumper, so why not a wetsuit top? It may simply be that no one has promoted them to this new potential market!

Modern materials have meant that they are light, comfortable and cheap, and with zip-up fronts and the choice of sleeve, or sleeveless designs, they are easy to put on and take off when just sunbathing.

For those who are more susceptible to cold waters and for the elderly, where the shock to the body can be dangerous, they reduce the need for that forced smile and the imitation of a monkey as you very slowly enter the sea!

At the beginning of the 2024 season, we will be experimenting with wearing wetsuits to swim and will check out the response of other beachgoers!

There are many different designs on the internet and in most large sports shops, with wetsuit tops trending between £20 and £40. They are also available in many fashionable designs and colours. eBay also offers a wide range of designs mainly direct from China.

Below we have added a link to an example top on Amazon.

Link to Amazon

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