Fourth Element is known for producing high quality, good-looking and forward thinking dive wear. I am lucky enough to receive sponsorship from this young and exciting company, and this includes the Proteus wetsuit. When deciding what thickness of Proteus to choose for my scholarship year, Jim Standing (Fourth Element Director and my scholarship coordinator) and I ran through what temperature conditions I would be experiencing. With a Whites drysuit for cold water diving, we agreed a 3mm suit would be the best choice: it would keep me comfortable in the warm waters of the world – not to hot, not too cold.

I took my 3mm suit to Orkney, northern Scotland, and went for a swim.

 

I was somewhat apprehensive as Stef, Kirsite, Nick, Chris and I were prepping ourselves for a 1 mile sea swim starting from outside Scapa Scuba dive centre. I donned my Proteus suit – which felt far too comfortable for a wetsuit – and my Fourth Element hood, gloves and boots. It was 7.30pm. The air temperature was 14°C. The water temperature was 11°C. Drysuit conditions.

 

Nevertheless, after being assured by Stef, Nick and Chris that it was do-able, Kirstie and I joined the guys for the ambitious swim. We teetered towards the not palm fringed, not azure blue, and not particularly inviting Orkney water. Stumbling down the slippery stone slope I got to the end and watched the guys jump in and go. Not wanting to delay the pain, and of course not wanting to be shown up by the boys, I went for it.

 

I was amazed. I was warm. Surely the freezing water was going to hit me shortly? I was waiting for the ever-dreaded cold trickle to sneak its way through my neck and shock me with a rather obvious presence. It never came. Perhaps why they call the neck seal a hydrolock neck seal. It certainly ‘does what it says on the tin’!

 

Fourth Element describe the Proteus as offering “surprising thermal protection and comfort during a dive” and “eliminating almost all water ingress”. Surprising is the right word – you don’t expect a wetsuit to be this good. You’re supposed to be uncomfortable, a bit chilly, and looking rather unglamorous right? The Proteus stamps all over these notions, and with some gusto.

 

My forehead – the one exposed part of my body – was so cold my eyes streamed from the shock. But the rest of my body was wrapped in a type of neoprene that was so slick I believe it will rid us all of the dread we feel when donning of a wetsuit.

 

I thought going for a swim in a wetsuit would be difficult – too buoyant and too inflexible. I can best describe the Proteus as being more like a skin than a wetsuit. I managed a 1 mile swim in it, and not once did it become uncomfortable.

 

In-fact, it was so successful I took it upon myself to go for a second swim. I am happy to report Swim 2 was just as successful.

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P.S. Nick managed to do this in shorts and a hood. This is insane and should not be attempted. Despite declaring he was fine, the colour of his body post-swim disproved this belief…