If I’d ask a group of 100 strangers, not many would rate a wetsuit as the most essential item that can make or break a session. My guess is that answers would probably sway between good waves and the right equipment, but neither of those two items can ruin a surf session quite like a wetsuit that’s just not right.

Sure, if the waves suck or the board you are riding is a lemon, you’d be frustrated. But if your wetsuit is underperforming – it can completely kill your session, whether you surf 6ft cylinders or 1ft mush.

Now, if I’d been writing this post 10 months ago, my answer would be much different. 

My ordeal started with a new wettie that turned into a nightmare. Seemingly overnight, I developed a neoprene allergy, causing me to break out in hives and rashes. It’s ironic because I was betrayed by the thing that should have protected me.

Once you start looking into how wetsuits are made, you quickly begin to realize that often, it’s the neoprene and/or the glues and solvents used in the manufacturing process that can cause these allergies. 

But more importantly, I discovered how bad neoprene actually is for us, them, the ocean and everything in between. If you surf, you know this already. Most wetsuits are made of neoprene, a non-biodegradable synthetic rubber derived from petroleum or limestone (both are non-renewable resources), and some research suggests that over 380 tons of it end up in landfills or, worse, the ocean. 

But what’s the alternative?

3 words. Yulex LLC and Finisterre 

Tom Kay, the founder of Finisterre, sent me a couple of suits to try – no strings attached. He was aware of my dilemma and wanted to help.

“Try the suits. They are made from Yulex and should be hypoallergenic. Let me know how you go” – a sentence that has since changed my life for the better and made me truly understand how critical a decent wetsuit is to a surfer.

The evolution of tech in the wetsuit space is funny to me. No other area in the surf industry (other than board manufacturing, perhaps) makes use of jargon and abbreviations better than wetsuit companies. It feels like you require a Ph.D. to understand the tech and features used in the production – or better – in the marketing of wetsuits these days.

We jump from Thermo Dry Celliant (TDC) to SAMS, to TechnoButter 3 Air Firewall, and over to Nobel Prize-winning graphene, all chewing up the R&D & marketing budgets of big surf companies.

But here’s the kicker. No matter the tech, they share one thing in common; They are still made from neoprene. And while consumers might not know how bad petroleum is for the environment, brands undoubtedly do.

On the flip side, Finisterre suits don’t come with the cutting-edge tech of some bigger companies; instead, they focus on no-frill, comfort, flex and warmth made from sustainably sourced natural rubber.

No TechnoButter 3. No TDC. No BS marketing. Just quality wetsuits without the environmental impact.

And that’s what matters in the end.