I did my Season's first

[Pika]

eclectic.. what you said makes sense- it was pretty easy to peel .. until I got to my calf- then it kinda got stuck
CC- we have 2 good lakes near here, one has much colder water generally though the water is amazing- various hues of blue/green/aqua- grwing up here I remember easily seeing down 20-30ft to the bottom- unfortunately that is not the case anymore- in that lake on a good day you can see maybe 10 ft. Today we were in the other lake- it is warmer though doesn't seem as clean- many many canada geese- pooping everywhere (yuck!). It was quite wavey - the wind had come up- generally this lake is a good choice though since they have bouys marking a triangle so the swimroute around the triangle is about 500m.
LBTC I'll take the butterflies if they help get the darn thing off- I think it would have been nicer if it was sunny- maybe not as easy to "sight" the bouys if the sun was in my eyes but it waould have been warmer getting out out the water- the wind was chilly!

[Wahine]

Pika - definitely body glide to the ankles/heel/calf area and anywhere else it seems the wetsuit is hanging up. It helps a lot. It also helps a lot to do what eclectic said and try to peel off as much as you can before things start to dry out. I'm using the phrase "a lot" a lot in this post. Reminds me of Mandy - a lot!! Sometimes I really miss China.

[rocknrollgirl]

Bodyglide...and practice..A Lot!!!!!!!

[Tri Girl]

Woo hoo! You'll get better at removal the more you do it! Bodyglide is a must!

Great job on your first open water! I LOVE the flotation of a wetsuit- I don't even kick when I wear one, I just roll side to side and make even smooth strokes. LOVE wetsuits (and I hear getting in one in the ocean is 10 times more floaty- yippee). Sounds like your wetsuit fits great! You want only a little water inside- you definitely don't want to have it fill up. When it comes to wetsuits- the tighter the better (so long as you can still breathe and move ).
Congrats!!!! Can't wait to hear about your race!

[JenLeath]

Our races hear had wetsuit peelers until this year. Too many liabilities with the peelers damaging the suits. But, it was sure nice, they were there right as you came out of the water, you sat on your butt and they pulled the suit down. I will have to practice this year.

Good Luck
Jen L

[mcoleman]

Don't forget to bodyglide your neck and be sure to go all the way under your ears. I do not own a wetsuit, but have rented one twice for our area's first tri of the season in April. I remembered to put body glide on the back of my neck, but ended up with a horrible wetsuit hickey around the side of my neck. I could feel it rubbing every time I took a breath. Lesson learned.