Book a Wetsuit Fitting

Book a wetsuit fitting with Dan

A size chart can point you in the right direction, but nothing replaces advice from someone who genuinely understands swimming, body position and how a wetsuit should perform in the water.

With more than 20 years of experience selling and fitting wetsuits from multiple leading brands, Dan is one of New Zealand’s most experienced swimming wetsuit fitters. He has seen how different wetsuits fit, perform, stretch and wear over time—and which impressive-sounding features genuinely make a difference in the water.

High-performance swimming and coaching experience

Dan’s knowledge extends well beyond selling wetsuits. His background includes competitive swimming, high-performance coaching and success at national championship level.

His coaching career includes National Junior Championship success in 2003, 2004 and 2006, together with National Age Group Coach Champion honours in 2003, 2004 and 2016.

For many years, Dan also worked as 2IC alongside leading coaches Jan Cameron and Thomas Ansorg. This gave him extensive experience working within a high-performance programme and helping to develop swimmers competing at national and international levels.

Dan was also the head video analyst for North Shore Swimming Club during a period when the club had produced more than 20 Olympians. He worked closely with the head coaches, using detailed video analysis to identify areas that high-performance athletes could improve.

This included examining body position, stroke mechanics, timing, efficiency and movement through the water. That experience now helps Dan assess how a wetsuit may affect each swimmer’s technique—not simply whether it looks like it fits while they are standing in the shop.

More than selecting a size

The first consideration is what you actually want your wetsuit to do.

Are you looking for warmth, additional buoyancy, greater flexibility, improved body position, more speed or simply more confidence in open water? A popular or expensive wetsuit is not automatically the right wetsuit for your swimming.

Dan will help determine whether the product you are considering will genuinely do the job you need it to do—or whether another model, design or level of wetsuit would suit you better.

Many retail fittings begin with what the salesperson has available to sell. Our fittings begin with what you actually need. If we do not have the right product for you, Dan will tell you honestly.

We would rather lose a sale than sell you the wrong wetsuit for your body, swimming style or goals. The right advice may not always lead to an immediate purchase, but it should lead to a much better swimming experience.

During your fitting, Dan will consider what you want from your wetsuit, whether it is suitable for its intended purpose, your height, weight and body shape, your swimming ability and experience, your shoulder movement and flexibility, your natural body position in the water, where and how often you plan to swim, and whether you need additional warmth, flexibility, speed or buoyancy.

After working with multiple wetsuit brands for more than two decades, Dan can explain what works, what does not and what is mostly clever marketing wearing a shiny neoprene jacket.

Honest swimming guidance

Your appointment can also be an opportunity to discuss your wider swimming journey.

Dan can provide guidance about the type of coaching that may suit your ability and goals, what to look for when choosing a credible and experienced coach, coaching approaches or warning signs to be cautious of, good local swim squads, open-water groups and triathlon clubs, events and distances that may suit your experience, and practical ways to become more comfortable and confident in open water.

The goal is not simply to sell you a wetsuit. It is to help you choose the right equipment, coaching and swimming environment to help you improve and enjoy the sport.

Many swimmers mistakenly choose a larger wetsuit because the correct size initially feels tight. A swimming wetsuit should fit firmly when dry and will relax once you enter the water. If it is too large, water can enter and move around inside the suit, creating drag and making your swim harder.

Dan will also show you how to put your wetsuit on correctly, position it properly through the legs, hips, body and shoulders, and protect the neoprene from unnecessary damage.

Whether you are buying your first wetsuit or upgrading to a high-performance model, a personal fitting gives you confidence that you are choosing the right suit—not simply the closest size on a chart.

Book your fitting

Personal wetsuit fittings are available at:

SwimT3 – The Swim Shop
66 Mt Eden Road, Auckland