Short answer: for kitesurfing in Ireland, a 5/3mm or 5/4mm wetsuit is your year-round workhorse, and to stay comfortable in the depths of winter you'll add boots, gloves and a hood. A 3/2mm is a lovely summer luxury, not a necessity. If you only ever buy one suit for Galway water, make it a 5/3 — it'll cover you from spring through autumn and, with the right accessories, right through the cold months too.
We're in the water off Galway all year round, so here's how we'd actually kit you out, season by season.
Why Irish water demands a thicker suit
The Atlantic off the west coast doesn't get warm the way people imagine the sea should. Sea temperatures here sit roughly between 9°C in late winter and maybe 16°C at the peak of summer — and kitesurfing makes you colder than surfing, because you spend a lot of time sitting in the water rigging, body-dragging and waiting for gusts, and wind chill on a wet suit is no joke. That's why we steer beginners towards more warmth than they think they need. Being cold doesn't just make a session miserable; it makes you tired, slow to react and more likely to call it a day before you've learned anything.
Season by season
Winter (roughly November to March): a 5/4mm suit, plus 5mm boots, gloves and a hood. This is non-negotiable kit if you want to keep riding through the cold months, and it's the difference between an hour of fun and ten minutes of shivering. We stock the warm stuff — have a look at the boots, gloves and hoods alongside your suit.
Spring and autumn (the shoulder seasons): a 5/3mm full suit is bang on. Many people add boots in the cooler weeks and ditch them when it warms up. A good 5/3 like the Mystic Marshall 5/3mm is the suit we'd point most Galway kitesurfers towards first.
High summer (July and August): if you run warm, a 3/2mm such as the Mystic Jayde 3/2mm is gorgeous on a sunny day with a warm breeze. But plenty of locals just stay in their 5/3 all summer and never bother owning a second suit. There's no wrong answer — it comes down to how much you feel the cold.
Thickness, decoded
Those two numbers — 5/3, 3/2, 5/4 — are simply the neoprene thickness in millimetres: the first number is the torso (where you want most warmth), the second is the arms and legs (where you want flexibility to move). A 5/3 is 5mm around your core and 3mm on the limbs. Bigger first number means warmer; smaller second number means more stretch. For a sport where you're throwing your arms around to fly a kite, that bit of flex in the limbs really matters, which is why you don't just buy the thickest suit you can find.
Fit matters more than the label
Here's the thing nobody tells you: a perfectly-rated suit that fits badly will leave you cold. A wetsuit keeps you warm by trapping a thin layer of water against your skin that your body heats up — if the suit is loose, that water keeps flushing through and you never warm up. It should be snug everywhere, with no big gaps at the lower back, knees or armpits, but not so tight you can't breathe or reach up to your bar. This is exactly why we like people trying suits on in the shop rather than guessing online. Browse the full range in our wetsuits and waterwear collection, then come in and we'll get the fit right.
One more tip for beginners
When you're learning, you're in and out of the water far more than an experienced rider, and you're moving less, so you get cold faster. Err on the side of warmth for your first season — a slightly-too-warm suit on a mild day beats a too-thin one any time. If you're booking lessons with us, we can advise on exactly what you'll want for the time of year; have a look at our kitesurfing school page to get started.
Not sure what's right for you? Call into the shop in Barna village and we'll sort you out — there's no substitute for trying a few on.
Read next
- Why Silverstrand is the best place to learn on the west coast
- How many lessons do I need to learn kitesurfing?
- Spend more, save more: our Gear Up & Save range
- Travelling in to ride? See our Mayo, Sligo and Donegal guides.