The Black Pearl model offers a very affordable option without sacrificing warmth, comfort, and durability. Features and Benefits The zipper is lightweight and corrosion resistantLess-toxic bonding agent for people with skin sensitivitiesThe Black Pearl has the same design, construction, and fit as the T1 First Wave, but is made of GreenGoma #8 Rubber with Super Composite Skin. Offering a more affordable option without sacrificing warmth, comfort, or durability. The snug neckline of all T1 Wetsuit tops is designed to be comfortable while swimming. Lined with 4-way stretch Nylon Lycra to minimize chafingFlexible 2mm body and arms with a lower neckline for comfortBIO-STROKE design puts your arms into a forward rotated shoulder position for a more efficient swim strokeYKK custom zipper is small, lightweight, and makes removal easier than everChlorine-resistant treatment, but not recommended for repeated use in chlorinated waterSleek graphics, no gimmicksSold as separates for a truly customized fit Two Piece Design About The Design The two-piece design of the T1 Wetsuits offers more comfort and less restriction. Because the top and bottom are not attached, you have much more freedom of movement and there is no “torso-rubber stretch” or shoulder fatigue that occurs with one-piece wetsuits. All T1 models are sold as separates for a customized and personal fit. With up to seven sizes of tops and bottoms, you have 49 possible size combinations from which to choose. Other features we innovated many years ago include lower necklines and thicker rubber in the legs and hips to help float the largest bones and muscles in the body. More flotation here means more speed. T1 Wetsuits are not filled with gimmicks, just physics. Whether you like to swim for exercise or are on the swim course of a Triathlon, T1 Wetsuits offer you speed, comfort, and buoyancy that will make swimming pure pleasure! What is Green Goma? All T1 Wetsuits are made of GreenGoma - a limestone rubber…bye-bye petroleum wetsuits Until recently all triathlon wetsuits have been made of petroleum. First in the industry to introduce limestone rubber into our wetsuits, all T1 Wetsuits incorporate this amazing GreenGoma technology. So what does this all mean to you? GreenGoma rubber offers better stretch, buoyancy, durability, and insulation with a more closed-cell injected construction thus making it 98.9% water impermeable. So it is lighter, dries quicker, and lasts longer. The only part of the rubber that gets wet is the new stretch liner that is now made of recycled post-consumer products. So is this rubber enviro-friendly? Is it a “green” wetsuit? We have seamlessly replaced one rubber with another that is better, more buoyant, helps you swim faster, and lasts longer. If nothing else were to change, you would have a better-performing product with less detriment to the environment, which is always our goal. Please allow us to be perfectly upfront. There are a handful of companies that are manufacturing wetsuits out of limestone rubber and then marketing them as enviro-friendly. Currently, wetsuit rubber is either made of petroleum, which begins with oil exploration and drilling, or, in the alternative, made of limestone, which begins with mining. Both petroleum and limestone have taken hundreds of thousands of years to produce and both are nonrenewable resources; both are in limited supply on our earth, require heat, and create pollution and waste to refine into a finished product. So for one to claim that a limestone wetsuit is “green” is just not true, at least not yet. It is apparent in light of the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, that limestone is cleaner when one considers the risk of environmental disasters. The factory that makes our GreenGoma uses much less heat to refine it as compared to its petroleum counterpart. This is a step in the right direction. In order for us to step away from limestone in the future, we need to first step away from petroleum and look for other “greener” options. The idea of trying to create a green wetsuit has inspired us to change to recycled internal fabrics with no VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) dyes. The use of non-toxic laminates and adhesives during the assembly process are additional steps in our goal. We are getting closer to finding water-based adhesives that are stronger and more flexible. Finally, we are working with YKK on developing a wetsuit zipper made of recycled materials. As for recyclability and sustainability, no wetsuit rubber in the world is recyclable. Yes, old triathlon wetsuits can and should be reused for other sports, or can be cut up and used as potholders, used for insulation, and even be turned into beer and soft drink koozies. For now, the most obvious form of sustainability is simply that we have created a wetsuit that will last longer, so you will not have to replace it as soon. Before any of us can swim 2.4 miles, we first need to get across the length of a pool. When it comes to making a greener wetsuit, we are the first to dive in! De Soto T1 Gender Specific Size Chart Sizing Guidance All T1 models are sold as separates for a customized and personal fit. With up to seven sizes of tops and bottoms, you have 49 possible size combinations from which to choose. Please refer to gender-specific sizing chart to ensure an accurate fit. If you're between sizes we recommend choosing the smaller size as the Green Goma is extremely flexible. An open-water swimming wetsuit should always be snug and never baggy.
