3/2 Wetsuits: The Continental Default
The 3/2 is the wetsuit Europe wears most. Fifteen to twenty degree water is the continental sweet spot: Portugal almost year round, Spain and France from late spring through November, the Mediterranean in its cooler moods. Three millimeters of stretch where you paddle, two where you move.
Every Vissla line builds a 3/2: the workhorse 7 Seas, the performance High Seas, the easy entry New Seas, the natural rubber Natural Seas. Same temperature band, different personalities. Choose accordingly.
When to Wear a 3/2 Wetsuit in Europe
The 3/2 full suit owns the 15 to 20°C band, which covers more European surf time than any other thickness. Think Ericeira from May to December, the Basque coast all summer and autumn, Hossegor until the first proper cold front, the Canaries in their brief cool season. If you surf mainland Portugal, Spain, or France and own one wetsuit, this is the thickness it should be. Below 15°C you will want the 4/3. Above 20°C, drop to a spring suit and enjoy yourself.
Which Vissla 3/2
The 7 Seas 3/2 is the honest workhorse: thermal lined, sealed seams, priced like a wetsuit rather than a watch. The High Seas 3/2 is for surfers who want maximum stretch and surf often enough to use it. The New Seas brings the U-Zip entry for people done fighting their rubber. The Natural Seas does the job in natural rubber for the environmentally serious. Chest zip and back zip options run through the range.
Fit Notes
A 3/2 should feel snug dry and perfect wet. Water should not pool in the lower back, and the neck should seal without strangling. Size for your body now, not your winter plans. A good 3/2 disappears once you are surfing. That is the entire review.
