If you want to be competitive in the world of modern triathlon, then you need a wetsuit. But that wasn’t always the case! In the early days, many triathletes swam in the classic Speedo, even when it was cold. If you want to credit (or blame) one person for changing everything, it’s Quintana Roo’s founder, Dan Empfield.
We tell the story of how Quintana Roo transformed the humble wetsuit into a must-have piece of triathlon gear and changed the entire trajectory of our sport in only a few short years. Plus, we’ll explain why a Quintana Roo HYDROSix2 wetsuit might be just what you need to maximize your potential on race day.
The Origin of the Triathlon Wetsuit
It all started with neoprene, a highly flexible and durable synthetic rubber invented by DuPont back in 1930. Neoprene’s heat-retaining and buoyancy-aiding properties made it perfect for wetsuits, and by the 1950s, the sleek, black wetsuits we’re familiar with today took shape as athletes started using them for surfing, free diving, and other cold water activities. At the time, they were mainly a comfort and safety tool, and swimming speed wasn’t a major concern. That was until triathlon came along.
The sport was still in its infancy in the 1980s, and athletes were experimenting with lots of new gear to try to gain an advantage over their competitors. Some athletes began swimming in surfing wetsuits, but as Dan Empfield explained, it wasn’t a mainstream practice. But that would change very soon.
“At the end of the 1986 season, USTS nationals were held at Bass Lake, near Yosemite,” he said. “The water was cold, and we were standing in the snow in our Speedos waiting for the gun to go off. There were two professional triathletes, Scott Tinley and Gary Peterson, there in their surfing wetsuits.”
Empfield knew Tinley and Peterson would be warmer, but he also thought their restrictive surfing wetsuits would slow them down.
“I thought, okay, this is it. This is the time I come out of the water with these guys,” he said. “But they swam faster than I thought they should have in those wetsuits. The rest of the pro field froze its way through the swim.”
Creating The First Triathlon Wetsuit
Empfield’s experience at Bass Lake was transformative. “I thought, wow, if you don’t go any slower in a wetsuit as restrictive as a surf wetsuit, what would happen if you optimized a wetsuit for surface swimming?”
Empfield was always looking for an advantage, so he bought sewing machines, ordered rolls of neoprene, and got to work creating a prototype wetsuit for himself. To optimize it for swimming, he focused on making the material thinner and more flexible. To increase speed, he made it tighter fitting and with slicker skin. These triathlon-specific changes made an instant impact on his performance.
“I just wanted to make a faster wetsuit for me,” he explained. “I took it down to the pool and swam in it, and I thought, ‘Dang! The clock’s broken.’ Then I swam in it again, and the clock wasn’t broken. I was amazed. I swam about 7 seconds faster for 100 yards than I expected to. At that point, I knew life was going to be different for me.”
Quintana Roo Changes Triathlon
“I was amazed,” Empfield said. “I got a job waiting tables at night, so I could pay for rubber, glue, and thread. I wasn’t thinking about the business end of it. I just wanted to make a faster wetsuit.”
When Empfield’s friends and competitors heard about the new slick-skinned Quintana Roo wetsuits he was making, his phone started ringing off the hook. He hired employees, and the Quintana Roo brand was born. The performance advantage Quintana Roo wetsuits provided stirred up a bit of controversy, but that didn’t stop their instant popularity. Empfield’s innovation soon became a necessity for every competitive triathlete.
“[The 1986 Bass Lake and 1987 Bakersfield triathlon] were separated only by a couple of L.A. tri series races, during which Brad Kearns and Andrew Macnaughton demonstrated quite graphically to the other pros what a difference an actual made-for-the-purpose wetsuit makes,” Empfield said. “I have a photo of the 1987 Bakersfield triathlon swim start. The entire pro field was wetsuit-clad. This race was held in May, in 72-degree water.”
The triathlon wetsuit had officially arrived, and now, it was here to stay.
Quintana Roo HYDROsix2 & HYDROfive2 Wetsuits
Quintana Roo became the world’s first dedicated triathlon brand, and Empfield continued to innovate after introducing the first triathlon wetsuit. In 1989, he created the world’s first triathlon bike, the Quintana Roo Superform, which was designed from the aerobars back to put athletes in the optimal riding position. In 1990, he discovered and pioneered the use of Yamamoto Rubber #39 in our high-end wetsuits. This new rubber was more buoyant and more flexible than any other neoprene rubber. The following year, he added Yamamoto SCS (Super-Composite Skin), an outer coating that added even more buoyancy and protected the rubber from fingernail tears.
Without Quintana Roo, the sport of triathlon would look a lot different (and be a lot slower) than it does today. Over 35 years later, the triathlon wetsuit isn’t significantly different from the original prototype Empfield created. The battle for more performance has largely been fought through improving flexibility and fit. This is where we have focused our efforts with our current HYDROsix2 wetsuit.
As our premier wetsuit, the HYDROsix2 is constructed with a combination of Yamamoto’s buoyant and highly flexible 39 neoprene and durable yet flexible 40 neoprene. The construction uses as few panels as possible and just 27 seams (the fewest in the industry) to maximize the suit’s flexibility. Thin Sensory Catch & Feel forearm panels provide better “feel” in the water for a better catch and pull through your stroke. Our renowned Comfort Seal neck design keeps the suit low along the neckline for increased comfort and minimal to no chafing.
The final result is a fit that feels like a second skin that moves with you in the water, rather than resisting your swim stroke. With that added flexibility, you can reach farther with less restriction, allowing you to maximize your stroke. Breathability is enhanced, as is the ability to sight, kick, and maintain overall proper swim form in open water. For us, the modern HYDROsix2 is the ultimate refinement of the wetsuit innovation that Empfield started over 35 years ago!
