What is the difference between a wetsuit and a dry suit?

Wetsuits keep a layer of water against your skin that must be warmed by your body heat. Your body works to warm the water which uses up energy that could have been spent on your sport. When hit with more cold water, you must warm it up again. Wetsuits perform poorly in the air and wind and have high evaporative heat loss. So if you use a wetsuit we highly recommend wearing a paddling jacket over it. Dry suits keep water completely outside. You can also regulate the warmth of a dry suit system by adding or removing layers underneath. Those made with GORE-TEX fabric allow body moisture to escape keeping you even drier.  more