Customer Interview Series: Why a Marine Scientist Chooses Summer Sun for Her Family
"There is nothing like Summer Sun on the market."
How did you first discover us, and what made you decide to give us a try?
As a marine scientist it was so very important to me that my children enjoyed the ocean, enjoyed swimming – and for me as a child I just always remember my sense of cold. So, since they were born I have actively looked at brands on the market that were available for children. However, I know from my many many hours in the ocean for both work and play that wetsuits are just not the most fun bits of clothing – they can be awkward, tight, smelly(!) and so I was looking for something different – soft, easy for children, not toxic and smelly (particularly for my sensory focused child!) and I was so so happy to come across your brand! We bought one wetsuit to try it and pretty quickly both kids and all their cousins overseas also had one and I have been THRILLED that you have introduced the larger sizing as my kids have grown, they still wear them every other day and we will be going overseas in a few weeks and packing them to take!
What were you looking for in a wetsuit before you found us — had you tried other brands and what frustrated you about them?
Honestly they needed to be 1) warm 2) made of a good material 3) easy to get on and off the child and 4) of course, just cute colours and a lovely style (usually its number 4 that gets me looking then I evaluate the others!)
Other brands, where do I start, ok so they usually had one of those four – at best, two of the four – easy to get on and off but not warm and/or made of plastic or very stiff neoprene. It seemed they fit into two categories – those ‘made’ for children so using a different approach than the traditional adult style – or those that were literally just miniature versions of the adult wetsuits.
We used another wetsuit brand for the first 18 months or so of my older son, Alfie’s life – they are made for babies, the smallest have inbuilt swim nappies, soft ‘furry’ lining – but still not the easiest to wrangle a baby into – and honestly not that comfortable for them as the fabric was still very stiff (its essentially a plastic layer!). Then I tried a couple of small brands – we had a wetsuit and a wetsuit jacket, the jacket was useful to layer and get on and off but again the neoprene was too bulky and stiff for Alfie and he didn’t love wearing it.
I have also tried Quiksilver and also O’neil – both honestly just tiny versions of adult wetsuits, annoying to get on and off, legs too long always, standard stiffness in the neoprene when it dries – just a no no for small children, even with the wrestling them on, its not worth it – for age 6 and under a solid 2/10!
As a marine biologist, you spend a lot of time in the water — what matters most to you in a wetsuit and how do we deliver on that?
Things that matter as someone that spends many many hours in the water are warmth – but also achieving that warmth with comfort – having seams in the right places, having a good fit that doesn’t rub with the salt water. The two things come together – because without the fit, of course, you just do not get the warmth! The thing about Summer Sun wetsuits for me is that they deliver on both of those – plus, for kids, they are just so easy to get on and off! Its honestly genius to just always do the short legs because you can always layer – this is one of my favourite things to do as a marine scientist – to have one layer and then if its cold put another over the top and I do this for my kids all the time – sometimes it will just be a ‘warm rashie and boardies day’ but we can always put the summer sun on over the top – in the middle of a beach day, in the middle of an activity in literally 30 seconds – yet once its on it fits perfectly!
Is there a specific moment or experience where our wetsuit really made a difference for you?
I honestly believe that it was his yellow Summer Sun wetsuit that gave my son Alfie the confidence to learn to swim – he had been just ‘treading water’ at swim classes, going through motions – but then we went on holiday and we told him that his wetsuit gave him buoyancy like his swim wings and he went from not swimming to swimming in 4 days – actually from not swimming to snorkelling just in a wetsuit – he called it his special yellow wetsuit.
You've gifted our wetsuits to the people you love — what made you feel confident enough in the brand to give them as a gift, and how do your kids use theirs?
Yes! As you know – I have bought Summer Sun wetsuits for friends and family all over the world – I cannot recommend them enough! They are used for everything from swimming in lakes in the Euro summer, swimming lessons on a cold QLD winter morning in the outside pool, beach trips in northern France! Even just wet playtime in the garden on a bit of a fresh British summertime day! I love that its so easy to gift them because they look beautiful, as soon as you pick one up the softness is UNREAL (I think this is something you can’t even describe until someone picks one up!) – as someone that wears neoprene for work, that can be quite stiff and definitely not this soft, it’s just amazing – its like a soft jumper – not a practical water outfit! It makes it so easy for people to try and then once they have tried, they are asking me for one for the next birthday again!!
How would you describe us to a friend — what do you typically say when you recommend us?
You should really look at this lovely Aussie wetsuit brand that is actually designed for kids (rather than an adult wetsuit made in a smaller size!) and is so warm, soft and easy to use – you can even just slide it on over another wetsuit or swimmers.
I work with many marine scientists across the world and I now work in a role where I am coordinating a lot of marine work in Australia - and I recommend you all. the. time.
What has kept you coming back for five years — is there anything you feel we do that other brands simply don't?
There is nothing like Summer Sun on the market – I wish that I had had them when my youngest was very tiny then I would not have had to try all of the different other types of wetsuits that I did for him before I found you! My youngest has always been a Summer Sun babe – his middle name is Ocean!
My top reasons – warm and soft (both together), easy to pull on and layer, excellent sun protection for the arms, easy on and off so the no-legs works well for that (plus somehow its just easier to sunscreen the kids legs!).
Beyond wetsuits, what values are important to you when choosing the brands you buy from?
For me its about feeling like I have quality – life costs a lot nowadays, so I want to feel like I am spending money consciously on ways that will improve our lives, on things that I open in the mail and they make me smile. Its also not just about functionality but its also about style when I am buying for my kids – I want my kids childhood memories and photos to be joyful and reflect our family and our adventures.
How would you describe your family's lifestyle — how does the ocean factor into your everyday life?
We enjoy the outdoors – yet we live right in the middle of Brisbane city – we frequently head either up or down to the coast, or travel to the Great Barrier Reef or overseas – yet our Summer Sun wetsuits get a lot of winter use at the local pool and the creek!
More from Hannah
Another key reason that your wetsuits are great is they help with learning to swim and with buoyancy – Your wetsuits are the perfect thickness to provide just enough buoyancy support to help little ones with swimming and when we go out on the reef I always put my kids in them to help with buoyancy – sometimes they double layer with two of your wetsuits together if they need extra warmth as they are still able to freely move around
One thing that would be great would be the introduction of a tab to stop the zip coming down – as the wetsuits get older the zip gets a bit slippier, and so a couple of wetsuits that have gone through both kids now slip down at the top and we end up putting a pin across or something.
