Wrong suit

Hi everyone

Complete novice to tri - have found out I've got the wrong sort of wetsuit (surf). As my aim is for an olympic should I grin and bare it or bite the bullet and get/hire another as not even sure if this will become a regular addition to my schedule

I'd recommend getting or hiring a tri wetsuit, based on the experience of a friend of mine who thought he'd use a surf wetsuit and changed his mind after one practice swim, where he got very cold and very tired. He then hired a tri wetsuit and found it made a big difference - it's easier to swim because it will help with body position and it's easier to move your arms. Might depend on the water temperature and how good a swimmer/ how used to swimming in your surf wetsuit you are though. 

as hb says - hire one. if you get bitten by the tri bug, then you can invest in a tri wetsuit. you do see people racing in surf wetties but I have to say, I've never seen one come out of the water before me!

or - depending when the Oly race is, you may find the water warm enough to go without.

Made the same mistake when i started out last year ... i'd say definately go the hire route .. you usually then get the option to buy it if you want anyway ,  so a good way to go without having to commit to the long term costs until you decide its the sport for you .  I just did the one event in the surf suit ... was about fifth from last out of the water .. of those behind me two others were in the wrong suits and one had decided to swim the whole thing butterfly.. The difference swimming in a propper wet suit is massive , will literally knock minutes not seconds off your time as you wont be dragging gallons of water with you, plus as mentioned above the bouyancy is set up to hold you in a better position.