Orca Athlex Flow wetsuit review

Orca revamped their wetsuit line in 2023, with the Athlex Flow replacing the Sonar, which had been a mid-range mainstay of their range for over a decade.

Yet it proves to be a case of different suit, same feel with the Athlex Flow… which is a good thing, as the Sonar was a reliably flexible and buoyant suit.

Buoyancy profile

The Athlex Flow is billed as Orca’s ‘most balanced’ suit, sitting in the middle of their six-strong triathlon wetsuit range, and aims to find the sweetspot between flexibility and buoyancy.

The former stems from the 2mm neoprene thickness in the arms and shoulders, and mix of proven Yamamoto 39 and 38 neoprene across the build.

The buoyancy, meanwhile, comes from the Aerodome build, which stems from the air pockets located between the two layers of neoprene and the 4/5mm thickness of the suit in parts of the legs and upper body.

Performance

Into the waters of Portugal’s Algarve and the Athlex Flow feels like a crowd-pleasing all-rounder, which is what you want in a mid-level suit.

Orca’s trademark upper-body flexibility swiftly became apparent, feeling unrestrictive even towards the end of lengthy open-water swims.

There’s also the offer of hydrodynamic potential with the Super Composite Skin (SCS) finish on the surface of the suit and, anecdotally, my swim times were swifter in the Athlex Flow than 2024’s other mid-range contenders.

Buoyancy was measured yet not excessive, evidently offering more lift than Orca’s Athlex Flex (£299/$399) and Apex Flex (£589/$719) suits, but less than the Apex Float (£499/$619) and Athlex Float (£239/$349).

It lacks the ultra-flexibility of the Apex Flex’s 1mm arms, but I have less worries about durability with the 2mm arms here.

You can see our reviews of more of the Apex and Athlex range in our list of the best triathlon wetsuits.

Comfort and design

Elsewhere, the laser-cut collar helps minimise neck chafing while limiting the water ingress when swimming, before the solid YKK zipper combines with the supple materials to aid the ease of removal once back on dry land.

Although the visuals are neat enough, the grey/black colour scheme is pretty understated and your race-day supporters might struggle to spot you in the sea of black neoprene.

I’ve always preferred some blue or red on my Orca suits, but I’ll admit I’m a sucker for their included mesh backpacks.

The bottom line

Overall, then, the Athlex Flow achieves its modus operandi of hitting the sweetspot between buoyancy and flexibility.

Unless you need a huge amount of lift in the water or are in search of the ultimate in elasticity, this suit should please a wide array of triathlon swimmers.

It’s also not to be sniffed at in the speed stakes.

Looking for something cheaper? See our list of the best budget wetsuits.

Orca Athlex Flow wetsuit specs

Price:	£379 / $519
Available from:	Sigma Sports (men’s), Sigma Sports (women’s)
Sizes:	4-11 on Orca’s size scale (men’s), XS-XL (women’s)
Thickness:	From 2mm in the arms to a high of 5mm in parts of the legs
Material:	Yamamoto 39 and 38 neoprene with an SCS coating