How does a wetsuit keep you warm?

Question

As the title suggests I’ve always hated getting into cold water and have been told a wetsuit keeps you warm, how exactly does that work?

In: Biology

Answer 1

Eli5 explanation is this:

Without a wetsuit, you have cold water continually washing away your body heat as you swim.

With a wetsuit, you have a protective layer of the SAME water-soaked material that your body heat can warm. The cold water washing over you doesn’t wash away your body heat.

You are kept “relatively” warm compared to the surrounding water but obviously won’t be warmed up like you would be under a blanket next to a roaring fire.