Men’s Boardshorts & Women’s Swimsuits – Have the Right Threads?
Looking for board shorts and swim suits that are made with all the right stuff? No matter what, our swimwear has come a long way from the days of vintage swim trunks, but that could mean a lot of different things depending on what you need and like. Below, we’ve elaborated on the various materials used in our men’s boardshorts and performance women’s swimsuits, the benefits they offer and the issues they address.
Diamond Dobby -The Bondi Boardshorts Have It All
Original Watermen’smen’s Bondi boardshorts are the most revolutionary boardshorts on the market. The diamond dobby material alone stakes this claim.
Royal Blue Bondi men’s board shorts
Diamond dobby is a rip stop material with a super flexible 4-way stretch. The ripstop prevents runs, tears and rips in case your board shorts get snagged. Most other materials when will almost surely run, fray and continue making an unstoppable hole in your board shorts. The superb 4-way flex allows the freedom of movement no matter how you are using your board shorts.
Not to mention, these men’s boardshorts don’t sacrifice any of the resistance, durability or fast-drying aspects equipped in all of our premier boardshorts. They’re made from the lightest, most durable, fastest drying, most comfortable and high-tech materials in today’s world.
Supplex Soft
Black Original board shorts
For those not interested in stretchy boardshorts, there is no comparing our Original men’s boardshorts and their super soft 100% supplex-nylon to the old school rough, stiff, loud crinkling nylon boardshorts from days gone by. This supplex-nylon blend is an advanced textured fabric that gives you the feel of soft cotton. Yet, unlike cotton, supplex-nylon will help hold the boardshorts’ shape and not stretch out; nor will they fade, shrink or crease. Supplex-nylonis like wearing cotton without the heavy weight and non-drying feel.
Water Weighs You Down
Men, are you over the boardshorts that stick to your legs after getting out of the water? Tired of boardshorts that can take hours to feel dry? Our Supplex-Nylon material is resistant to the penetration of water which prevents the boardshorts from dragging on your legs when wet. It’s different than cotton which traps the moisture and sticks to your skin. Since the Supplex-Nylon is water resistant and doesn’t soak up water, your board shorts feel dry in minutes. It’s water resistant yet breathable, and therefore helps prevents rashes caused by heavy, rough, and water-soaked materials.
Fading and High-Tech Polyester
Whether you are a lifeguard at the pool or the beach – male or female – you want swimsuits that are made from anti-fade fabric. Hours in the sun or chlorine are harsh on both swim suits and lifeguard apparel. The sun and chlorine cause the colors to bleach and the material to weaken. We raise the bar in the watersports & -activity training & lifeguard swimsuit markets with these more advanced blends of sanded polyester.
Royal blue X-Back women’s swimsuit
On the ladies’ side, the X-Back Elite swimsuit for women uses blends of polyester, Spandex, sanded microfiber, supplex and Cool-Plus to create the perfect lifeguard women’s swimsuit. This polyester blend is strong and flexible, and wrinkle and tear resistant. The Women’s X-Back Elite is rated to withstand 300+ plus hours of chlorine and sun abuse. They guarantee it will hold its color. The X-Back Elite women’s swimsuit’s 4-way stretch polyester blend is also breathable and intensely comfortable.
The retro swim trunks for men also boast this soft and durable high-tech hydrophobic polyester/spandex blend on the inside with their Cool-Plus Comfort liners (not mesh!), engineered to keep you cool, comfortable, dry and rash free. The hydrophobic material wicks away the water, drying your shorts ultra-fast. This advanced material comes in the entire line of the Retro Collection!
Xtra LifeLycra – Strengthening Women’s Swimsuits and Men’s Boardshorts.
Xtra Life Lycra is a cutting edge, sustainable techno-fabric that uses the latest yarn and knitting technologies to create the most comfortable, ultra-soft and durable swimwear available today.
We use Xtra Life Lycra fiber in some of their women’s swimsuits and men’s boardshorts to improve their comfort and longevity. These suits with Xtra Life Lycra fiber are twice as strong and resistant to chlorinated water, heat and sunscreen lotions that typically breakdown fibers more quickly causing the material to lose its softness and other qualities. Swimwear that’s protected with Xtra Life Lycra fiber will have no significant fiber breakage even after hundreds of hours of exposure to the elements. And a special blend with nylon helps it not fade from extensive sun exposure.
performance bikini
Our women’s training and rescue bikinis are blended with the fiber technology of Spandex and Xtra Life Lycra which makes their fabrics ultra-soft. We also have Xtra Life Lycra rescue bikinis blended with polyester so they won’t stretch out too much to help support those ladies with a little more curves. These women’s training lifeguard bikinis are free from bunching, sagging and stiffness, and prevent having to be pulled up all day. The material’s fibers also have a run-resistant technology that helps prevent perforations, holes, snags and scratches.
We also use the Xtra Life Lycra on all their men’s boardshorts flies to ensure that ultra-soft feel never goes away in the most delicate of areas.
At Original Watermen, we combine these fabrics to produce men’s and women’s swimwear that is durable, anti-microbial and great at preventing rashes. We use the highest-grade materials and promise our customers comfort, style, and quality. Whether you’re a lifeguard on the beach all day or a surfer catching their morning rides, our swimwear will take you as far as you want to go, and helps you feel and look great before and after you get wet. It’s an investment you won’t regret!
At Original Watermen, we know commando is a popular choice among guys while doing water activities. We also understand the downsides that come with it after spending a day Earning Your Salt. As a result, we’ve developed top-notch men’s boardshorts as well as boardshort liners that supply ample support and flexibility at the same time, protect from rashes and odors, and even defend against the risk of exposure.
The Fly
Have you worn board shorts where the Velcro fly bunches up or sticks and pulls on the most painful places? Original Watermen’s special gusseted Lycra fly prevents rashes and puckers. The gusset reduces the stress from tight fitting clothing, while the Lycra provides the comfort, great fit and superior movement. This combination has created the #1 selling lifeguard board shorts on the market.
To Mesh or Not to Mesh
In the beginning, mesh was used as a lightweight, sand-free barrier to protect a guy’s private places from direct contact with the rough, harsh, stiff fabric of the actual board shorts. Lifeguards found the mesh itself even rubbed on body parts causing chaffing, rashes and raw spots, and became very uncomfortable as the day wore on. On the other hand, lifeguards liked the support and stability that the mesh provided.
We at Original Watermen saw (and felt!) the need and demand for a different type of board shorts mesh. Instead of the porthole type netting, they used state-of-the-art material to reinvent the mesh liner in an unparalleled way. That Cool-Plus-Comfort liner is a solid netting that improves the circulation of air flow and wicks away moisture, ensuring that the areas covered by the mesh don’t stay damp. Our Cool-Plus-Comfort mesh liner also provides a smoother, evened out line under your board shorts so when there’s a change in conditions, you’re the only one to know. Last but not least, our mesh liners, with moisture wicking and anti- bacterial fabric can be worn in comfort day after day. The U.S. Coast Guards enjoy the Original Watermen G Trunks because these men’s board shorts are packed with top-of-the-line features, including Ultra-lock seam construction, high strength thread, and, of course, the Cool-Plus-Comfort mesh liner.
So, if you’re one who likes mesh in your board shorts, you’ll never go back to the porthole mesh liners once you try Original Watermen’s super soft and comfy, fast-drying, stretchy Cool-Plus-Comfort mesh liners.
The Cure for Boxers
If mesh is not for you, but you’re over wearing that heavy, non-drying underwear underneath your board shorts, Original Watermen has the solution to that problem too. We have designed standalone boardshort liners (not connected to the boardshorts) that are essentially men’s compression shorts made for aquatic and even amphibious environments. These unrivaled compressions shorts for men provide extra support, protection, warmth as well as the privacy desired without being constantly damp and weighed down by wearing wet boxers. That’s right, with quick-drying features backed by a rash free guarantee, these compression shorts for men are ideal for transitioning to and from water and dry land.
These compression shorts can be worn underneath a pair of boardshorts but the fabric’s quality is good enough they can be worn alone, like if you’re a triathlete or open water swimmer. Plus, the prints are so stylish we wouldn’t blame you for wanting to don them solo. But their performance and functionality is truly what sets them apart… Because when the set comes rolling in or your muscles start cramping and pinching, the style points won’t get you through. These performance compressions shorts will literally cradle you through the chaos with their ultra-soft, breathable fabric. Last but not least, the day-after odors can be as uncomfortable as a rash. That’s why these men’s compressions shorts have a zero-odor factor, made with antimicrobial fabric. Remember it’s all about comfort.
Insanely Comfortable
Original Watermen’s men’s board shorts and boardshort liners are made of the lightest, softest and most versatile materials engineered. Forget the old school heavy and abrasive material that rubs you raw by the end of the day. Original Watermen uses 100% sanded polyester microfiber and spandex combinations that create a soft nest for your junk, keeping you dry, cool and rash-free on even the hottest and most humid days.
If you haven’t then consider yourself very lucky. Stingrays inflict a whole world of pain on their unfortunate victims, and the only treatment is to endure the gut churning pain, while soaking the injured limb in borderline scalding water.
Stingrays are everywhere in the United States
There are twenty-two different species of stingrays in the United States waters. They span from coast to coast, in bays and oceans, in brackish to salty waters and the only way to prevent a stingray strike would be to wear steel lined combat boots while swimming. Sure the ‘stingray shuffle’ works for most but eventually you will be stung if you spend most of your days at the bays and beaches we love so much. It is estimated that over 2,500 people will be stung in the United States this year.
I have been a lifeguard in Southern California for over ten years, and in that time, I have treated countless stingray victims. No one is safe. I have seen victims at every location imaginable and stings to pretty much everybody part, so pretty much if there is salt in the water there is a chance of getting stung by one of these pesky critters.
At lifeguard stations throughout the country the standard treatment is to soak the foot in hot water typically about 112 degrees or as hot as you can stand without burning the skin. However, there is great risk involved when you are treated at the lifeguard station. Lifeguards reuse the buckets for stingrays and these bloody buckets are supposed to be cleaned and ‘sterilized’ after each treatment. This doesn’t always happen and there have been some cases where people are infected with a serious blood borne diseases like HIV, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C following a treatment by lifeguards. The buckets you soak your feet in at the lifeguard station have seen hundreds of bloody feet and all it takes is a little mistake by the cleaner of the bucket to seriously change your life. The only way to completely avoid accidental infection by something much worse than a stingray sting is to use a sterile single use stingray bag. The bag should be free standing when water is poured in so you’re not stuck holding it up while enduring the excruciating pain. The stingray bags that are sold here… are both free standing and insulated so you just need to add hot water and head straight home or to the hospital.
Why you need a stingray kit
Many remote beaches have no lifeguards and especially no access to hot water. At our lifeguard store we have patented a product for just that occasion. It is a safe chemical reaction kit that heats water on the go anywhere. Just add water.
Here is a list of beach and safety essentials put together by a professional lifeguard. To date, most of the “What to take to the beach?” lists say the same thing, that is why our lifeguards have come up with a comprehensive list we guarantee, you never thought of. And for your convenience, everything is easily found within our lifeguard store.
Prepare for Everything
1) Sting Rays
Every family needs to carry a Stingray Kit with them to the beach, which can be purchases at our lifeguard store. Lifeguards report hundreds of stingray stings all along the coast, thus are warning swimmers to beware of the stingrays when entering the water. Though sting rays are not aggressive, beachgoers are stung by accident more often than you can imagine. Stingray stings are one of the most common dive and beach-related injuries. And if you have ever experienced the sting, you know it needs to be taken care of immediately. The excruciating pain if left unattended will put down even the toughest individual for 6-8 hours.
What should you expect if stung?
The person feels an immediate, sharp, excruciating pain that peaks in 1-2 hours. The wound bleeds. The wounded area may become swollen and may turn blue or red. Lymph nodes may become swollen.
Serious symptoms:jo8
Nausea
Vomiting
Fever
Chills
muscle cramps
tremors
paralysis
fainting
seizures
elevated heart rate
decreased blood pressure
Death may even occur, so fast action is needed. By using a Portable Ray RX Stingray Kit from our lifeguard store, you can stop symptoms before they start.
2) Drowning
Lifeguards always say, “Don’t drown your kids with standard heavy cotton t-shirts”, these tend to become heavy and bothersome while swimming. Instead we recommend Rashguards (Surf Shirts), they are light weight and breathable. Rashguards are used by lifeguards and the public against rashes caused by abrasions and nasty sunburns from extended exposure to the sun. Rashguards can be worn by themselves, or under a wetsuit.
3) Rashes
Combining sand, sun, and salt water with surfboards, life vests, or wetsuits create the perfect environment for beastly beach rash. Again, in the lifeguard store our Rashguards or surf shirts provide a barrier between the rash causing elements.
Our lifeguard store also has lower body rashguards. You can wear them under boardshorts, wetsuits or by themselves. At Original Watermen, we created the watermen short (our version of compressions shorts), where we offer a rash-free guarantee, as it is made with antimicrobial odor eliminating fabric.
4) Jelly Fish
Lifeguards deal with jelly fish stings daily. Jelly fish are unseen in the approaching wave; therefore, stings are a common. The tentacles trailing from the jellyfish body inject you with venom from small barbed stingers. Jellyfish stings vary greatly in severity. Getting stung results in immediate pain and red marks on the skin. Some jellyfish stings may cause illness and in rare cases jellyfish stings can cause death. Protection can be improved by putting on a rashguard life the ones we carry at our lifeguard store.
Jelly fish sting
First and foremost, seek emergency medical help if you feel you are having a severe allergic reaction, if the sting is from a box jellyfish or if the sting covers more than half an arm or leg.
What should you do once stung?
Get out of the water
Remove all tentacles by scraping the affected area with a credit card
Immerse the affected arm or leg immediately in hot water for at least twenty minutes
This is another instance where the sting ray kit from our lifeguard store can help, as it contains a self-contained heating system.
Rinse the area with vinegar for at least 30 seconds (If vinegar is not available make a paste of baking soda and water, and apply over the affected area)
5) Sun Danger
Of course, you need sun protection in and out of the water. At the lifeguard store we offer Solrx sunscreen. Solrx was voted best in its class, and lasts 8 hours with one single application, plus it stays on in the water. Solrx sunscreen is recommended by dermatologists and is both hypoallergenic and non-comedogenic.
Don’t forget your hats
We have a wide variety of hats in our lifeguard store. Not only do hats protect your face from the bad (UV) rays of the sun, but a hat also protects your eyes, ears and the top of your head from disease and skin cancer. Extended exposure to the sun’s UV rays has been linked to eye damage, including cataracts and macular degeneration.
How does the sun affect you?
UV rays radiate from the sun and come from many directions and are reflected from the ground, water, snow, sand and other bright surfaces. Sun damage to eyes occurs even on cloudy days as the sun’s rays pass through haze and thin clouds. Protect your eyes from UV rays by wearing a hat and sunglasses. In our lifeguard store, we have a quiver of hats, which offer you an array of options, for any day and any condition.
Now you have a complete list of essential equipment needed for a safe day at the beach, and all can be quickly found on our Original Watermen website and lifeguard store.
Lifeguards around the world, save more people from rip currents than any other ocean danger. Rip currents are the number one killer of beachgoers. Lifeguards perform over 70,000 ocean rescues per year and more than 80% of all lifeguard rescue attempts involve saving someone caught in a rip current. Rip currents claim over 100 victims a year in the USA alone. Lifeguards say more men than women drown in rip currents. During the last 3-day weekend lifeguards had nearly 3000 ocean rescues as massive crowds hit the beaches. With crowds that large parents must be their child’s number one lifeguard. Don’t just roll over and sleep expecting the lifeguard to babysit your child. The guards are watching hundreds of people in the water at the same time. As well lifeguards are dealing with non-water emergencies, like people stung by ray stings and in need assistance from lifeguard equipment such as a sting ray kit. Lifeguards are also dealing with complaints, answering questions and crowd control on top of rescues at the beach.
What exactly is a rip current?
Rip currents or Rips are sometimes called Rip tides, but this is a misnomer because tides play no role in causing these strong off-shore flowing currents. A rip is a strong, localized, and narrow current of water compared to a river running out to sea. The river current runs from shore to sea and can take you with it as it goes. Rips do not pull you under but they do pull you out into the water. Strong rip currents move at speeds of 3 to 8 feet per second. Rip currents can occur anywhere there are breaking waves, including large lakes. There are over 500 lifeguard rescues in the Great Lakes each year. Remember swimming where lifeguards are present can save your life
How to spot a rip current?
Recognizing rip currents can be difficult. Be on the lookout for a channel of churning, foaming, or choppy water where waves are struggling to form. Rip currents are a different color than the surrounding water, because they tend to pick up and stir up sand.
Most rip current deaths are avoidable. Most victims die because they panic, exhaust themselves or lack swimming skills. Lifeguards quickly react to a spotted victims by grabbing their lifeguard equipment essentials; swim fins and rescue tube while racing into the water. Victims that remain calm will more than likely survive. Remember, most rip current deaths happen when people choose to swim without a lifeguard present.
Be sure to heed warnings that are posted and issued by lifeguards. Lifeguards place flags on the beach alerting families of the dangers in the waters. Beware of Red flags. The flag system is just like a traffic light;
Green = Good to Go
Yellow = Caution
Red = Stop
Steps to take when caught in a rip current
Original Watermen, a lifeguard company created by lifeguards for lifeguards lists several steps to help you avoid disaster in an open water rip current. Think twice about entering the water, if you feel a strong pull on your legs in the shallow water. If you find yourself in a rip current, don’t panic. If you feel frightened and are on a beach with a lifeguard, wave your hands thus making yourself more visible. If you feel you are getting swept out to sea stay calm. If you don’t have the swimming skills or energy to swim parallel out of the rip, float on your back and go with the current until the lifeguard is able to come to your rescue. Don’t exhaust yourself by struggling to swim towards shore. The rip current usually disappears after the last set of waves. The lifeguard will bring proper lifeguard equipment with them to bring you safely back to the beach.
If no lifeguard is present we encourage you to ride the rip current until it dissipates and then swim at an angle away from it towards the shore or swim at an angle parallel to the beach in either direction until you feel the rip lighten up before heading back to shore. Rips can be so strong that not even professional swimmers can swim against them. Rip currents are typically only 20-100 feet wide.
Original Watermen Lifeguards have saved hundreds of victims with equipment from our lifeguard store, from rip currents because they are top notch guards using the best open water safety lifeguard equipment on the market.
Some of the earliest known lifeguard equipment has been around since the early 1900s. One of the most staple pieces of lifeguard equipment, the lifeguard rescue tube or can is a piece that in 1919 was called the Walters Torpedo buoy. It was named after its inventor, Henry Walters, a member of the Red Cross Volunteer Life Saving Corps.
Lifeguard Rescue Tubes/Cans/Buoys
Lifeguard rescue tubes sometimes call rescue cans or buoys are flotation devices that make water rescues easier. The essential marine rescue tube supports both the victim and rescuers weight during the rescue. Lifeguards are required to have their rescue tube within arms distance at all times. In an emergency, the lifeguard will grab their rescue tube and their rescue fins as they run to assist the victim.
No doubt the lifeguard rescue tube is one of the most famous pieces of lifeguard. The lifeguard rescue tube was used during World War II by the Germans. These rescue tubes or cans were scattered and tossed into the English Channel for downed Luftwaffe flyers. These rescue tubes saved many German airmen. The rescue tube has been modified over the years. It was redesigned back in 1960 and has been the fundamental lifesaving tool for conscious multiple victim rescues ever since. The rescue tubes are still the number one piece of lifeguard equipment used throughout the world.
Lifeguard Fins
Doubtful a day goes by that you see a lifeguard without this piece of lifeguard equipment; lifeguard fins are designed for greater propulsion through the water with minimal effort. Leonardo da Vinci was a true Watermen and thought the human feet were too small to be useful in water so toyed with the idea of a swim fin. But it was Benjamin Franklin who made a pair of wooden hand fins as a young boy. In 1914 the modern swim fins were invented by a Frenchmen Louis de Corlieu, a Lieutenant Commander in the French Navy. After leaving the Navy in 1924 he spent the next 9 years developing and perfecting two fins for the feet and two spoon shaped fins for the hands. He patented these two unique fins and when translated from French the fins were called, swimming and rescue propulsion devices.
The present day legendary fin is now constructed and shaped for maximum surf performance from dual density rubber with a soft rubber foot pocket and a stiff blade. Lifeguard rescue fins are non-marking and full-floating, and are hydro-dynamically designed for greater propulsion. Lifeguard fins typically have a shorter blade, grip for jetty rescues and floats well. Lifeguards have been known to run in deep sand with this fin. Duck Feet lifeguard fins are also highly acclaimed and a coveted fin since its inception from SEALS to the seasoned beach lifeguards.
Our favorite lifeguard swim fin here at Original Watermen is Da Fins lifeguard swim fin. It is one of the best fins for all beach lifeguard agencies. These fins will actually float and wash in, if lost in the water. Da Fins Work well with jetty rescues and cobble hopping.
Lifeguard Backboards
Finally, probably the most evolved piece of lifeguard equipment is the rescue lifeguard backboard. Its beginning in 1979 has progressed from a slab of wood with sinew leather straps to secure the injured victim, to a heavy-duty polyethylene shell, that is x-ray translucent. The early rescue backboards, or sometimes called spine boards were constructed of cheap, poorly sealed, porous wood. The inexpensive sheets of plywood also absorbed fluids, so with the rise of HIV and other infectious diseases, plastic and aluminum three-part composite boards were created.
Is your lifeguard equipment outdated and of poor or unacceptable quality? Or is your lifeguard equipment in need of replacement? If you answered yes to either of those questions, take some time to visit our lifeguard store, and update your lifeguard equipment. At Original Watermen, we carry everything you need, as we were created by lifeguards, for lifeguards.
Boardshorts and Boxers
Lifeguards around the world, save more people from rip currents than any other ocean danger. Rip currents are the number one killer of beachgoers. Lifeguards perform over 70,000 ocean rescues per year and more than 80% of all lifeguard rescue attempts involve saving someone caught in a rip current. Rip currents claim over 100 victims a year in the USA alone. Lifeguards say more men than women drown in rip currents. During the last 3-day weekend lifeguards had nearly 3000 ocean rescues as massive crowds hit the beaches. With crowds that large parents must be their child’s number one lifeguard. Don’t just roll over and sleep expecting the lifeguard to babysit your child. The guards are watching hundreds of people in the water at the same time. As well lifeguards are dealing with non-water emergencies, like people stung by ray stings and in need assistance from lifeguard equipment such as a 
