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Buoyancy Shorts - The Premium Option : 5/3mm
Front view of a shirtless man wearing premium 5/3mm buoyancy shorts in black with red panel accents.
Back view of a shirtless man wearing black Buoyancy Shorts 5/3mm wetsuit shorts.
Zone3 Premium 5/3mm neoprene buoyancy shorts on a white background.
Zone3 Premium 5/3mm neoprene buoyancy shorts on a white background.
Buoyancy Shorts - The Premium Option : 5/3mm

53 reviews

Buoyancy Shorts - The Premium Option : 5/3mm

The Premium Option is the most buoyant, lowest-drag pair in Zone3’s buoyancy shorts range. Aerodome side panels provide 30% more buoyancy than standard neoprene, lifting your hips and upper legs into a flat, streamlined position, while the SCS coating across the panels cuts drag to a coefficient of 0.021. The result is a natural alternative to a pull buoy that keeps your full kick and rotation in play.
$139.00
SIZE- XS
Buoyancy Shorts - The Premium Option : 5/3mm
Buoyancy Shorts - The Premium Option : 5/3mm
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Key Features
Delivery & Refunds
Delivery & Refunds

UK

  • DPD Pick Up Service (UK mainland only) - £3.95
  • Standard: £4.25 / Free for orders over £175.
  • Next Working Day: £6.95 or £4.95 for orders over £175 (order by 2:45pm, Mon–Fri, excludes Weekends and Bank Holidays).
  • Guernsey, Isle of Man & Jersey: £7.95 / €9.95 (free for orders over £175 / €175).

EU

  • Shipping costs calculated at checkout (import fees apply).

Germany

  • Standard: €10.95 / Free for orders over €175. 

Ireland

  • Standard: €12.95 / Free for orders over €175. 

US

  • Free for orders over $250. Shipping costs calculated at checkout (import fees apply).

Rest of the World

  • Shipping costs calculated at checkout

Returns: Accepted within 30 days. Not applicable for Ex-Demo products.

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Buoyancy Shorts - The Premium Option : 5/3mm

WHO IT’S FOR 

Your legs sink when you swim, and you want the strongest correction available without losing your stroke. You already know what buoyancy training does; now you want the version built with the same technologies as a top-end wetsuit. The Premium Option gives you the wetsuit feel in the pool or warm open water, with nothing about your kick or rotation compromised. 

  • Trains in the pool or warm open water without a wetsuit 
  • Wants the most lift and the least drag available in the range 
  • Prefers a natural alternative to a pull buoy 
  • Already trains seriously and wants kit built to match 

WHERE IT SITS IN THE RANGE 

The Premium Option sits at the top of Zone3’s buoyancy shorts range, above the Originals, the 2007 heritage design, and the Active-Flex Buoyancy Shorts, the accessible starting point. Moving up to the Premium Option, you get measurably more buoyancy and lower drag from the same technologies used in Zone3 wetsuits. Which pair? Read the buoyancy shorts guide

KEY BENEFITS 

  1. 30% more lift where sinking legs cost you most The 5mm Aerodome side panels, built with air bubbles embedded between neoprene layers, provide 30% more buoyancy than standard neoprene, lifting your hips and upper legs into a flat, streamlined position. 
  2. Drag cut to a coefficient of 0.021 The SCS (Super Composite Skin) nano-coating across the Yamamoto panels reduces drag to a coefficient of 0.021, so water moves over you rather than against you. 
  3. Softer, lighter, more flexible through the stroke The 3mm Yamamoto #39 panels keep the front and back of the shorts soft, light, and flexible, so your hips rotate freely through each stroke. 
  4. A natural alternative to a pull buoy You get the lift with your full kick and rotation kept in play, which means the technique you build transfers straight to race day. 

WHAT YOU’LL FEEL 

Push off and your hips rise higher than you’re used to. The lift is immediate and the water feels faster over you, with none of the grip you get from standard neoprene. Your kick and rotation work exactly as they do on race day. Most swimmers describe it as the closest thing to a top-end wetsuit feel they can get in a pool. 

FIT Snug fit with a drawstring waist that adjusts to size; unisex. 

WHY TRAIN WITH BUOYANCY?

Why train with buoyancy? Sinking legs create drag, and drag costs speed. Buoyancy shorts lift your hips into a flat, streamlined position so you can build technique instead of fighting the water.

The Premium Option

Released a more buoyant and lower drag focused design

Offers 30% more buoyancy

Combination of 3mm Yamamoto #39 SCS on the front and back panels & 5mm Yamamoto SCS Aerodome on the side panels

The #39 SCS material

Gives a softer, lighter and more flexible fit

Key Features

Buoyancy and body position 

  • 5mm Aerodome side panels: air-bubble construction embedded between neoprene layers provides 30% more buoyancy than standard neoprene 

Speed and drag 

  • SCS (Super Composite Skin) nano-coating: covers the Yamamoto panels and reduces drag to a coefficient of 0.021 

Stroke mechanics 

  • 3mm Yamamoto #39 front and back panels: softer, lighter, and more flexible for free hip rotation through each stroke 

Comfort and fit 

  • Soft, high-stretch inner lining: improves comfort against the skin 
  • Drawstring waist: adjusts to size 
  • Unisex fit: one design across all swimmers, sized XS to XXL 

Construction and materials 

  • Stitched and bonded construction: assembled the same way as a triathlon wetsuit for durability through heavy training use 

Use 

  • Training tool, not race kit: neoprene is banned in declared non-wetsuit swims 

Overall rating: 4.759259 / 5 from 54 reviews.

AI Generated Review Summary

The Neoprene Buoyancy Shorts 'Premium' Aerodome Elite 5/3mm offer excellent buoyancy and comfort, with a fit that is true to size. Customers have mixed opinions about the material, with some praising its quality while others have concerns about durability.

Summary topics

  • Buoyancy (23%): A significant number of customers pointed out the excellent buoyancy and comfort provided by these swimming shorts.
  • Fit (32%): A substantial number of customers pointed out that the fit of the product is excellent and true to size.

Review topics: ["fit","material","quality","shorts","buoyancy","water","rating","body","swimming","help"].

Review highlights

  • "Great buoyancy, good quality of the material." — Martin B.
  • "An excellent fit and design." — Mark L.
  • "Tremendous pair of swim shorts - highly recommended to improve your swimming speed and technique." — RJ H.

Reviews

5*

"It's brilliant shorts, definitely helps with floating. Very comfortable and easy to put on. I don't think there's any discomfort from drawstrings, I don't even feel them. The only thing I would recommend to improve the item is to add a tiny little satin hanger loop for drying. Again, you can use drawstrings as a hanger loop. It's true size-ish; I measured myself and ordered M size but it felt tight, so I ordered L and it fits perfectly, it's like with everything else, you don't know if the size is actually going to fit or not until try it. Swapping it was very straightforward. It is an automatic system for returning the item…"

— Tolga Y. (5/5)

Like them already, improved my

"Like them already, improved my average pace per 100m by 10sec."

— Piotr P. (5/5)

Always had a poor body

"Always had a poor body position in the water with hips generally being too low, creating a lot of drag. I occasionally have used a pull buoy to improve swimming performance. These shorts are a good replacement for the pull buoy but have the added value of being easier to tumble turn and can be used easily for breast stroke. I’m very pleased with them."

— Peter O. (5/5)

Really good

"Really good"

— Amanda D. (5/5)

cumple totalmente las expectativas

"cumple totalmente las expectativas"

— JUAN B. (5/5)

I love these, for a

"I love these, for a 62 yr old w ‘heavy legs’ give me great boyancy and confidence"

— Des C. (5/5)

Neoprene Buoyancy Shorts 'Premium'

"Good fit & true to size. Comfortable. Tried in pool once and the extra buoyancy compared to the Active-Flex Buoyancy Shorts was noticeable. Purchased for open water swimming and will be used once the sea starts to cool down until it gets cold enough to warrant a full wetsuit Reviews 5 out of 5 star rating"

— Gareth L. (5/5)

Good product.

"Waist size very good; legs a little bit to large. Great buoyancy, good quality of the material."

— Martin B. (4/5)

Glide

"An excellent fit and design. These shorts have improved my swimming experience with added buoyancy. Worth the cost for a quality product and, great service!"

— Mark L. (5/5)

Tremendous pair of swim shorts

"Tremendous pair of swim shorts - highly recommended to improve your swimming speed and technique."

— RJ H. (5/5)

Q&A

Description
Key Features
$139.00