Your purchases have donated $412,888 to marine science research and education!
Hey, we're Waterlust
We're in business to build a more sustainable world by bringing environmental science into your life in creative ways.
★★★★★
Waterlust is the best!
Great products, great customer service, great mission! Worth every penny.
- Michelle Rumbaut, TX








Educational resources included with every purchase. Learn more.
Like you, our shorts are amphibious, meaning they are equally at home underwater or on land. Whether you’re running, biking, diving into a weekend project or the deep end of the pool, these versatile hip huggers will keep up.
Made from post-consumer bottles AND old textiles through our Take-Back Program. We collect your old clothes, put them in a wood chipper (joking…kinda), and convert them into fiber, then fabric, then back into brand new clothing. Because textile waste comes in different colors, the resulting recycled fiber ends up looking brown, like a child finger-painting with ALL the colors at once kind of brown. Yuk! To fix this mess, the fibers are dyed black during the recycling process.
Our signature fabric is sleek, soft, and luxurious, while strong, substantial, and resilient. It's got a gummy, supportive, and smoothing stretchiness you'll love, comfortably hugging you in all the right places.
88% Repreve® RPET (recycled polyester made from recycled clothing and post-consumer plastic bottles), 12% spandex
Safe, premium performance yarns: Our high-quality, fully traceable yarns are sourced through sustainable partners in the U.S. These materials meet rigorous chemical safety standards and are independently verified for over 1,000 harmful substances like BPA and PFAS through OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 certification.
High-quality, responsible printing: Our products are printed using heat transfer sublimation, a printing technique that is widely considered to be the safest for both workers and the environment. It requires no water, eliminates dye from entering water systems, and minimizes ink and fabric waste. All the inks and dyes we use are also OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 certified.
Recycled materials, minimal waste: Our commitment to environmental responsibility starts with sustainable fibers and yarns. We use synthetic yarns made from recycled plastic bottles, which helps remove and repurpose existing plastic.
Learn more about our environmental impact and manufacturing here, and our materials here.
Flat $5 shipping on every U.S. order. Shipping is a real cost, we keep it low, flat, and honest. No inflated prices hiding “free” shipping, no pressure to over-buy to hit a threshold. Just a simple $5 that encourages more intentional ordering, which means less waste and fewer emissions. International orders just pay cost to ship, which is calculated at checkout.
Orders are lovingly packaged using minimal packaging and eco-responsible materials, and shipped from our wonderful partner warehouse in Pennsylvania within the same or next business day. We’ll email you with your tracking info as soon as your order is shipped.
Learn more about shipping, exchanges and returns here.
Tag us @waterlust to be featured
According to the EPA, 87% of apparel textiles are not recycled annually in the United States, meaning millions of tons of old clothes are piled into landfills every year. While recycling infrastructure exists for things like plastic bottles and aluminum cans, textile recycling is far less developed and accessible. This is a missed opportunity because the raw materials within some kinds of clothing (like ours!) can be used to create entirely new fabric, as long as it’s done carefully. By purchasing products made from recycled textiles, you are financially supporting the infrastructure that enables recycling to happen and signaling to manufacturers that you value circularity.
Waste is shredded, combined with recycled plastic bottle flake, and enters a unique material conversion process to create resin.
Resin is formed. Along the way, black dye is added (using an efficient process that uses no water) to standardize the color of the result.
Resin is melted and made into yarn, to be spun into fabric, then cut and sewn back into clothing.
In the world of environmentally responsible fabrics, we think there are two clear leaders from an end-of-life perspective: those that are entirely made from natural fibers, and those made entirely of synthetic fibers. 100% natural fabrics like organic cotton are beneficial because they are biodegradable and recyclable, while 100% synthetic fabrics are beneficial because they are recyclable. Fabrics that blend natural and synthetic fibers together are not currently biodegradable or recyclable with today’s technology, which is why we don’t make them.
The fabric used in this product is created from UNIFI’s Textile Takeback process, a program that converts discarded fabric into new, traceable raw materials. By partnering with other textile businesses and collecting your used Waterlust garments through our Take-Back Program, we’re able to divert fabric from the landfill and take another step towards manufacturing circularity. Programs like these only work if people like you participate, so when your Waterlust gear gets old, send it back to us for recycling.
They fit well and look good. Hopefully fhey hold up in the water
Perfect for those of us that want a little bit of coverage when diving. The waist band won’t roll down and the legs won’t creep up all the while they maintain a perfect amount of compression. If you’re on the fence, jump off and give these a go. I’m sure you will as happy as I am.
Being a 77 year old female, I could use a tad more coverage (length-wise) but other than that I really like the shorts. I put my phone in one pocket and a bunch of dog treats in the other and I’m good to go most of the day.
Purpose-Driven, Family-Run
Advocate for Marine Conservation
Donate to Research + Education
Eco-Responsible