Advice needed - Irish Red Haired Diver with beard

[dufferito]

Hi All
I know there are a lot of questions here, but I am hoping I will come across someone in the same "boat" as me here
I have completed the advanced PADI course and the rescue diver one, including about 45 dives or so
I will go to the Philippines, Puerta Galera in July for six weeks to do the dive master course. I guess about three dives a day during this period.
I have red hair, fair skin and a beard, and I am hoping someone with the same characteristics can give me some advice.


1- What suncream can you use on your face to stop it from seeping into your mask and burning your eyes, any advice on brands or ideas?

2- I generally overheat in a thick wetsuit (anything over 3mm) and find I am using a lot of energy to submerge; I seem to be very buoyant. I am thinking of just getting a hooded SPF lycra t-shirt to protect me from the sun, but ensuring I don't over-heat, is this a good idea, or would you think i am better off going for a wetsuit of 3mm at least, any ideas, any suggestions for a hooded t-shirt that you can dive with and that stops the sun. Where i will be diving the water generally is not that cold.

3-I have a beard, and every time I use a mask, water gets in it, if its not from my beard, it is from the suncream, any ideas?

4- I also wear glasses, and was thinking of getting goggles with the prescription on them, but i have astigmatism, is it worth getting a pair of these?

thanks for the time to read this and give input, really appreciate it

Adrian

 

[andrewmcc]

Another pasty white guy here.

I wear a full brim hat, rash guard and sun glasses. I do not put sunscreen on my forehead or below my eyes. This prevents the sunscreen from getting in my eyes. I keep my beard trimmed and deal with a touch of leaking. Nothing bad.
Also I got lasik and it changed my life. I would highly recommend looking into it.

 

[JohnN]

Hi All
I know there are a lot of questions here, but I am hoping I will come across someone in the same "boat" as me here
I have completed the advanced PADI course and the rescue diver one, including about 45 dives or so
I will go to the Philippines, Puerta Galera in July for six weeks to do the dive master course. I guess about three dives a day during this period.
I have red hair, fair skin and a beard, and I am hoping someone with the same characteristics can give me some advice.


1- What suncream can you use on your face to stop it from seeping into your mask and burning your eyes, any advice on brands or ideas?

2- I generally overheat in a thick wetsuit (anything over 3mm) and find I am using a lot of energy to submerge; I seem to be very buoyant. I am thinking of just getting a hooded SPF lycra t-shirt to protect me from the sun, but ensuring I don't over-heat, is this a good idea, or would you think i am better off going for a wetsuit of 3mm at least, any ideas, any suggestions for a hooded t-shirt that you can dive with and that stops the sun. Where i will be diving the water generally is not that cold.

3-I have a beard, and every time I use a mask, water gets in it, if its not from my beard, it is from the suncream, any ideas?

4- I also wear glasses, and was thinking of getting goggles with the prescription on them, but i have astigmatism, is it worth getting a pair of these?

thanks for the time to read this and give input, really appreciate it

Adrian

@Wookie

 

[Badger7]

I burn very easily as well, especially on the first dive trip of the year traveling from full winter to the tropics. If the water is going to be anywhere north of 76F/25C, I'm just wearing a long sleeve rash guard with my tech shorts and a large floppy sunhat on the boat before and after the dive. Right before I splash I'll clip my hat to something on the boat with a double ender. As long as you don't anticipate a long time for boat pickup, you might not need any sunblock at all on your forehead or around your eyes or cheeks, just ears and neck.

When I'm sporting a mustache I typically need to trim the top few mm in order to get a good seal on my mask, although the better the mask fits you on the sides the less important the nose seal is. I switched to xdeep masks recently and they fit me so well I can clear the mask and add some air during descent just by breathing out through my nose handsfree, and unless I'm hanging out inverted, don't really need a perfect seal at the bottom of the mask.

 

[jknightindy]

Adrian - I do a lot of diving in Bonaire. I'm a Brit and sunburn just thinking about it. I swear by these:

https://www.scuba.com/p-sfadsh/spacefish-army-eco-friendly-deep-sea-scuba-head-band

As for masks - get a Hollis M1 and you will have zero issues. I have a full beard and mustache. Had issues with some masks - no issues at all now. Also highly recommend the Fourth Element Mask Strap to replace the stock Hollis strap. Game changer.

 

[SteelBeard]

Same, rash guard or 3mm for coverage, sunglasses, big floppy sunhat on the boat. I also use a Lycra headcap in the water if I'm not wearing my hood.

I use a beeswax/coconut oil balm on the beard/mustache along with trimming just under the nose. Works great for me. Don't use petroleum products, they eat your silicone.

 

[Still Kicking]

I wear a lycra hood for sun protection. When I am the surface, I pull the chin portion of the hood up so it's like a ski mask and put on a brimmed hat if I have one handy.

Sunscreen seems to create fogging issues but some brands are worse than others. If you use it, it seems to help if you put it on first thing and let it dry for a bit. It washes off though.

 

[lowwall]

1- What suncream can you use on your face to stop it from seeping into your mask and burning your eyes, any advice on brands or ideas?

I really dislike sunscreen and avoid it in favor of covering up.

2- I generally overheat in a thick wetsuit (anything over 3mm) and find I am using a lot of energy to submerge; I seem to be very buoyant. I am thinking of just getting a hooded SPF lycra t-shirt to protect me from the sun, but ensuring I don't over-heat, is this a good idea, or would you think i am better off going for a wetsuit of 3mm at least, any ideas, any suggestions for a hooded t-shirt that you can dive with and that stops the sun. Where i will be diving the water generally is not that cold.

This is totally dependent on your cold tolerance. I've been on a liveaboard in Thailand so 5 dives a day and didn't wear a wetsuit. I wore shorts and maybe a T-shirt for the early morning and late afternoon/night dives added a hooded sun shirt for the mid-day dives.

But most people wore 3mm shorties or full suits.

You can definitely get hooded long sleeve shirts that protect you from the sun. In the US, we call them sun shirts or fishing shirts or UPF (ultraviolet protection factor) shirts. You want something labeled as UPF 50+. This is the highest rating and requires the material blocks at least 98% of UV light. By contrast, a white cotton t-shirt blocks around 80%.

I'll wear one of these on the boat and in the water. If I can't find shade on the boat or if I'm on the surface of the water, I'll have the hood up and my back to the sun to keep my face in the shade. You can add a baseball cap when you are out of the water for a bit more coverage.

4- I also wear glasses, and was thinking of getting goggles with the prescription on them, but i have astigmatism, is it worth getting a pair of these?

I think so. What's the point of diving if you can't see clearly?

 

[Outbound]

Avoid sunscreen with oxybenzone, octinoxate, or octocrylene, as these are bad for coral. Instead, use mineral-based sunscreens that use non nano-sized particles (micro is fine). Yeah, these types of sunscreens don't rub in well and will give you a white pasty appearance. But they also don't run into your eyes.

Generally, my method is to not use sunscreen at all and to keep under the shade of the boat at all times. When it's time to hop in the water I giant stride and start diving. On the other end of the dive, I'm typically the last in the boat and come up right when I see just a few sets of legs dangling in the water. Back on the boat, I wear a hat, sunglasses, and a neck gaiter/buff pulled up around my face and ears if I'm going to be exposed to the sun.

 

[Doc Harry]

Shave the beard for diving