Arm protection question?

[beachwolfie]

Hello all. I am a complete newbie but have passed the written test and am scheduled for the rest quite soon. My question for all the experts is this... I am an older gentleman (50) and with that has come the thinning of skin on my forearms (runs in my family). The slightest scratch does tend to open my arms. Planning on buying a 5 mil suit but was wondering for those times when the suit is not needed as much. Would you recommend just getting a 1.5 mil suit for arm protection or a dive skin? Thanks for any assistance. Also, I have heard good things about Henderson... agreed?

 

[Lucas Cordina]

Well, if your arms are sensitive to abrasion, I think it would be reasonable to buy a thin suit or a dive skin just for that layer of protection, although you won't have to wear them constantly, on sandy dives, for example, there are really few opportunities to get your arm scratched

Of course, once you get more confident and get used to diving and being neutrally buoyant, it's much less likely that you'll bump into anything and scratching your forearms in the process
(And I can't say much about Henderson, never tried it out)

Anyway, good luck with the rest of your course, and happy diving!

 

[Herb-alaska]

if it was me with your situation I would get a long sleeve skin or a form fitting shirt like under Armor and wear it all the time. I have a couple hundred dives in and I am always dong something small where I have a bit of blood. It could be a scratch climbing the boat ladder or who knows. A think skin would give you the protection and I doubt you would notice it.