Dive skins for protection

[quatin]

Anyone have any experience with lycra skins or the Under Armour Nylon shirts/leggings? Do they hold up well against some abuse? I can't see lycra being very robust.

I'm starting to go lobstering alot and I need some type of protection against fire coral, sharp rocks and lobster spines. I do my best to avoid touching coral, but sometimes it's hard not to bump into something sharp when digging one out of a hole. I kayak to my dive locations, so I would hate to have to get a full body neoprene suit. Right now, I just wear a polyester long sleeve shirt, which works out well aside from being baggy.

 

[00wabbit]

I have a polyolefin rash guard that woks well. It's thicker than Lycra and more durable but not as thick as a wetsuit.

 

[Damselfish]

Lycra will get beat up but continue to do the job, unless of course you completely rip it. I think one of the things hardest on lycra is not always stuff UW, but getting snagged by velcro from other gear or worn by rubbing. There are different weights of lycra, you pretty much get what you pay for.

Polyolefin as said is thicker and more durable than lycra. As is a .5 or 1mm neoprene skin. All should protect against stingy things, maybe or maybe not against sharp things.

 

[Abdullah]

Lycra works great against jelly fish and such, but doesn't do anything for sharps.

Lycra will hold up to a lot of diving. I have a Henderson skin with over 150 dives on it. It is showing some wear on the shoulders (from a bunch of shore dive treks), but is in great shape otherwise.

 

[beanojones]

It's probably better to think of rash guards (and all exposure protection for that matter) as exposure protection, and that will cover what it is good for.

Rash guards prevent stinging cells from adhering directly to skin, prevent sunburn, and make pulling on wetsuits easier for some people.

 

[tracydr]

I use mine for sun protection, jelly fish protection and to help my wetsuit slide on better. It's great in the pool, which gets in the 90s during the summer.
diving in the lake or ocean, I usually use it as a liner for a wet suit. Is nice to help the wet suit glide on and also as sun protection when I take the wet suit off.
I do dive our lake with only a skin at times. Sometimes, above the thermocline, it can be in the mid-80s.
otherwise, I usually am found in a drysuit most places, as I'm not into cooler water.

 

[divingpyrate]

love ours hydroids used to eat me up in COZ
dont dive without one now and mostly no wet suit just the skin

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