First lavacore experience very positive

[Byte Me]

Just returned from a week @ Capt Don's, Bonaire. Water temps 78 regularly so as usual I was in board shorts and rash guard, 5mm boots. By the end of the dives on day 3 (about the last 10 minutes of a 60-70 min dives) I got just a bit chilled. Not enough to go to 3mm wetsuit but chilled. Friend has a long sleeve Lavacore shirt he let me try on one dive. Toasty warm the whole dive and it didn't dive any differently than a rash guard. Once out of the water it kept me warmer as well with the wind blocking.

I'll be picking one up before my next trip and using that instead of a rash guard in the future. Reports from everyone on the boats that had them (we were a group of 55 that came down with our LDS) echo my findings. From jumpsuit to hooded vest to long sleeve pullover everyone was loving the lavacore!

 

[MRadke]

I tried my short sleeve shirt out in Cancun last week and am really happy with it. The first few dives it was a little bouyant, but as it broke in, it became more neutral. I have a little over a dozen dives on mine.

 

[oldflounder]

I wear the full dive skin as one of my layers under the drysuit and love it. The material doesn't squeeze on me like neoprene does, it is neutrally buoyant supposedly and it is there to give me a few more minutes of warmth if I have another suit flood. It takes a long time to dry, though, and it is a little hard to get off when it is wet with the front zip. Now that I have a lot of dives with it I wish it was a back zip. I have the socks, hood and vest and will be getting the long sleeve shirt next.

 

[oldflounder]

It takes a long time to dry

I have been thinking about this and it might be a big deal in the tropics where material is slow to dry overnight anyway in the humidity. If you read the product description, the outer layer is meant to be water resistant and wind-blocking which means it would naturally increase the drying time of the fleece layer inside in between dives [by holding the water in/not allowing it to evaporate]. I think the solution is to dry the suit inside/out. I'll try that from now on and expect it will solve that problem.