Rash Guard Long sleeve or short sleeve?

[twofor2]

I will be traveling to Florida in July and I plan on doing some reef dives. I hear the water is supposed to get up to mid 80s and im generally pretty good with the cold. "usually fine with a 7mm down to mid 40s" I was wondering if there is a big difference between the long sleeve or short sleeve rash guard or is it just preference at the end of the day. Thanks. OR would it even be crazy to wear no rash guard? But I do worry about my wing setup causing chaffing on bare skin

 

[tkaelin]

Normally I use a long sleeve just for the sun protection and to reduce areas I have to apply sunscreen.

 

[chillyinCanada]

Also protects from any little stingers.

 

[JackD342]

A rash guard is relatively meaningless as far as providing warmth and insulation on a dive. It is all about the various skin protection(s) already mentioned. And then during surface intervals you may find you want to remove it or cover it up, rather than holding an extra layer of evaporating water on your torso chilling you down. (unless it dries really fast)

 

[Centrals]

I won't use rash guard as thermal protection under water.

 

[chillyinCanada]

On the surface, I'm generally cold in a wet rash guard or hot in a dry one, lol

 

[NAUI Wowie]

I will be traveling to Florida in July and I plan on doing some reef dives. I hear the water is supposed to get up to mid 80s and im generally pretty good with the cold. "usually fine with a 7mm down to mid 40s" I was wondering if there is a big difference between the long sleeve or short sleeve rash guard or is it just preference at the end of the day. Thanks. OR would it even be crazy to wear no rash guard? But I do worry about my wing setup causing chaffing on bare skin

if you are doing wreck penetrations please use a full 3 mil. get one thats uber flexible like the cheaper but good henderson brand. get the 250% flexible not the older 75%

does everything a longsleeve rashguard does including whole legs not just arm protection and itll prevent any cuts and bleeding in the water. You wont over heat even if you run hot. take it off at surface. you can always unzip it halfway down the back to get full water flow

 

[Divectionist]

Instead of a useless rash guard I would recommend something with a bit of thermal capacity. It will enable you to always layer up or down as required.

I use a long sleeve sharkskin underneath when it gets colder.

 

[tep]

In warm water (80F) I prefer a long sleeved rash guard as sun protection, for snorkeling and (some) diving. Otherwise especially if multiple dives over multiple days, go for the 3mm or even 5mm.

 

[Zef]

Don't buy a diving specific rash guard...go to tj-max or marshalls and look in their sportswear section for a lycra top that you can use as a rash guard...usually much less expensive.

-Z