Snorkeling & Dry Suit

[Michael Tu]

Hi there,
First time poster here haha, didn't really know where to enquire or seek help for this so I'm sorry if this is the wrong place etc, but any help would be greatly appreciated.

I permanently live with a tube in my stomach (called a G-Tube), it's inserted into my stomach entering from outside. I love swimming but sadly it's been around 4 years since I last swam and I live in the Caribbean. My doctors prohibits submerging myself into water because sea water/fresh water enters into the stomach from outside.
Is there any type of dry suit that covers only the top part of your body? Any recommendations would help a lot, budget is sadly tight and I don't need the insulation that majority of the dry suits offer, it's just for light snorkeling and to be protected from the water .
Uh.. I'm not sure if something like that exists within my budget, but was so lost on who to ask haha.

Thank you so much for reading my post! Again, any help/recommendations is super appreciated.

 

[Jcp2]

Would your doctor be okay with your g-tube being put inside an ostomy bag which would then be sealed against the skin around the g-tube insertion site? You could wear a shorty wetsuit over it to keep it in place.

 

[Michael Tu]

Would your doctor be okay with your g-tube being put inside an ostomy bag which would then be sealed against the skin around the g-tube insertion site? You could wear a shorty wetsuit over it to keep it in place.

Woah, she never mentioned an ostomy bag. Would that keep a seal strong enough to block out any water for light snorkeling?

She ideally stated the risks, and she would advise not to. But if it's something that can protect the stoma (the hole to the stomach) from the water then I'm willing to try it for sure!

 

[CT-Rich]

A fusion Drysuit has very little insulating ability on its own.you could think about just learning to dive dry with minimal under garment. I have a feeling there may be other, additional medical issues at play here, but you might look at that as possible route. It would keep sea water away from your g-tube.

 

[arcticat99]

since you are just snorkeling a dry suit used for surfing skiing would work .you do not need the expensive dump valves for inflating and deflating the suitsand they are half the price of a scuba drysuit

 

[Jcp2]

Woah, she never mentioned an ostomy bag. Would that keep a seal strong enough to block out any water for light snorkeling?

She ideally stated the risks, and she would advise not to. But if it's something that can protect the stoma (the hole to the stomach) from the water then I'm willing to try it for sure!

I’d check again with your doctor, but if you google swimming and colostomy, there are plenty of options for this.

 

[MikeInDorset]

I agree that a surface drysuit would almost certainly suffice for snorkeling, I've done this in cold water before. I have a GUL code zero model but that's just one example. Make sure the neck and wrist seals are a good fit.

 

[Zef]

If you are on a budget and are only snorkeling on the surface...take a look at what is available on whitewater kayaking sites. Often kayakers who can't afford a full one piece drysuit will use dry pants and a dry top....I did this until I was able to purchase a full drysuit.

I had drypants made by Stohlquist that were goretex fabric with a wide neoprene waistband with a smooth outer skin and latex ankle gaskets. The drytop I had was double tunnel design and the inner part would pull down and be tucked into the waistband of the pants and then there was neoprene like cumberbund that would sandwich the waistband of the pants...over that would be the waist of the spray skirt/spray deck which was also neoprene and then the outer layer of the double tunner of the top would be over that to keep water out of the boat. On top was PFD jacket.

Occasionally, when capsized in a rapid and unable to roll back up I would punch out of my kayak and have to swim. I stayed dry in all but the worst rapids. I moved to a full drysuit when I started paddling in the winter in Washington State, and wanted to further mitigage the risk of getting wet if I was forced to swim through or out of a rapid.

There are drypants that are roll together with a drytop and then are sandwiched by a cumberbund and outer layer.

This would probably work for you if you were just fining along on the surface...swimming down for a closer look would be difficult as there is no vent/purge on this type of dryware.

I have to state that swimming in a surface drysuit is tiring as the material causes A LOT of drag.

Here are a couple of links to some products to give you a visual and think about:
NRS Sidewinder Dry Bibs - Closeout at nrs.com
Kokatat Men's Gore Rogue Dry Top at nrs.com

Also to consider...there are also full drysuits for windsurfing, kite-boarding, jet skiing, etc that may be more economical than a diving drysuit.

Hope this gives you some ideas that will help get you safely back in the water.

-Z

 

[Jcp2]

Swimming with an Ostomy

No drysuit needed. Just a swimsuit.

 

[John C. Ratliff]

If you want a shorty dry suit, contact Ty at Aquala.
www.aquala.com

Customer-Service - Aquala


They may be willing to make you a short dry suit that seals at the neck, upper arms and thighs.

SeaRat