thin dive suit

[ms tomato]

I will be diving in the Cayman Islands and I just COOK in the sun. I have never worn a dive suit since the water is so warm, but I can no longer take the sun, sooooo what would you experienced divers recommend for me to wear? I am on a tight budget so could you also recommend the cheapest place to buy my "thin" dive suit? Thanks and I am new to this site.

 

[Tavi]

Welcome to the boards!!

It's easy to get sunburned in tropical waters this time of year!!
We wouldn't want you to be a stewed tomato!
A dive skin would be a good Idea. It offers protection from sun without insulating like a wetsuit would.
I got mine at a local Dive Shop for $100.
You can probably do better than that at Leisure Pro
If your worried about buying on line and getting a good fit, They have a 14 day satisfaction guaranteed return policy too.

Enjoy your trip, We want to hear all about it when you get back!!

 

[ms tomato]

Thanks! I'll check that out! And NO, I don't want to be a "stewed tomato!"

 

[Welshman]

3mm full wetsuit.

 

[chiara]

Scubapro makes a nice 0.5 mms full-length wetsuit.

It protects you from the sun and unvoluntary contacts underwater, plus it provides a bit of thermal insulation, I'm really very happy with it.

 

[DivingGal]

I had a local swim-wear place that makes custom swimsuits, make me a "dive skin" for diving such as you're talking about (though I rarely experience), and for using under my neoprene suits (makes the doning sooooooooooooo much easier).

It only cost about 75 Cdn! The beauty of going to the shop, fits me to a T.

 

[TinyBubbles]

I recently bought a new Henderson Microprene .5MM suit and reallly like it. It seems to have a pretty wide temperature range for me as it was comfortable into the low 70's and I plan to use it a lot in South East Asia during the next few months. One advantage is that it has a lot of stretch so the suit is very comfortable and probablly why it has such a good temperature comfort range. I will be adding a 3MM vest for those multiple dive days in the low 70's should I get a bit chilly.

You can get the .5mm suit for under $100 at most online sites.

 

[ms tomato]

Thanks to all of you that replied. I checked out some of the information and visited our local dive shop. We only have one! They did not stock the thin suits so I will have to order on line. Since we are leaving for Cayman in 12 days, I may not have the suit so I may just wear lots of sunscreen and a tee shirt which I have done in the past. Anyway, you guys are great and I appreciate your time in responding.

 

[art.chick]

My guy & I wore t-shirts when we were in the Caymans. They helped. Black worked better than white if memory serves. Don't have to warn u about re-applying the sunscreen!

 

[Dee]

Originally posted by ms tomato
Thanks to all of you that replied. I checked out some of the information and visited our local dive shop. We only have one! They did not stock the thin suits so I will have to order on line. Since we are leaving for Cayman in 12 days, I may not have the suit so I may just wear lots of sunscreen and a tee shirt which I have done in the past. Anyway, you guys are great and I appreciate your time in responding.

Is the one they have anywhere close to your size? I have found that the dive skins, all brands, have very generous sizing and I can wear at least 2 sizes smaller than usual.

It won't be cheaper but you may even find one in Cayman.

Just a thought!