Waterproof insect repellent?

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

john28

Registered
Messages
6
Reaction score
0
Hello!

I'm going scuba diving in Corfu fairly soon, and for the rest of my holiday I'll be covered in insect repellent...however the stuff I've got doesn't say it's waterproof and I'd like to make sure I'm still protected after I've left the sea, as I don't know how long I'll be hanging round post-dive. Any recommendations?

Thanks guys,
John
 
Hello!

Any recommendations?

Well.... the obvious recommendation is "put more on after the dive".

Personally I don't think it's a big deal. I don't think I've ever been anywhere in Greece where I thought insects were a problem.... or even particularly noticeable for that matter. I do remember on one Island that there were quite a few mosquitoes in the bedroom at night but if you use a mosquito-net you'll be fine.

R..
 
A mosquito spray that will hold up to sea water?
 
I'd also be very careful with the repellent around the equipment - depending on the type of repellent and strength, the stuff can reck havoc with plastics, rubber, latex, etc.

Nothing will destroy a latex seal faster than a bug spray.
 
Be careful with repellant around the corals too,all those poisons wash off in the water and can damage the environment. Try something natural like nutrogena sesame oil,it seems to work fairly well with skeeters,and is not as hurtful to the ecosystem.
 
Be careful with repellant around the corals too,all those poisons wash off in the water and can damage the environment. Try something natural like nutrogena sesame oil,it seems to work fairly well with skeeters,and is not as hurtful to the ecosystem.

Problem with sesame oil is that you smell the same as your food if you go in a Chinese restaurant. The citronella stuff smells better and other people don't salivate when they're around you. :)

I wouldn't worry about the corals in Greece. There is none. Or maybe there is but it will be the deep water type and the total amount of coral around Corfu will fit in a bucket.

R..
 
An amusing line I've heard about "waterproof" sunscreens is that the most waterproof part is the bottle they come in. They're not really meant for long immersion (not to mention rubbing from gear or suits.) More like sweating or getting splashed, and they generally say to reapply after you've been in the water. In fact, I think they've banned the term "waterproof" here in favor of "water-resistant."

I suspect the same is true of bug repellents. Just apply once you're out of the water. And I second the comment about being careful of the stuff around dive gear, some repellents are not very kind to some rubber/plastic type materials.
 
Thanks guys, there are some very interesting points made here. I'm thinking nay to the sesame oil and yay to the citronella...and a post-dive application will be required by the look of it. Cheers for your help all.
 
Update: I've got me some supplies from a shop (worldwidenets.co.uk in their "insect repellents" section - a couple of their natural repellents, there's citronella in one of them). I'm now good to go. Thanks again for the advice!
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

Back
Top Bottom