Wetsuit options for tropical climates

[Joe Pye]

I'm currently at advanced open water level and I'm going to make the leap to divemaster early next year in Thailand. I plan to spend a lot of my time after my certification travelling before starting a career in diving so ideally my equipment should fit in my 45L backpack. I'm thinking of going for a neoprene top/jacket like a 1mm billabong one that I can use for surfing etc later on during my travels and just pairing it with regular swim shorts. Is this something I'll have a good time with or should I sacrifice backpack space for a full (2-3mm) wetsuit?

 

[Killerflyingbugs]

I would go for a 1.5 mm full suit it's thin, light, and more durable that a dive skin. Plus being a full suit it will offer good sun protection so you can use less sunscreen (better for the reefs)