Wetsuit undergarment

[Thijsie]

I've been cold in the water almost everytime, and am looking for some sort of undergarment. I read on the board that bike shorts seemed to work pretty good, and didn't bunch up, leaving excess room for water, and I was wondering which one would be better.
This:

(Regular Bike shorts)
Or this:

(Full bike clothing, good for 4-18C.
Would the latter just soak up too much water, and cool me down, or would it work well at heating me up?
Please, I would really appreciate speedy advice, as I'd like to do some more dives soon

 

[The Kraken]

Get a "skin" . . . a lycra skin, to be exact.
They generally run around $20 in most dive shops.

I'd be willing to bet that it's difficult to find something of that price in a bike shop.

the K

 

[Thijsie]

Well, the first one's E39,90, and the second one 59,90...
Any clue as to where to get a skin in Holland?
I'm not looking for something like a skin, mostly just something as a non-bunching up replacement for my swimming trunks. I guess the first picture would be fine for that, though having a little bit of extra warmth would be nice.
I wouldn't want to be walking around in a diveskin all day prior to a dive
Apparently the ones in my previous post dry very quickly, work nicely, don't bunch up, and they're not as bad as speedos Added to that, the latter one should provide a nice bit of extra warmth.
But that's just me making noise on my keyboard, I don't know about any possible disadvantages of wearing one of these, which I have been unable to find.

If you don't want to buy a skin yet, wear a speedo or bike shorts.

 

[divingjd]

You probably don't want actual bike shorts. The chamois would soak up water and be uncomfortable, plus they are generally cut lower in front and higher in the back, which works great in riding position and not so great otherwise. Speedo sells a racing suit that looks like bike shorts called a "jammer." I could not find them on the UK or Netherlands Speedo sites, but they are on the US site. They're listed for 40 USD, so a little less than those bike shorts, but they only ship to US addresses for internet sales. Maybe you can find them somewhere else. I use a similar short from a company in California called Aeroskin. I have no idea if they are available in Europe.

 

[Thijsie]

These don't have any crotch pads, so no soaking from that. These are just for excersising, so like the jammers.

 

[Diver Mike]

On the rare occasions that I dive a wetsuit in Puget Sound, I use a Harvey's second skin, with the "furry" linning. It keeps me warm and also helps reduce chills on surface intervals.

Mike...

 

[Splitlip]

Quicksilver (and I believe O'neill) makes 1 MM wetsuit shorts. They look like bike shorts.
I wear them under my board shorts surfing in cool weather when wearing a neoprene shirt. I also wear them in warm water with a rash guard to keep out stinging sealice.
I have also seen them worn by divers in the summer.
Both companies have websites.

 

[Thijsie]

The manufacturer just came back to me and said that the latter would dry quickly, but they don't know how well it'll behave underwater, and if it'll still keep you warm.

 

[scubadobadoo]

I have the O'neil swim trunks that look like bike racing shorts. They are great and were designed to be used in the water so they are comfy when wet and dry quickly and offer the proper support needed for men when wearing a wet and THIN material.

I also have bike shorts too (the ones without the padding) but those are way too thin and don't offer the correct support and are somewhat xxx rated because of the THIN material. Just watch out for that if you go with the bike racing shorts, lol. Of course you can always go with the regular old speedo!

Edit add: Adding bike shorts or any similiar material isn't going to add significant warmth, if any at all. More neoprene is really what you need. Some people claim that adding a dive skin will add warmth but I don't find that to be the case at all if your wetsuit fits properly. A dive skin may make getting your suit on and off a bit easier though.

 

[Thijsie]

So... More something like
http://oneill.com/mens-products.php?sport=surf&categoryID=1&typeID=3&seriesID=3&id=74
or
http://oneill.com/mens-products.php?sport=surf&categoryID=1&typeID=3&seriesID=3&id=74
maybe?
Problem is, no-one sells them around here.