What do I wear under a wet suit?

[Water Maiden]

I will be going for my first dive at the end of the month, I don't know what to wear. I have been told to wear a one piece from another diver. So.... What do I wear, plse help...:scuba: ;-0 ;-0

 

[brizzolatti]

Hi. I wear one piece bottoms and a t shirt on top. The separate bottom cos I'm nore comfortable with that rather than the feeling of being constrained in a one piece and a t shirt (ripped 6 inches from the neck down because I don't like it tight at my neck!) because first time I wore a one piece under a wet suit my underarms got rubbed badly.

I don't like wearing any tight clothes on land either so I have a front zipped suit that I tend not to zip right up to the neck. Which has been ok for the diving I have done, which has been tropical. Others have different preferences. At the dive show when I was buying my wetsuit and looking for something not too tight, the woman in the next cubicle was looking for the tightest she could get - so much so that she was going for a size too small!

 

[Ari]

I wear a Speedo.

Some time ago we had a long post about what people wear under their wetsuits.

Try looking here: http://www.scubaboard.com/t8708/s.html

Cheers.

Ari

 

[SueMermaid]

Is the issue the ease of putting your suit on?
To make life MUCH easier for you, use a plastic grocery bag over your hands and feet while donning the suit. (take bag, put your foot in it, put your leg into suit, remove bag when your foot pokes through, lather, rinse, repeat).
I am surprised at how many people see me doing that and say "Wow! What a great idea! Never though of that"!

I just wear a regular bathing suit under my 7 mil.

 

[washow88]

What is the thickness of the wetsuit?
If you are going to use 7mm rental wetsuit, I recommend buying Jumpsuit and wear it under the wetsuit.
The jumpsuit will help keep you warm and protect your skin from direct contact with the rental wetsuit and will allow you to put on the 7mm easier.
I wear shorts, but Speedos are good ideas too.

 

[cat]

Well, I find a 2-piece swimsuit (mine dries quickly) is easier under a 7/7 shorty/jane combo wetsuit (makes changing in public and pre-dive bathroom breaks simpler) but I am always careful to check that it doesn't get pulled off with the wetsuit!
One kludge that works well and is popular where I trained is nylons. Yup. An old, laddered pair, of course, not new ones!
The suit slides on over the nylons easily, even when damp. Very useful - and it's screamingly funny watching the men put theirs on at the start of the diving day (we had a brother-sister pair in my OW class and when he complained that his nylons were too small, she said he shouldn't have got just queen sized ones - he needed DRAG queen sized )

 

[Water Maiden]

Many thx, I think I will try the bottoms of the bikini and a t-shirt first and then a cat suit when it gets cooler. I will be renting a suit to start until I can find something more suitable. SueMermaid, I really like your bag idea.

Thanks again

 

[victoriawtx]

and I haven't had any problems yet. I've tried a one-piece swimsuit, but the extra material just ends up getting all bunched up in wierd places around my waist. The bikini makes is easy for before and after-dive changes and bathroom breaks.

 

[scubawife]

I've tried one-piece, bikinis and tankinis and like the tankini the best. Coverage of a one-piece but much easier for bathroom breaks. I dive warm water and wear a 3mm. For ease, I usually layer a lycra skin (no thermal protection but even a wet wetsuit slides on and off). If the water is a bit cool, I wear a 1mm under the 3mm instead of the skin. Much better for additional warmth then the thermal skin I had. Whatever you wear under the suit, try and choose something that fits well. Nothing is more uncomfortable then a bathing suit or shirt or whatever, bunching up when you can't get to it.

 

[wreckchick]

I wear a competative swimming suit. The actual brand I have is Tyr, but Speedo, Arena or other brands are the same thing. I picked it because these suits are meant to fit comfortably without bunching and they stay in place so you don't have to worry about the suit ending up places it shouldn't during the dive.

Rachel