What to wear to the boat

[knowone]

Anything that bunches up under a suit is stoopid. Yuk.

 

[Blue Sparkle]

I like to wear a pair of Lycra shorts - the ones that look like bike shorts but without the extra bike padding. I can throw a pair of shorts or pants over them if I want to, but then when it's time to don the wetsuit I don't have to get totally undressed. As a bonus, they make it easier to don the wetsuit. After the dive I just leave the shorts on until I get back to the lodging - they aren't too obnoxious when wet and dry quickly. I usually slip the pants or shorts back on over them after the dive.

I wear a rash guard Lyra-type shirt on top. Works similarly to the shorts, and as a bonus is SPF 50.

I didn't have either of these on my first boat-dive trips, and I find they have made the day go much smoother. For multiple day trips it's nice to have a couple of each so you always have dry gear in the morning; luckily they pack down to nothing.

 

[knowone]

What about a brassiere for the top bit's?

 

[Blue Sparkle]

Since the OP is male, I'm going to guess that won't be necessary

 

[Fish in a Barrel]

OK, I think I'm going to pick up a pair of shorter, light-weight trunks. My current trunks are longer and bulky, so they'd probably be difficult to squeeze under a suit.

Thanks for the suggestions guys!

 

[highdesert]

If you have a Big Five or similar store nearby, you can get triathlon type shorts (black Spandex) for about $20. Best thing I've found to wear under a wetsuit. Put them on in your room and pull on a T-shirt and shorts over that; you're good to go.

 

[Garrobo]

All the boats I've dove from in Coz were the six-pack boats. Small and fast. Not a lot of room to do any changing. Since I usually dive with an armless shorty I put it on while on the dock. Speedo underneath of course. I carry a pair of shorts and a t-shirt in a plastic zip lock freezer bag for the trip from the dock to either the bar or the hotel. Fact is that's the same procedure I use when diving the Upper Keys except in winter when the temp is a lot lower but the boats are a lot bigger.

 

[knowone]

It seems to me, for the future assistance of board members and the goodness of all peoplekind, that this is very relevant information, certainly if substantial in proportion to maintain the modesty of both the possessor other travellers and the boat and small and big children

 

[Bubbletrubble]

All the boats I've dove from in Coz were the six-pack boats. Small and fast. Not a lot of room to do any changing.

When I dived Cozumel, I also used a dive op (Blue Angel) that offered small, fast six-diver boats. There was no room to change, so my buddy and I boarded the boat already dressed in wetsuit attire (wetsuit pulled down to waist). We wear swimsuits + full Lycra undersuits + full 3mm wetsuits. We set up our gear while the boat was still docked since the ride out to the dive sites was relatively short. Depending on how I felt, I sometimes wore a 3mm hood. People laughed at me, but I couldn't stand getting cold on dives. After all, everyone has a different tolerance to cold. I suppose I'm on the wimpy end of the spectrum. In my defense, the Cozumel dives that I did were mainly drift dives with the boat following diver bubbles for pick-up. I found myself doing very little kicking at all. It was fun, lazy diving...unless you were trying to hold your position and had to kick against the current for UW photography.

Talk to your dive op in advance about the kind of boat entries done off of their boats. Cozumel was the first place I had to do a back-roll entry.

Have fun on your trip!

 

[TMHeimer]

For my 1st Caribbean dive trip next month (Panama) I plan to wear onto the boat: swim trunks, T shirt, hat with brim. If it's not too hot I'll put on my body dive suit instead of the T shirt. Will take sunscreen along to apply to face after the dives, as I find it affects mask seal, thus, the hat for the trips out on the boat. May pack a long sleeve cotton shirt for some added sun protection. Hot weather and amount of shade on the boat will determine my exact attire.