Sunburn bad what to wear when snorkeling

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Yes Sir, funny y’all should mention it, after that story in the news the other day. The guys and I were sitting around talking about that this morning.
 
Howdy jonhall, checked the local Walmart here and they don’t carry the rash guards. Did more snorkeling in the pool today and just wore light weight gym shirt and light weight gym pants.
 
https://smile.amazon.com/Ubestyle-L...ba+rash+guard&qid=1552947194&s=gateway&sr=8-6

More like $25 and others are slightly higher, but a proper rash guard is going to give you more protection, and it won't bog you down the way that water-absorbing gym cloths will. It also is NOT going to be abraded by anything you are likely to contact. if you're rubbing up against barnacles, they'll tear through whatever rubs on them anyway.

If you're planning to pluck oysters or whatever from the water, an inexpensive pair of Kevlar trash handling gloves ($4-5) cover your hands and prevent nasty cuts, too. Cuts from marine life can be especially good at giving you infections.

Don't forget some non-toxic ("reef safe") sunblock for the back of your hands and your head.

WalMarts in Florida may carry rash suits, but in NH I'd expect they have a different inventory.(G)
 
So far as I am concerned there is no official costume for Skin or SCUBA diving, therefore, you can wear whatever your pea picken heart desires.-- What ever keeps you comfortable and in your case free from sun burn

As diving has progressed through the years many diving costumes have been used: some as thermal protection other costumes as protection from the suns rays.

The recreational thermal protection began with the dry suit invented by Bill Barada (LA CO UW Instructor) in 1948 and in the early 1950s the serendipitous discovery of the wet suit by Bascom and Bradner - which do to the Korean conflict ( I called it a WAR since you could be shot at a many were Killed ) the wet suit was declared secret until Bradner introduced the wet suit to the world via his short lived company Edco in mid 1950s

Prior to the introduction of thermal protection all sort of costumes were present on SoCal beaches .pajamas, WW11 surplus long underwear, GI Sweaters etc. (There are two pictures painted by the great UW artist John Steele of me that were featured in the anniversary issue of Skin diver Magazine. I was a 20 something wearing a G I wool sweater for thermal protection with a home made mask ( Yes Home made) and green Churchills on my feet and a highly modified spear gun in my hand diving on a very frighten fish -- Oh the horror of it all a Spear gun !)

One universal problem with PJs or long underwear was the flapping of :the cuffs which was solved by applying several turns of electrical tape around the wrist and ankles

When skin diving , aka free diving, there was the problem of sun burn of the back of the neck and the ankles, (how well I know !) which was solved by long wool GI socks to cover the ankles and again several turns of electrical tape to secure them . The neck was protected by a famers bandana loosely placed John Wayne style around the neck

So go a head use Levi's, coveralls' PJs' Long underwear what ever works . You won't look official but you will be protected from the effects of the sun and to some extent abrasions.

Or you can spend your hard earned money, in my case Yankee dollars, and purchase a set of official dive skins, which is what my wife and I have been using for several decades when tropical diving.. My fashionable wife insists we look official and not a homeless diving couple with out a sign "will dive for food !

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FYI read or ignore-- Your choice ….

Many years ago I had the first newspaper column, "Dive Bubbles" devoted to diving in the US and possibly the world in the CenCal Timespressrecorder aka TPR. One particular article which has been re-published and referenced world wide in diving publications is a story I published now almost 35 years ago in my column "Dive Bubbles" about Divers Cove in Laguna Beach and the changes that time has wrought... you might enjoy it

"YOU CAN'T GO HOME AGAIN
By Dr. Samuel Miller,111

This summer I visited with some relatives and old friends to reconnect with my roots down in southern California, in “smogsville, as the smog shrouded area of Los Angeles and Orange County is known by most Californians who reside in other areas of the state.

This visit certainly verified the message in the Thomas Wolfe book You can't go home again which I found so difficult to comprehend as a young college student. Yes, Thomas Wolfe was correct! "You can't go home again."

I spent a very early Saturday morning at Diver's Cove in Laguna Beach, the fountainhead of American sport diving. It has been a popular diving location since recreational diving began along the California coast in the early 1930s. "The cove" as local divers refer to it, was catapulted from obscurity into international diving fame when it was chosen as the location for the world's first competitive spear fishing meet in June 1950. The Compton, California Dolphins Spear Fishing club, won the meet with a three man team consisting of Ken Kummerfeild, Paul Hoss and Pat O'Malley.

Lots of changes have occurred in and around Divers Cove with the passage of these 65 plus years.

In the early 1950s the rolling hills surrounding Diver's Cove were devoid of housing and covered with dry chaparral, which emitted the classic California golden glow always associated with the Golden state. Now when viewed from the cove the hills appear almost surrealistic emerald green, blanketed by modern multi- million dollar homes on well-manicured lawns interconnected labyrinth of roads.

It is no longer possible to drive up to the edge of the cliff at Divers Cove and park haphazardly. Parking places are now regulated. They are neatly identified with white stripes on the concrete and crowned with a row of coin eating parking meters; silent sentinels waiting for the next quarter for fifteen minutes of violation free parking.

Also absent is the steel cable that provided beach goers and divers to access to the beach. It was a much-appreciated gift from some unknown beach lover who spent their time; money and effort to securely bury one end of the cable in cement and dangle the rest of the cable over the cliff to create a Tarzan style hand over hand beach access. Now modern stairs complete with handrails and a drinking fountain welcomes the divers to the beach

The beach scene I remember so well from my youth is now only a distant memory, but they are memories of gold as were the hills surrounding the cove.

In the genesis of recreational diving the beach was populated with young athletic sun tanned male youths clad in the diving costume of the era, baggy long underwear, tucked in to equally baggy swim trunks,* round often home made diving masks on their faces,** short green fins on their feet ***and the weapon of choice three or five prong 3 Jab Stick”**** unceremoniously stuck in the ground.

Like ancient tribes returning from a successful hunt they stood in small groups, wrapped in surplus WWII olive drab army or navy blue blankets, shivering and blue lipped from the cold of the water and the chill in the air. Roaring bonfires fed by WWII surplus tires added much needed warmth as it belched fourth thick heavy black smoke into the clean crisp smog free Orange County air. *****

Divers Cove has now become a popular diving destination for dive training classes. It is populated every Saturday and Sunday morning by young certified diving instructors who have arrived before 7:00 to conduct an ocean check out dive for their classes of aspiring divers. Under the ever-watchful eye of their SCUBA instructor, young and old, male and female don the costume of modern diving. Bright colored wet suits have replaced the long underwear for thermal protection; clear form fitting twin lens masks of clear silicone replaced the black round rubber masks; multi hued long lightweight split plastic fins now adorn their feet replacing the short green Churchill fins. Not a spearfishing weapon is insight, since this area has been a game reserve for over a generation.

Yes, there have been a lot of changes in the last sixty plus years. Tomas Wolfe's message has been verified. "You can't go home again," but you can relive fond memories from the distant past and dream and hope for the future of recreational diving.

Only the sea, the eternal sea, has relentlessly remained the same...

SDM 111

Copyright 2018, Dr.Samuel Miller,111, Dr.Samuel Miller,IV & Lee/CCnews/TPR; may not be used with out permission of author and Lee/CCnews)

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(*Long underwear and/or heavy GI surplus OD sweater was the consume of diving ..
See Skin Diver Magazine anniversary edition,2001, the John Steele Painting of me as a 20 year old right after WW11 --- in the winter weather long underwear and a GI sweater was used or if exceptionally warm water such as in Mexico old pajamas were used - not for warmth but to protect from sun burn)-The painting has a place of prominence in our living room for many years

(** see my article "The Mask" made by the late great Charlie Sturgil)

(*** Churchills by Voit were green or greenish- WW11 surplus Churchills were black, Sea Net produced the fin of that era the "Frog feet ," (Art Brown's Duck feet did not appear until mid 1950s) snorkels if used were home made.A few yweEA Later Bill Barada produced a very comfortable snorkel which became popular )

(****Jab stick - The original name for a pole spear by my tribe. Power supplied by thrust of arm, later a plumbing elastic was discovered by Bill Barada and attached

(***** Huge bonfires to warm up participants & avoid hypothermia- wrapped in a blanket or heavey GI surplus WW 11 overcoat
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It was a time when all we desired was to be warm during and after a dive -- when you are wet and cold there is no requirement to make a fashion statement! The current generation are warm and dry so they make fashion statement as a living walking bill board for recreational diving.
Cheers from CenCal

Dr Samuel Miller, 111
 
If you don't need thermal protecting and there's snagging issues light weight work coveralls perform great, much better than jeans... The very best are flightsuits because are the lightest but strong material ..the placement of the pockets is also pretty good too.
 
@Ana
If you don't need thermal protecting and there's snagging issues light weight work coveralls perform great, much better than jeans... The very best are flightsuits because are the lightest but strong material ..the placement of the pockets is also pretty good too.
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Yer so correct !

In the era of my story WW 11 wool electrically heated flight suits were often used --
In order to make the fight suits functional all the wiring must be cut and laboriously removed by hand.

I am assuming by your post that you are referring to modern light weight flight suites in recent or even current usage by the services.

Sdm
 
In summer, we use rash guards here under shorties for sun and zebra mussel protection. A little duct tape on wear areas to avoid abrasion does well.
 
Rash guards are all very well, but swimming in a t-shirt just feels nasty. Are there rash guards that won't feel like wearing a shirt? Fit like Lycra, maybe?
 

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