Snorkeling with T-shirt?

[mattR]

I have never snorkled before and the few pictures I have seen of it have people wearing t-shirts? Is this the norm? Dose waterproof sunscreen not work in salt water?

[Ziggy7]

I have never snorkled before and the few pictures I have seen of it have people wearing t-shirts? Is this the norm? Dose waterproof sunscreen not work in salt water?

It works in the sense that you didnt burn to a crisp but the first day it was instant tan with sunscreen, second day was burn on tan with sunscreen. Because the water is so clear and the bottoms are white sand it reflects the sunrays, we were using 30 the first day, then switched to 45 the rest of the cruise, dh wore his t-shirt as a precaution after the first day, just play it day by day and see :)

[michmike]

our attitude has always been "why take the chance" The t-shirt really doesn't restrict you at all. I saw far too many people last week with sunburn (not necessarily from snorkeling). It can make your vacation pretty miserable.

[Little Feet]

We almost always wear a shirt....either we have already burned or we are playing it smart & preventing the sunburn. I burn in 15 minutes in the Caribbean sun....protect yourself!

[naxos]

i have been snorkeling for many years and I woud suggest that you do not wear a white t shirt since when wet it becomes almost transparent and the sun's harmful rays easily penetrate.- For the laast 10 years I have worn a thin lycra dive suit- it protects from the sun as well as any sea nasties that happen to be in the area- A word of caution tho- the suits are expensive and my kids think they are dorky- If you are with a group of divers- the fashion is right but off the beach it does make one stand out- However sun protection is my goal and I love to snorkel!

[Krazy Kruizers]

When DH was able to snorkle, he wore a thick, tan or grey t-shirt.

He still used 45 on the other exposed parts to be on the safe side.

[JoeCruisin]

I'm a pale skinned irish-italian fellow from Boston and snorkelled with sunscreen only, no shirt, and did not burn at all. I'd only wear a shirt if I didn't have sunscreen.

[CaptData]

I wear sunscreen 50 and use t-shirt at times. Depends on how long I'm in the water. For snorkling I usually where it as I'm in the water a long time.

[CynBen]

In addition to a tshirt, I also wear a bandana on my head to cover my part. I am so fair that even the part of my hair gets burned. When I am snorkeling, I want to stay in the water as long as possible so I don't want to risk the burn, even if I look ridiculous.

 

We snorkel all the time at Looe Key Sanctuary in the FL Keys and lots of folks do the lycra dive suit shorty thing, but I just feel like a sausage in those so I go with the T shirt and bandana.

 

Have fun! And don't forget to get a disposable underwater camera from K-mart or Target to take with you. The pictures they take are remarkably good.

 

Cynthia

[PBLouise]

I wear a bright orange tshirt not so much for sun protection (I go thru the sun lotion annointment ritual every morning b4 I dress with minor annointment rituals every 3 - 4 hours if not more often:p) but to make me more visible in the water. I use a bright red swim cap for visibility and for sun protection since I hate having my scalp peeling from a burn.