The Advantages of Snorkeling Suits
Editorial by Joel Simon

My snorkeling buddies call me "The Great White". This has nothing to do with my prowess in the water, omnivorous diet, nor dental pattern. It simply refers to an aging white suit I started wearing in the water long before lycra was invented. The suit was initially created for use in computer clean rooms, it’s designers had no expectation of a life in the water. Long legs, long sleeves, with snaps at the wrists and the ankles, it’s a sturdy one-piece "jumpsuit" made of rip-stop nylon with one long brass zipper up the front . I paid three dollars for it ten years ago, and my wife still feels I paid too much, or occasionally she conceedes that I got my money’s worth, but not a penny more. It’s been in the water literally thousands of times, drys quickly upon exit, is lightweight, and packs well. I’m still trying hard, so far without success, to wear it out.

Other snorkelers, usually clad in colorful Lycra or smeared with sunscreen, invariably ask me what the strange white suit is and why I wear it. In fact, the question is more rightfully expanded to: Why wear anything other than a bathing suit when snorkeling?

Novice snorkelers always ask me about the most dangerous elements of their new found sport. They have visions of ferocious moray eels, voracious sharks, venomous sea snakes and lionfish, insidious sting rays laying in wait for innocent feet, and near-lethal jellyfish. Unquestionably, the most hazardous element to snorkelers is the sun.

As most of us have painfully found out at least once, the equatorial sun warming tropical seas can be unkind to skin from more northern latitudes. Especially as snorkelers, we spend many joyous hours on the ocean’s surface, entranced by the beauty and intrigue below, exposing our backsides to the sun. When watching fish that look as though they swam out of a Miro painting, and soft corals hypnotically undulating with a gentle surge, it’s all to easy to forget about what’s going on topside, until later that day, when your back, neck, and legs turn the color of a boiled lobster, with feelings to match.

A newlywed friend from England called the other day to report on their snorkeling honeymoon vacation to the Caribbean. Jokingly, he told me that he and his wife were initially tied for having the whitest skin in the hemisphere. Then he added with a smile, that the tie was easily broken .... when she turned pink!

In addition to screening from the sun, snorkel suits can offer protection from the virtually invisible "stingies" (usually larval cnidarians) occasionally found floating in the water. Some suits help conserve body heat, in fact, there are "hybrid" styles available these days that bridge the gap between wetsuit and lycra skin. Although tropical seas, especially at the surface, can initially seem warm, water reduces body heat nearly 800 times faster than air.

Some critics may comment that wearing protective layers in tropical waters encourages snorkelers to be less careful about accidental encounters with healthy corals. (to carelessly crash into coral) I don’t believe anyone deliberately imperils either themselves or coral polyps. Education regarding the resilience and vulnerability of the marine environment, coupled with proper training lead to snorkeling skills that keep both reef and snorkeler healthy. In fact, I believe a warm and shielded snorkeler will feel more comfortable and more relaxed in the water, actually reducing the liklihood of accidental contact with the reef.

In the advertisements we see snorkelers in skimpy (modest) bathing suits, but in "reality" cover up for greater pleasure and protection. In fact, my wife asks if anyone would like to buy a slightly used "white suit"? I’m sure she’ll give you a great deal.