Dive Skins Under or Over Wet Suits

Question
I recently obtained a dive body skin and put it on under my shorty wetsuit.  I was told by an experienced dive instructor that it goes over the wet suit.  Is that a preference or which is correct?  Wearing it under the wetsuit certainly helps get the wetsuit on easier but was told the wet suit keeps you warmer if it's next to the body.  To me it will looks strange over the websuit and will not fit as nice.  Thanks in advance for your answer.

Answer
Hi Betty,

I'm afraid you've been misinformed by your dive instructor.  He does have one valid point...the wetsuit MAY be slightly more efficient if worn next to bare skin but that advantage (if any) will be very small and outweighed by the awkwardness of having the skin over the wetsuit.  You are correct in that the skin makes donning the wetsuit much easier and that's generally the reason for the combination.

As you probably know, the wetsuit works most efficiently when it traps a thin layer of water between the suit and your skin.  The snugness of the wetsuit prevents this trapped water from moving around and makes heat retention more efficient.  The presence of a dive skin under the wetsuit will still prevent the water from moving around very much so the efficiency is retained.  All this assumes that your wetsuit fits you properly to begin with.

The wetsuit should fit literally skin tight over as much of your body as possible.

On a side note...many female divers will wear a t-shirt or a sweatshirt under a wetsuit if the top is too big.  This will help keep the water from moving around under the wetsuit and help preserve warmth.  It's no substitute for a properly fitting wetsuit but it's frequently used in a pinch.

Additionally, a skin is made of fragile material and is easily snagged and torn by abrasion or sharp objects.  Putting it under the wetsuit will also give it a degree of protection.

The fact that you're wearing a shorty tells me that the water isn't very cold to start with so wearing the skin under the shorty makes even more sense.

Now, Betty...the next time someone tells you to put your dive skin over a wetsuit, you'll know what to tell them!!

Thanks for writing...and I wish you warm diving!!

Mike Giles
Mike's Dive Center
mikescuba.com