When divers daydream, they often imagine themselves floating weightless in water so warm clear it creates the illusion of flight. The next time you're in diver's paradise, check what you're wearing. Just a swimsuit, or nothing at all?

Well, flip out of it. In the real world, most experienced divers wear some type of full-body exposure suit, even in the warmest and most benign waters. The warm tropical water sure feels good on the skin, until you accidentally bump into a bit of fire coral, or swim through a school of tiny jellyfish.

Wetsuit Liner

Dive Skins usually have the zip on the front to avoid discomfort when wearing scuba gear on the back. Some divers find that wearing a skin suit as a liner makes it easier to slip into a wetsuit, without tugging and fumbling. It also allows them to peel off the rubber and still have full sun protection while on the surface.

Skin suits are also non-buoyant, which means you won't have to add any lead to the weight belt to compensate for your suit. Some divers will wear a light bodysuit throughout the day, even if they plan on adding a thicker wetsuit during the dive.

A convenient solution is to pair a good hat with a full bodysuit to provide complete sun protection without the hassle of changing outfits before and after each dive. This is especially true on smaller, open boats where shade and changing space is at a premium.

Hoods

We prefer suits with build-in hood to protect neck and ears. It doesn't come undone when you're swimming. Due to the flexible fabric, the hood turns with your head, giving you full freedom of movement.

Use a hood to upgrade a dive skin to a full stinger suit. Add-on hoods are handy if you already have a body suit and want to upgrade it to a stinger suit. Their cut should be wide enough to cover your shoulders. Tuck them into the collar of your suit and zip it up. That should work alright, if you're careful.