What to wear for Kayak and Snorkeling excursions?

[gem114]

For our upcoming Carnival Pride cruise, we have two excursions planned:

 

1. Freeport Kayak & Nature Experience

 

2. Catamaran Sail & Snorkel (in Nassau)

 

For the Sail and Snorkel excursion I'm imagining that I'd just wear my bathing suit underneath a skirt or shorts with a casual top. If I'm off base for that, please let me know.

 

What does one wear to kayak? Would jean shorts and a t-shirt be okay? Bathing suit underneath or no? And sneakers? Or some other footwear?

 

Thanks!

[Lois R]

For our upcoming Carnival Pride cruise, we have two excursions planned:

 

1. Freeport Kayak & Nature Experience

 

2. Catamaran Sail & Snorkel (in Nassau)

 

For the Sail and Snorkel excursion I'm imagining that I'd just wear my bathing suit underneath a skirt or shorts with a casual top. If I'm off base for that, please let me know.

 

What does one wear to kayak? Would jean shorts and a t-shirt be okay? Bathing suit underneath or no? And sneakers? Or some other footwear?

 

Thanks!

 

Hi,:) bathing suits will be good for all those types of excursions. Either some type of cover up, whether it is a t-shirt/top and shorts or

a cover up.....bring a towel, sunscreen, and don't forget your sandals:).......I take a tote bag with me and put all that stuff in it. If

you feel more comfy in sneakers, by all means wear them but most gals wear sandals (from what I have seen over 11 years of

cruisng).

I should have said I have seen sandals the majority of the time on any "water excursions"....kayaking, catamarans, beach, etc.

Edited June 28, 2014 by Lois R

[Anita Latte]

We kayak at home. Expect to get wet. I would not wear jeans shorts because that sounds so uncomfortable to me. A tee shirt would be fine with a bathing suit underneath...good to help provide sun protection, but I would find a typical cotton or cotton blend annoying if it got wet.

 

I wear a pair of "board shorts" which are very fast drying shorts intended to be worn for water sport. I usually wear a pair of fast drying micro fiber undies under the trunks because these are way more comfortable than swim bottoms for me. On top, I wear a tank that I would normally wear to work out in...some sort of technical fabric and a sports bra...OR a work out shirt with a built in bra.

 

I wear Teva sandals. These are water friendly and also pretty comfortable for light hiking.

 

Again...expect to get wet. Depending on how you get in and out of the kayak, odds are that you will be walking in water up to knee high to get in and out. You want appropriate foot wear. Also, depending on how the kayaks are stored and how things go with them...they could be wet already...the seats could be wet. ALSO...depending on your rowing skills...you can splash yourself and drip water on yourself as you figure out the whole rhythm of rowing. Doesn't have to be soaked through kind of wet on your body...

 

ALSO...you may get HOT. You may feel like getting wet on purpose to cool off a bit because kayaking is good exercise and you may or may not work up a sweat.

[gem114]

We kayak at home. Expect to get wet. I would not wear jeans shorts because that sounds so uncomfortable to me. A tee shirt would be fine with a bathing suit underneath...good to help provide sun protection, but I would find a typical cotton or cotton blend annoying if it got wet.

 

I wear a pair of "board shorts" which are very fast drying shorts intended to be worn for water sport. I usually wear a pair of fast drying micro fiber undies under the trunks because these are way more comfortable than swim bottoms for me. On top, I wear a tank that I would normally wear to work out in...some sort of technical fabric and a sports bra...OR a work out shirt with a built in bra.

 

I wear Teva sandals. These are water friendly and also pretty comfortable for light hiking.

 

Again...expect to get wet. Depending on how you get in and out of the kayak, odds are that you will be walking in water up to knee high to get in and out. You want appropriate foot wear. Also, depending on how the kayaks are stored and how things go with them...they could be wet already...the seats could be wet. ALSO...depending on your rowing skills...you can splash yourself and drip water on yourself as you figure out the whole rhythm of rowing. Doesn't have to be soaked through kind of wet on your body...

 

ALSO...you may get HOT. You may feel like getting wet on purpose to cool off a bit because kayaking is good exercise and you may or may not work up a sweat.

 

 

All good points! I guess I figured that I wouldn't want to be in just my bathing suit and I certainly wouldn't want to wear a sun dress or something kayaking and hiking. I have an old pair of board shorts that I will have to see if they fit. I also have gym shorts that I image would dry rather quickly.

 

And good sandals like those make sense. Again, I knew I wouldn't want to hike or anything in flip flops, which is why I thought of sneakers, but I definitely don't want to be walking through any deep water in sneakers.

 

Thank you!

[gem114]

Hi,:) bathing suits will be good for all those types of excursions. Either some type of cover up, whether it is a t-shirt/top and shorts or

a cover up.....bring a towel, sunscreen, and don't forget your sandals:).......I take a tote bag with me and put all that stuff in it. If

you feel more comfy in sneakers, by all means wear them but most gals wear sandals (from what I have seen over 11 years of

cruisng).

I should have said I have seen sandals the majority of the time on any "water excursions"....kayaking, catamarans, beach, etc.

 

Thanks for your response! Is your tote water proof? Is that something you've been worried about? Is it silly to want to bring a camera on the excursions or is that commonplace?

[Lois R]

Thanks for your response! Is your tote water proof? Is that something you've been worried about? Is it silly to want to bring a camera on the excursions or is that commonplace?

 

Hi:), nope my tote is not waterproof and lots of people bring cameras

on their excursions.....it is VERY commoplace:D

I haven't done a Kayak but I have gone on a cat.....there are always

places to put your totebag that are normally safe from getting wet.

 

Here are a few photos from a some excursions......this one...well, you

can see I got wet;)

[Lois R]

Here is another one on the water...........

 

[gem114]

Awesome. Thank you so much!!

[Oville]

Hi:), nope my tote is not waterproof and lots of people bring cameras

on their excursions.....it is VERY commoplace:D

I haven't done a Kayak but I have gone on a cat.....there are always

places to put your totebag that are normally safe from getting wet.

 

Here are a few photos from a some excursions......this one...well, you

can see I got wet;)

 

Here is another one on the water...........

 

 

 

Cute pix Lois.

[Lois R]

And one more.......this was in Trinidad in 2011...the previous one

was in 2010 in St Lucia.....

 

[Lois R]

Hi Katie:) thanks!

[cb at sea]

Wear a swimsuit for water activities. You can put a "coverup" over it, or shorts/tee....that's all you need. Bring a towel from the ship. Unless you're hiking, flip flops are fine...you'll be barefoot most of the time, anyway.

[gem114]

On the kayak excursion there's definitely a hiking part, but I think you're right that flip flops will be fine for the catamaran trip. :]

[Keksie]

I like Land's End water shoes for water excursions. They are comfortable to walk/hike in, can get wet and protect my toes from rocks and coral.

[mousey]

I don't Kayak so I can't speak to that. But as far as going on a catamaran and snorkeling...I agree that rubber flip flops or Tevas are good footwear. I always wear a coverup and a pair of cotton capris over my bathing suit. :D

[Nebr.cruiser]

I always get at least partially wet when I kayak. I'd wear a swimsuit with running shorts and a tank/tee over them, something that dries fairly fast. I'd also wear my tevas.

 

For snorkeling I wear about the same thing; swimsuit with shorts and a tee or tank top. I don't wear flip-flops, so I either wear Merrell slides or tevas. Both are good for some walking, as well.

 

Taking a camera is always a quandry; we've had more than one ruined on water excursions. But, since I do want pictures, I usually bring one and try to put it in a couple of zip-lock bags and just try to be careful. There are waterproof pacsafes that work well, I've heard.

 

You can buy water proof covers for camera; I think I'll just go ahead and get a camera that is waterproof at some point.

[gem114]

I went out and got a pair of sandals yesterday. Made sure to get ones that cover my toes in case I bump anything when hiking. The look kind of like this, but all black:

 

And we got a waterproof disposable camera for the excursions and we'll use our regular camera for on the boat. :]

 

Thanks, everyone!

[slidergirl]

I would invest in a rashguard that has SPF protection. A Tshirt really offers no sun protection, especially if you are out on that kayak. And, a wet Tshirt when snorkeling will just burn you...

 

If you want a rashguard, SPF coverup that is "cute", but very functional, check out all the offerings on the Athleta website.

[Whimsy88]

We kayak and snorkel (more kayaking than snorkeling in the mountains of NC, though:D). Definitely wear your swimsuit kayaking. I am fairly experienced and I still get wet from paddle drip. You can pick up a pair of board shorts or other nylon shorts almost anywhere to go over the bottoms. I would HIGHLY recommend getting a rash guard shirt or two. Don't stress out over this - any nylon, "quick dry" type shirt is sun protective, particularly darker/brighter colors, and will suit your purposes. It will dry quickly and keep your shoulders from getting burned. I usually wear one snorkeling too, over a bathing suit. You don't really realize how exposed your back is when you are snorkeling, and with the water reflecting all around you, you can get burned pretty badly.

 

Also, a word of advice from someone who learned the hard way - make sure you get sunscreen on your inner thighs and knees for kayaking (the way you sit in the kayak will have then getting sun) and on your other "cheeks" for snorkeling. Trust me, those are not comfortable places to get burned!:eek:

[gem114]

We kayak and snorkel (more kayaking than snorkeling in the mountains of NC, though:D). Definitely wear your swimsuit kayaking. I am fairly experienced and I still get wet from paddle drip. You can pick up a pair of board shorts or other nylon shorts almost anywhere to go over the bottoms. I would HIGHLY recommend getting a rash guard shirt or two. Don't stress out over this - any nylon, "quick dry" type shirt is sun protective, particularly darker/brighter colors, and will suit your purposes. It will dry quickly and keep your shoulders from getting burned. I usually wear one snorkeling too, over a bathing suit. You don't really realize how exposed your back is when you are snorkeling, and with the water reflecting all around you, you can get burned pretty badly.

 

Also, a word of advice from someone who learned the hard way - make sure you get sunscreen on your inner thighs and knees for kayaking (the way you sit in the kayak will have then getting sun) and on your other "cheeks" for snorkeling. Trust me, those are not comfortable places to get burned!:eek:

 

I have a purple Nike quick dry shirt that I think I'll wear, and nylon running shorts. I don't know if it's UPF (honestly just learned what that was--I think I just assumed all clothes blocked sun), but I guess I'll find out.

 

And thanks for the sunscreen tips! :P

[Bowie MeMe]

I went out and got a pair of sandals yesterday. Made sure to get ones that cover my toes in case I bump anything when hiking. The look kind of like this, but all black:

 

And we got a waterproof disposable camera for the excursions and we'll use our regular camera for on the boat. :]

 

Thanks, everyone!

 

Be careful with these shoes and wear them and get used to them before the trip. I had a pair and found that the big rubber toe caused me lots of problems -- I could not feel when something under the sand and I took a nasty fall. Lucky not to be hurt (sand was very soft on that beach) but my new camera that was around my neck was not at all that lucky (sand in the lens). Not saying don't buy but do try them out before the beach.

 

My second point is kayaking and swimming in hot tropical sun. I am blonde married to redhead! Sun is not our friend. Any tanning is a sign of damage to your skin and is serious -- burning even more so. I have sooo many 65+ friends that are now facing life threatening cancer because of a lifetime devotion to "laying out" in the sun and getting a base tan. We probably didn't know better but science now does know better!:eek: I wear a swim coat from Coolibar with 50 SPF value looks like swim suit material and fits closely so not bulky. It is absolutely not hot even though long sleeved. I top off with broad brim sun hat (though will not have hat while actually snorkeling -- coat yes not hat). Also think about swim shorts or skort from the same company. The worst sunburn ever was on the lily white thighs in a small boat. If you are going to be on or near reefs (learned this in Tahiti and Hawaii) absolutely want thick soled strap or tie on water shoes. Those shells and rocks can tear up your feet and even prevent you from getting to the snorkeling area -- to the water over the beach or if you stand up and can't see what you are stepping on. Flip flops love them for everything except water sports -- they do not stay on and give no protection!!! For your consideration: Cotton T-shirt gives you about the sun protection of SPF 6-8 and specially made sun wear cloth tests out at SPF50. Sun Protection Factor skin only (no protection) is about 3-5.

[gem114]

Cotton T-shirt gives you about the sun protection of SPF 6-8 and specially made sun wear cloth tests out at SPF50. Sun Protection Factor skin only (no protection) is about 3-5.

 

Very informative, thank you! I am also very fair skinned and am careful about sun damage. My daily facial moisturizer and lotion have SPF 30, and I always put on 50 if I know I'm going to be out in the sun for any length of time. My dad had what they called pre-skin cancer due to sun damage, and his mantra is "learn not to burn!" I did invest in a big floppy hat for the trip, but I'll have to check out some of the specially made sun wear and see if I can find any before we leave. Less than a week!

[Bowie MeMe]

Very informative, thank you! I am also very fair skinned and am careful about sun damage. My daily facial moisturizer and lotion have SPF 30, and I always put on 50 if I know I'm going to be out in the sun for any length of time. My dad had what they called pre-skin cancer due to sun damage, and his mantra is "learn not to burn!" I did invest in a big floppy hat for the trip, but I'll have to check out some of the specially made sun wear and see if I can find any before we leave. Less than a week!

 

Try Bass Pro Shop -- the fishing store they have a supply of sun protective clothing. Lots more of it now and also on Amazon.

[slidergirl]

Popping this up…

 

Athleta has their summer sale going on. Lots of cute mix 'n match bathing suit pieces AND SPF rashguards and coverups. AND some darling dresses, too!!!

 

If you need any suit pieces or sun protection, check it out!

[dancinman66]

You can buy shirts that are quick drying and spf50 here I. Aus

Presume you can get them over there also

They aren't too dear either and light to pack

 

 

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