Wear old T-shirt when snorkeling !

[Maryandi]

After following Grenowoods thread about the Glory, Read the thread for an eye-opener about sunburn.

 

Ruined plans, missed ports, trips to the doctor and one miserable person needing an IV.! etc.

 

DH will not go in the water without a t-shirt on, he is now paying the price for his young years without sunscreen-going to the Dr. to take off all the skin cancers.

 

And most important - watch your children - their skin is so fair - you have to slather them all the time !

[hstrybuf]

Good advice wowzo. My DH got a pretty bad sunburn in April when we were out on the ocean around St. Maarten. He learned his lesson!

[NinaCO]

I always wear a t-shirt when I snorkel. But, I've always been the only one with one on. I look awful wearing one! It's much better than a severe sunburn, though, and I won't snorkel without a t-shirt either.

[bjkeen]

People who are not used to being in the hot climate sometimes do not realize how easy it is to get sun burned and how miserable a sun burn can make you. It can also make you very sick with Sun Poisioning. I agree with the above posts. T-shirts, sun screen, liip balm, hats are all good ideas while out in the sun. It is hot here in Floirda and hotter in the Eastern Caribbean.

 

Be prepared for fun in the sun, and enjoy your cruise!

[steveaaaa]

I always bring my old t shirts and when I am done at the beach,I just throw them away.

Steve

[fourcruisin]

I am very fair skinned and burn easily. I found a new product called Solarveil.

I used one during our last cruise to Panama, Belize and Costa Rica. We snorkled in Belize and although I was not a fashion statement, I did not burn at all. It looks like a man's dress shirt but much thinner material and dries very quickly out of the water. I swear by it and bought a 2nd one for our next cruise in January.

 

Nancy

[sls]

I use a tshirt and #50 sunscreen when snorkeling. The nape of my neck is very prone to burning and it's right above the top of the tshirt.

 

sls

 

Destiny 12/04

Sensation 5/04

Holiday 1/04

Conquest 11/03

USS Kinkaid 9/01

[Starz723]

Im a seasoned snorkler. I learned my lesson at a young age. I literally burned the skin off my shoulders which was excruciatingly painful. I also came down with a very bad case of sun poisoning.

 

For the past 30+ yrs I have never snorkeled without a shirt on. You can purchase a water shirt which dries very fast. They are used by surfers and are called "rash guards". Old Navy carries them for children and for adults. My red headed son wears one all the time. You can also buy them on ebay. Type in Rash Guard. Of course,, an old T shirt works great..but the rash guards are very light in the water and not heavy when wet like cotton. They dry very quickly!

 

Have fun,,and yes, be so very careful. You are having so much fun and the water is so cool, you dont realize you are being severely burned.

Ive noticed on some pvt snorkeling excursions, the Capt will give you a t-shirt to wear while snorkeling. Definetly a great forethought, as they want your business again and dont want you to remember their trip as the sunburn from hell and "Ill never do that again".

[Dee88]

I was thinking about snorkling and would have never thought of wearing a t-shirt - thanks so much for starting this tread!!!

I too burnt the skin off my shoulders when I was younger...don't need that experience again!!!

 

[hdawson]

Light colored and white tee shirts are of little help in preventing sunburn. I just read an article about vacation health in a mag from y health insurance company. There is another thread on this subject on the board where an MD confirmed this report. Use sunscreen.

[juliethecruiser]

Another thing to think about when snorkeling is jellyfish. Last year when I went to Cozumel in May (I don't know if that's the time of the year when jellyfish are most active), there were thousands of the little translucent jellyfish everywhere. I got stung so many times; I had numerous red spots on my arms and legs. I didn't wear a t-shirt and I'm glad I didn't. A lady in our group had a t-shirt on and unfortunately got hundreds of those jellyfish between her t-shirt and body. I seen her ripe that t-shirt off a 1/2 dozen times trying to get the jellyfish out.

 

Being a native of Florida, I belive in the sunscreen and protecting yourself from sunburns. I use BullFrog 30 SPF anytime I am doing water sports. It works best for protection when you get wet often or sweat a lot. All the other sunscreens seem to wash off in the water.

 

Just a tip.

 

Happy cruising.

[Dee88]

Geez, more stuff to worry about - no white t-shirts...jelly fish :eek: ...yuck!!!!

[OhioBeachBum]

A dry t-shirt has an SPF factor of about 2. A wet t-shirt has an SPF factor of 0! Wear a t-shirt but use sunscreen.

[cmez]

That's good advice! Thanks for posting this thread!! I'm also one of those people with fair skin and burn in an instant!