What you should wear after scuba diving depends on whether you’ve just dived in a wetsuit or a drysuit. It is also down to how presentable you need to be and where you’re going after your dive. This is more of a problem for women because of wet bikini tops. So what’s the answer?
What should I wear after scuba diving? After scuba diving with a bikini under a wetsuit you’re best to wear thin non-water absorbing board shorts or synthetic shorts like the Patagonia Micro Planning shorts. Combine this with a similar fabric t-shirt and you’re good to go. Even better is to wear a waterproof neoprene bikini or swimsuit that doesn’t get wet!
The best way to do more diving is to book yourself on a scuba diving liveaboard. You can check the latest and best deals on liveaboards using the following window:
What should women wear after scuba diving in a wetsuit?
Firstly, if you have time before you need to get dressed, dry-off in the sun. But if you don’t have time to wait for your bikini or swimsuit to dry, find somewhere to change out of your wet swimsuit into something dry.
But this is dependent on having somewhere to get changed on the boat or wherever you’ve just dived, which you may not have.
No time to wait for your bikini or swimsuit to dry or no-where to change
As a woman who’s just dived in a wetsuit, dry your swimsuit as much as possible before you put clothes on. This will help to avoid looking like you’ve wet yourself or to look like you’re lactating under your top.
In addition to drying-off your bikini as much as possible first, you should wear clothes that have moisture-wicking fabric like polyester or nylon. Or even better to wear cloths that have been treated with a solution to prevent water absorption.
The main function of moisture-wicking is for it’s breathable properties when going to the gym. But this type of material is also ideal to wear over a wet swimsuit too.
Fast drying women’s bathing suits
If you want your bathing suit to dry quickly, you should buy a fast drying women’s bathing suit.
Quick dry swimsuits are often made with fabrics such as polyamide or Lycra which offer the advantage of drying very quickly.
Women should wear a swimsuit or bikini that doesn’t get wet like a neoprene bikini
Instead of worrying about what to wear after scuba diving, why not wear a swimsuit or a bikini that doesn’t get wet in the first place.
Your best option is to buy a neoprene bikini or swimsuit.
As you probably already know, wetsuits are made from neoprene. Neoprene isn’t just used for it’s insulating properties. It’s also used for it’s waterproof properties too.
If you wear a neoprene bikini under your wetsuit you just need to wipe it off with a towel after your dive and it won’t wet the clothes you wear. This means you can wear almost anything you like after a dive.
Why choose a neoprene bikini
If you wear a neoprene bikini, you don’t need to wait for your swimsuit or bikini to dry. Which means you won’t look like you’re lactating under your dress or t-shirt.
The other benefits to neoprene bikinis include it’s comfortable to wear. They also look ‘Hot‘ as neoprene forms well to your body like yoga pants.
Neoprene bikinis won’t fade or fall apart either and they are also eco-friendly.
Wear a RipSkirt before and after your dive in a wetsuit
If you live in Hawaii you’re set, as RibSkirt is a US brand based in Hawaii. But they will ship outside of Hawaii to the rest of the USA too. But also, they ship to Europe and the UK.
If you’re from Europe, you’ll even get 10% off if you sign up with your email.
The RipSkirt is a very cool idea and is a wrap-around type design with an adjustable Velcro closure. This means they are quick and easy to put on and take off. You don’t need a changing room after all!
But best of all, they are extremely light and fold up small for your scuba travel plans.
RipSkirt Hawaii Our flagship piece! RipSkirt is an eye-catching, versatile, wrap skirt made with a soft, supple, water-shedding fabric. Packs small, dries quick, wrinkle-free + no fuss! The perfect Beach to Bistro skirt, sometimes you want a little coverage!
The RipSkirt comes in four lengths so is suitable for all ages.
RipSkirts are made from fabric that’s quick-drying and has water-shedding properties which is wrinkle-free. They are perfect for wearing over wet bikini bottoms. The fabric is designed to not cling and falls just right even when you’re wet.
Not only that, they are also easy to wash too.
Use a tankini under your wetsuit
A tankini is a swimsuit that combines a tank top with bikini bottoms or swim-shorts. It looks a bit like a tank top.
Tankinis are similar to a one-piece swimsuit, but with the added convenience of a two-piece suit. Which means you don’t have to remove the entire suit in order to use a toilet.
You can quite easily put your wetsuit over your tankini with bikini bottoms or swim-shorts.
If you choose to use your tankini with swim-shorts or board shorts, take your wetsuit off after the dive, put your flip-flops on and you’re ready for the restaurant or bar.
But if you use the combine tankini-bikini bottoms option, combine a Tankini with a RipSkirt after your dive and you’re all set to leave the boat after a dive.
Tankinis are mostly made of spandex combined with cotton or Lycra combined with nylon.
What should men wear after scuba diving in a wetsuit?
It’s much easier for men who dive in wetsuits, as they don’t have the same problems caused for women who wear bikinis. Most men wear board shorts for swimming and diving.
Which means if you’re a man and you dive wearing board shorts under your wetsuit, you probably just need to put a t-shirt on.
The only problem with this is the bottom of the t-shirt soaks up water from the top of your board shorts. But in reality, this isn’t such a problem.
The other advantage men have is that they can continue to wear board shorts. Plus these will dry-out anyway quickly after the dive in any case.
Men can buy water-repellent swim-shorts
Water-repellent swimwear seems more prevalent for men that women. For example, Adidas offer a wide range of water-repellent swim shorts and board shorts for men.
But having said that, there’s nothing wrong in women wearing water-repellent boardshorts under their wetsuit too.
Use a DryRobe to change under or to cover up a wet swimsuit
DryRobes seem to be all the rage. Use a DryRobe for changing after your dive or use it to cover over your wet bikini, swimsuit or board shorts. This video explains everything you need to know.
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Wear a Terry Towel hooded beach robe
If you’re on a liveaboard and it’s not your intension to go to the local bar or restaurant, why not wear a Terry Towel hooded beach robe after you’ve taken off your wetsuit.
Terry Towels don’t have any front fastening, so after you’ve dried yourself down with a towel, simply pop one over your head. They are great for warming you up after the first morning dive on a liveaboard or after the night dive when it’s a bit cooler in the evening.
What should you wear after scuba diving in a drysuit?
Whether you’re a man or a woman who just dived in a drysuit, you just need to remove your drysuit-undergarment after the dive. Then simply put on whatever dry clothes you normally wear.
The only slight snag is if you got wet in your drysuit due to a leak. If your clothes get wet due to a leaking drysuit, you may want to change out of your wet clothes first.
Is there a scuba diving dress code?
Scuba diving dress code is first about staying warm and secondly about looking cool. Most scuba divers wear wetsuits as they offer the best thermal insulation to maintain body temperature.
Wetsuits also protect you from the sun on the surface and from underwater hazards like fire coral.
What is the best material for quick drying?
If you want to buy a bikini as a woman or boardshorts as a man that are quick drying, what is the best material for a quick dry?
Polyester is possibly the most widely synthetic fabric used to make bikinis and boardshorts.
It is especially great for its quick-dry properties as it’s extremely hydrophobic, which means the fibres don’t absorb much water. On average polyester fabric absorbs about 0.4% of its own weight in moisture.
I hope you enjoyed this article about what should I wear after scuba diving
I’d love to hear from you. Tell us about your adventures of diving and snorkelling. Please use the comments section below. Please also share your photos. Either from your underwater cameras or videos from your waterproof go-pro’s!
If this article hasn’t answered all of your questions. If you have more questions either about snorkelling or scuba diving (or specifically about what should I wear after scuba diving), please comment below with your questions.
There will also be many more articles about scuba and scuba diving safety tips (and on snorkelling too) for you to read and learn about this fabulous sport.
Have fun and be safe!
What Should I Wear After Scuba Diving?
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Article written by Russell Bowyer who has been a scuba diver since diving on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia in 1989. After his first dive he trained as a BSAC diver in the UK. He attained his Diver Leader certification with BSAC. He then went on to become a scuba diving instructor, teaching others how to dive and was voted as Diving Officer and Treasurer for the Saffron Walden BSAC club too. Russell has dived all over the world, including the UK, on liveaboards in the Red Sea, the Caribbean, South Africa and the USA. Russell is experienced in all dive types, including drift diving, deep dives that involved decompression stops and recreational dives too.
