What to wear snorkeling: a guide's 8-item outfit list

I guide snorkel, kayak and paddleboard tours on Croatia’s coast, so I see what guests turn up in every day. This is the list I’d give a friend.

The snorkeling outfit, head to toe

1. A neck gaiter or cap, and a hair tie. It covers your scalp and neck. The tie keeps hair out of your mask.
2. A long-sleeve rash guard, UPF 50+. A rash guard is a tight, stretchy swim shirt. It blocks the sun on your back and arms.
3. A swimsuit that clips or has a drawstring. No string ties.
4. Swim leggings or board shorts for a long day in the sun.
5. Mineral sunscreen on your face, neck, hands and feet. Zinc oxide or titanium dioxide only.
6. Neoprene socks, or boots with a sole if you walk in over rocks.
7. A thin wetsuit if the water is cool or you get cold fast.
8. A waterproof phone pouch if you want photos or have no safe place for your phone.

Leave jewelry and cotton T-shirts behind. Pack a dry top and a towel for the ride home.

Why a rash guard beats sunscreen

When you snorkel, you float face down. Your back, your neck and the backs of your legs face the sun the whole time. The water keeps you cool, so you don’t feel yourself burn.

Fabric works better than lotion here. It doesn’t wash off, and you never need to put more on. Look for “UPF 50+” on the tag. UPF 50 fabric blocks 98% of the sun’s rays.¹

Pick one that fits snug. A loose one rides up and flaps. O’Neill’s Basic Skins top for men and the Hurley long-sleeve top for women are good, plain picks. For a full day, add UPF 50+ swim leggings. The backs of the legs are where my guests burn most.

Don’t wear a cotton T-shirt instead. A white one blocks little sun when it’s dry. Wet, its UPF drops to about 3.¹ That means a third of the sun gets through the shirt.

Sunscreen: read the back of the bottle

“Reef safe” on the front of a bottle is just a claim. Some sunscreens with a “reef friendly” label still have things in them that harm coral.² Turn the bottle over and read the active ingredients. You want zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, or both, and nothing else.

Blue Lizard Sensitive SPF 50 passes. Its only active ingredients are 10% zinc oxide and 8% titanium dioxide, per the maker’s label. That makes it legal in every place in the table below.

Put it on before you touch your mask. Sunscreen smears the lens and makes it fog. Here’s how to clean and defog a snorkel mask if it’s too late.

Some places ban other sunscreens by law:

Where	The rule	Since
Hawaii, whole state3	Shops can’t sell sunscreen with oxybenzone or octinoxate	Jan 2021
Maui, Lanai and Molokai4	Mineral sunscreen only, to buy or to use	Oct 2022
Big Island of Hawaii5	Shops may sell mineral sunscreen only	Dec 2022
US Virgin Islands6	No oxybenzone, octinoxate or octocrylene, to sell, bring in or use	Mar 2020
Palau7	Mineral sunscreen only; others can’t be brought into the country	2020
Bonaire	No oxybenzone or octinoxate, to buy or to use	Jan 2021
Aruba	No oxybenzone in shops	Jul 2020
Thailand’s national parks8	No oxybenzone, octinoxate, 4-MBC or butylparaben; fines up to 100,000 baht	Aug 2021
Xel-Há and Xcaret parks, Mexico	Mineral sunscreen only inside the parks	Park rule
Key West	No ban. A 2020 Florida law stops cities from banning sunscreen	—

Swimsuits that stay put

String ties work loose. A mask strap, a vest strap and an hour of small waves will undo a bow. Pick a suit that clips or has a real drawstring. Skip anything with a skirt. It floats up in front of your mask.

Board shorts over swim bottoms work for men and women. They cover the tops of your legs. They also stop the bottoms riding up under a vest strap.

Warm enough to stay in

You get cold faster snorkeling than swimming. You float and barely move, often for an hour. On my tours, cold ends more swims than tired legs do.

• Warm water, and you don’t feel the cold: your rash guard is enough.
• Warm water, but you’re always cold: a 2 mm shorty. That’s a wetsuit with short arms and legs. O’Neill’s Reactor-2 comes in men’s and women’s cuts.
• Water that feels cold when you get in: a full wetsuit, plus socks. Hands and feet get cold first. At Rottnest Island near Perth, the sea is about 21 °C (70 °F) in June, and a thick suit with a hood is right.

If you’ve been cold on a swim before, you will be again. Bring the layer. Many tour boats rent wetsuits, so ask before you buy one.

Under a wetsuit, wear a plain swimsuit. Smooth fabric rubs less.

Feet: socks or boots

Fins rub your heels raw, most often in the second half of a swim. Neoprene socks stop the rub and keep your feet warm. Try them on with your fins. A sock takes up room, and a fin that fit bare may pinch.

If you walk in over rocks, or where there are sea urchins, socks aren’t enough. Wear boots with a hard sole, like Cressi’s 3 mm Minorca boots. Boots need fins with an open heel and a strap. Urchin spines in a bare foot are the injury I see most on Croatia’s rocky shores. The rocky coves of Greece are the same.

Head, hair and face

Your scalp and neck face the sun the whole swim. A thin Buff neck gaiter covers both. It fits under a mask strap, and you can wear it as a cap.

Tie long hair back before the mask goes on. One strand under the edge lets water in all swim. Pack spare hair ties, because they get lost.

Glasses and beards need their own fixes. See how to snorkel with glasses and how to snorkel with a beard.

Your phone and keys

A phone left on a towel is the big risk on a public beach. A waterproof phone pouch on a strap goes in with you, and the camera still works through it. For more room, see waterproof bags for snorkeling.

What not to wear

• A cotton T-shirt. Wet, it lets a third of the sun through.¹
• Jewelry. Metal can flash like fish scales and catch a shark’s eye.⁹ Rings and chains also get lost.
• String bikinis and swim skirts. Ties come undone. Skirts float over your mask.
• A loose shirt in “sea lice” season. See the next section.

What about color? Most sharks are color-blind. They see contrast, and yellow isn’t the draw people think.⁹ Bright colors help people on a boat or the shore spot you. That matters far more.⁹

Sea lice: when a shirt makes stings worse

In Florida and the Caribbean, tiny jellyfish larvae drift in the water, most often from April to July. People call the rash they cause “sea lice.” The larvae are small enough to slip inside a swimsuit or T-shirt. Trapped against your skin, they sting.¹⁰

So a loose shirt isn’t a shield. It can work like a net. When there’s a warning out:

• Wear a wetsuit or a dive skin, which is a thin, stretchy full-body suit. Skip the T-shirt.¹⁰
• Wash the suit before you wear it again. The larvae can stay in the fabric.¹⁰

What the tour boat gives you

Most tours give you a mask and snorkel. Many add fins and a vest, and some rent wetsuits. The clothes, sunscreen and shoes are up to you. Ask what’s on board before you pack.

Wear the vest if they hand you one. Wear it every time if you aren’t a strong swimmer. Read how to snorkel if you can’t swim first, and see which snorkel vest to buy if you want your own.

Rental masks don’t fit every face. Test yours on land. Hold it to your face without the strap and breathe in through your nose. If it stays on, it seals. If you’d rather own your gear, see travel snorkel sets worth packing.

For the boat itself, wear your swimsuit under your clothes. Bring a hat, a dry top and a towel. The ride back is windy, and you’ll be wet.

Frequently asked questions

Frequently asked questions

What is the best thing to wear snorkeling?+

A snug long-sleeve rash guard with UPF 50+ on the tag. Under it, a swimsuit that won't come untied. Put mineral sunscreen on your face, hands and feet, and wear neoprene socks so your fins don't rub. If you get cold, add a thin wetsuit.

What should you not wear snorkeling?+

Leave the cotton T-shirt at home. Once it's wet, it lets a third of the sun through. Skip string ties and swim skirts too. Take off rings and chains. The Florida Museum's shark file says metal can flash like fish scales. Color matters less than you'd think.

What do women wear under a wetsuit?+

Just a swimsuit. A plain one-piece or a bikini that clips works best, since smooth, snug fabric rubs less at the shoulders and knees. You don't need anything special. Pick one you're happy to be seen in, because the wetsuit comes off on the boat.

Is there a dress code for a snorkeling tour?+

No. Wear your swimsuit under shorts and a shirt so you don't need to change. Bring a hat, a towel and a dry top for the ride back. The boat gives you a mask and snorkel, and often fins and a vest. Clothes, sunscreen and shoes are up to you.

Do you need a wetsuit to snorkel?+

Not in warm water, if you don't feel the cold. A rash guard is enough. But you lose heat fast when you float still for an hour. If you're often cold, a 2 mm shorty keeps you in the water longer. In cool water, wear a full suit.

Can I use any sunscreen in Hawaii?+

No. Hawaii bans the sale of sunscreen with oxybenzone or octinoxate. Maui County goes further, and you may only buy or use mineral sunscreen there. Bring one whose only active ingredients are zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, and you're fine on every island.

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References

Footnotes

1. Skin Cancer Foundation, “Sun-Protective Clothing,” on UPF ratings and wet cotton, updated August 2025, skincancer.org. ↩ ↩² ↩³

2. U.S. National Park Service, “Protect Yourself, Protect the Reef! The Impacts of Sunscreens on Our Coral Reefs,” 5 October 2022, nps.gov. ↩

3. Hawaii State Legislature, Act 104 (SB 2571), banning sale of oxybenzone and octinoxate sunscreen from 1 January 2021, capitol.hawaii.gov. ↩

4. County of Maui, “Mineral Only Sunscreen Maui County,” Ordinance 5306, in force from 1 October 2022, mauicounty.gov. ↩

5. Hawaii Tribune-Herald, “Sunscreen ban becomes law,” on Hawaii County’s mineral-only sales rule, 12 July 2022, hawaiitribune-herald.com. ↩

6. Legislature of the Virgin Islands, Act No. 8185 (Bill 33-0043), sale, import, use and possession rules, July 2019, dlca.vi.gov. ↩

7. Republic of Palau, “The Republic of Palau Adopts the World’s Strictest National Sunscreen Standard,” press release, 24 March 2020, palaugov.pw. ↩

8. Tourism Authority of Thailand, “Make sure your sunscreen is not on the banned list in Thailand,” 30 August 2021, tatnews.org. ↩

9. Florida Museum of Natural History, International Shark Attack File, “Apparel Color,” on contrast, yellow and jewelry, floridamuseum.ufl.edu. ↩ ↩² ↩³

10. Divers Alert Network, “Seabather’s Eruption,” on larvae in swimwear, season, showering and washing suits, dan.org. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴