what to wear to get wet?

[John Hawkins]

I was wondering what is best to wear when deciding to get into the water to take some photographs. Do you bring change of clothes? I seem to get most of the sand and dirt and twigs etc. in my car on my treks. Thanks for your input, John

[Rocky Sharwell]

I wear REI quick dry pants and a long sleeved sunshirt and a good hat--I basically wear exactly what I wear on land. The pants tend to dry quickly as do some of the shirts. I usually bring a change of clothes for lunch and an afternoon shoot. I make sure to have a pair of dry shoes for the ride home--I cannot stand having wet feet.

[Marina Scarr]

Hi John: I normally wear World Wide Sportsman quick dry pants or shorts which dry so quickly you don't normally need to carry a second pair. (You can purchase them in Ft Myers at that huge outdoor store by I-75 for $20 and they have zippers if you want to turn them into shorts.) For footwear, I use aqua shoes which are inexpensive (I think I paid $20) and lightweight and I simply slip them on before going out to the beach or into the water. When it's cold or I am not comfortable with the particular water (marshes and swamps), I wear waders.

[Alfred Forns]

Hi John Imagine you are asking about the beach? Getting dirty with mud and sand etc? Quick drying things like Rocky suggested would be perfect so if you get really dirty just go for a swim btw if you do make sure there is enough sun left to dry out.

Waders for the beach are not a good idea. Heavy and some kind of inconvenient. If its cold just don't get down in the mud, crawling on the sand won't get you all that dirty.

[Maxis Gamez]

I use waders in the beach all the time and they work for me. I also use nylon pants and heavy duty sandals. Don't forget a small rag around your neck to dry your hands if they get wet!

Good luck!

[John Hawkins]

Thanks for all your input. I think I will take a trip to that Bass Pro Store Marina mentioned.
John

[Brad Manchas]

Here in the PNW for me quick dry pants is matter if I remembered my Depends ;), otherwise it is gore-tex on top and several differing weights of neoprene (booted or no) waders through the year.

The beaches here are invariably wet or damp except on the best of days, but mud is much more typical for shore birds or waders. I also always have a cheap pair of chest waders in the stool/backpack for those unexpected times of getting really low.

[Ákos Lumnitzer]

In my neck of the woods in winter I use a 7mm semi-dry wetsuit longjohn with diving booties and barely get wet. In summer I still wear dive booties but also wear nice cotton camo pants (but do bring spare clothing). It gets mighty warm quickly even in South-east Australia, so the water cools nicely. :) Best regards...

[Christopher C.M. Cooke]

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In my neck of the woods in winter I use a 7mm semi-dry wetsuit longjohn with diving booties and barely get wet. In summer I still wear dive booties but also wear nice cotton camo pants (but do bring spare clothing). It gets mighty warm quickly even in<st1> South-east Australia</st1> so the water cools nicely. <!--[endif]-->Best regards.<o></o><!-- / message -->


That is all very well for you lucky folk who live up the Hawkesbury way but we poor Southerners who have to put up with the Antarctic winds and the chill of Bass Strait and the Great Southern Ocean have to take sterner measures to remain alive.
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I have an immersion suit purchased from an Oil Rig worker with built in life jacket and an EPIRB when I work the exposed rocks along the coast or on exposed piers.
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In the water in summer I wear thigh waders and a horse collar life jacket and when it gets REALLY hot i.e., our February 46 Deg. Celsius day I stay home as do the animals and bird life. On Sat 7^th of Feb. this year when my outdoors thermometer showed 51 Deg. C., I found 10 dead birds the following day despite putting out shade cloth and kids wading pools full of water in the shade for them.
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What a Country we live in.

[Alfred Forns]

51 Deg C !!!!!! Brutal temp ... and we worry once its up to 33 C !!!

[Shawn Marques]

Sam's sells a good selection of inexpensive, quick-dry clothing shirts, shorts and pants, some with UV sun protection. A pair of convertible pants costs $22.