Protection from the sun/body suit

That EcoStinger suit looks like a good option — fabric and not neoprene. And the price isn’t crazy. I might actually think about getting one for my swims along the beach in SE Florida where there are frequently numerous man-o-wars when the wind is out of the east. However, I question the claim that it protects against sea lice. They are one nuisance that I occassionally have to deal with where I do a lot of my OW swims here in Rhode Island. Even with a tight-fitting jammer suit they so small that they still get inside it and leave me stings on my butt, and ‘nether’ regions. Initially I thought of wearing my wetsuit, or something like this EcoStinger, when they’re present. But I read that because they’re so small, they’re more likely to get trapped inside and then inflict their sting…which, by the way, isn’t a “painful” sting. You really don’t feel it…until later…when you end up with something akin to a mosquito bite. Consequently, I use SafeSea lotion (including under my jammer) and I don’t get the stings.  — Dan

I'll look into teh Eco Stinger. I grew up in Miami Beach. I go back to see freinds, but that's usually Fort Lauderdale and north of there, so I'm always curious about swimming there! As for sea lice, I may have gotten that on swims in Meciso in the past, but sounds horrible. Anyway, thanks!

Ben

We have a winter home in Ft. Lauderdale. I do some OW swimming along the various beaches there (December-March). I haven’t experienced sea lice there. But when the wind is from the east, it blows the man-o-wars in. I got stung by a small one (on my back) a couple years ago. Not pleasant. The sea lice “mosquito bite” sting that I get swimming in NE is a nuisance, but I think I’d take that over the m-o-w sting. When I go to the beach for a swim, before I get in the water, I generally walk a couple hundred yards in each direction just to take a look at what’s washing up onto the beach. If I find more than a couple m-o-w or jellies I skip the swim. Last winter I was getting in, about knee-depth, and a manatee swam past. It stopped and popped its head out and looked at me. I was about halfway between the Port Everglades inlet and the Hillsboro/Lighthouse Point inlet. That’s a long way for a manatee to be in the brine. But…that cancelled my swim. I know they’re docile, friendly mammals that wouldn’t hurt me. But I just thought “If I was swimming along and suddenly saw ‘a creature’ that size…it’d probably cause me to have a heart attack.”

Dan

We have a winter home in Ft. Lauderdale. I do some OW swimming along the various beaches there (December-March). I haven’t experienced sea lice there. But when the wind is from the east, it blows the man-o-wars in. I got stung by a small one (on my back) a couple years ago. Not pleasant. The sea lice “mosquito bite” sting that I get swimming in NE is a nuisance, but I think I’d take that over the m-o-w sting. When I go to the beach for a swim, before I get in the water, I generally walk a couple hundred yards in each direction just to take a look at what’s washing up onto the beach. If I find more than a couple m-o-w or jellies I skip the swim. Last winter I was getting in, about knee-depth, and a manatee swam past. It stopped and popped its head out and looked at me. I was about halfway between the Port Everglades inlet and the Hillsboro/Lighthouse Point inlet. That’s a long way for a manatee to be in the brine. But…that cancelled my swim. I know they’re docile, friendly mammals that wouldn’t hurt me. But I just thought “If I was swimming along and suddenly saw ‘a creature’ that size…it’d probably cause me to have a heart attack.”

Dan