Should You Dive Without a Wetsuit?

By Jaruda Suppakarnpanich Date 18 Jun 2025

Yes, you can go scuba diving without a wetsuit. However, we’ll talk about some of the reasons why the wetsuit can make diving easier

Most non-divers never venture below the first few meters when they swim in the ocean. They often wonder why scuba divers are so eager to wear wetsuits in tropical waters. However, should they swim to the depths scuba divers frequently explore, they’d quickly realize a wetsuit is necessary.

Plenty of divers occasionally go diving without a wetsuit in tropical waters. However, they're usually confining themselves to shallow waters where the water temperature is much warmer. But before we get into whether you should go diving without a wetsuit, let’s look at the types and purposes of the wetsuit.

Wetsuit Models and Thicknesses

Wetsuits come in many styles and thicknesses. You often see photos of divers in northern climates diving in thick wetsuits and wearing gloves, booties and hoods. You also might notice that they wear big belts with lots of lead weights around their waists. This is a clue to one of the other main purposes of a wetsuit that doesn’t become apparent until you start learning how to dive.

Warm water divers wear thin wetsuits. These wetsuits are typically only 3 mm thick or thinner with tank tops or short sleeves. They also come in "shortie" styles that only cover the legs to mid-thigh.

Staying Warm and Neutrally Buoyant at Any Depth

Divers wearing warm-water wetsuits need less lead weight because the thinner neoprene provides less buoyancy than thicker cold-water wetsuits. To stay afloat in thicker cold-water wetsuits, you need more lead weights.

Thinner warm-water wetsuits also help regulate buoyancy, making ascents and descents easier. Though you can swim in warm water without a wetsuit, it’s recommended to stay within three to four meters of the surface because the water is colder deeper down.

Wetsuits primarily serve to regulate body temperature and manage buoyancy. Water temperature and pressure decrease with depth and body density also rises due to the increased water pressure. At lower depths, neoprene buoyancy can prevent sinking.

The Problem of Hypothermia

Prolonged cold-water exposure may lead to hypothermia. This condition may exhaust divers, adding to the dangers of underwater disorientation.

A wetsuit offers protection and helps with buoyancy control, regardless of water temperature. Wetsuits protect against hypothermia while you ascend to warmer water and safety.

Protecting Your Skin

Wetsuits also offer a measure of skin protection. If you’re a casual diver, you may choose to rent a buoyancy compensation device (BCD) from the dive company or dive boat hosting your trip. The straps from these rental BCDs may not fit you well and can chafe your shoulders and arms. Wearing a wetsuit solves this problem and can make your day of multiple dives more comfortable. Wetsuits can also help protect the skin from sunburn when doing shallow water dives or spending significant time at the surface.

The World’s Top Warm-water Dive Destinations

Here are the world’s top-rated warm-water dive destinations. These are some of the best locations where you can give diving without a wetsuit a try. However, if you want the experience of diving without a wetsuit, we recommend shorter dives and shallow in depth as a precaution against hypothermia.

The world's top-rated warm-water dive sites include:

Bonaire, Caribbean Netherlands (water temperatures of 25-30°c) Bonaire is famous for the over 470 fish species and the numerous shipwrecks that provide great diving between April and November.
The Great Barrier Reef, Australia (water temperatures of 24-30°c) With great visibility, over 600 islands, and 2,900 dive sites. The Great Barrier Reef provides spectacular diving at any time of year.
The Red Sea, Egypt (water temperatures reach 30°c during May through October) With fantastic reefs and an abundance of shipwrecks, the Red Sea is also a great place to see whale sharks from May to August.
Maldives, Indian Ocean (water temperatures of 27-30°c): The Maldives offer a wide variety of colorful marine life and superb warm-water diving all year round.
Koh Tao, Thailand (water temperatures of 28-30°c) This small island in the Gulf of Thailand near Koh Samui offers colorful coral reefs, and vibrant marine life, including sea turtles. Visibility is highest, and marine life encounters are numerous from April through September.

If diving in Koh Tao, Thailand intrigues you, visit the Giant Stride website for up-to-date information about all aspects of Scuba Diving in Thailand. Giant Stride is a great information source for reviews and direct booking of scuba diving courses, day scuba diving boat trips, and liveaboards in Thailand. Visit Giant Stride and book your scuba diving trip to Thailand today.

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