August 2011    Download the Entire Issue (PDF)

Vol. 26, No. 8   What's this?

Shed Your Lycra Inhibitions

slinky Lavacore suits help keep you warm and keep out jellyfish

from the August, 2011 issue of Undercurrent  

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Lycra skins afford no thermal gain but give a degree of protection against coral scrapes and the killer irukandji jellyfish in warm water. I've noticed that many of our overweight friends in the U.S. like the ease with which they can don a Lycra skin, and don't seem to care that they look like Mr. Potato Head while wearing it. No, for myself I'd rather stick with the cosmetic effect of a thin layer of neoprene. I've got my pride to think of.

So it was with a certain amount of trepidation that I agreed to try out a new Lavacore suit. It's said to be the latest thing in lightweight suit solutions, with the insulation equivalent of 2mm in neoprene. It was designed in cooperation between the Aussies of Oceanic Australia and the Kiwis of Pinnacle Aquatics, is made in China, and was spurred on and marketed by Oceanic in the USA....