I am going to Hawaii for the first time ever in July. I really want to “swim with the fishes” but since I have Raynaud’s, I chill very easily. If I rent a suit, will it keep me warm and if so, wet or dry?
Thanks!
Under typical circumstances in Hawai’i, most people don’t use wetsuits, but many people use rashguards, which retain a small amount of water and reduce chill slightly, as well as acting to block the sun. In July it is going to be very warm in the water.
However, since you have Reynaud’s you may want a bit more, as you suggest. A wetsuit is a thought, but most of the ones you see in Hawai’i are going to be shorties, which will help your core but not your hands. Depending on how your Reynaud’s manifests itself, you might want to consider an alternative like neoprene gloves and booties with either a rashguard or a shortie wetsuit.
You almost certainly won’t be able to find a dry suit in Hawai’i. That’s for serious cold water, like surfing in Alaska.
What is very warm? For example, I had trouble tolerating a PT pool that was supposed to be 85 degrees. OTOH, I didn’t move around much in it.
Can I rent a rashguard or is it something I should buy beforehand?
Buy or can rent this stuff?
Ah. I guess my serious aversion to less than hot water is showing… 
Or for if you’re a secret agent infiltrating a high-class party, and you’re wearing a tux underneath it.
You can usually rent a wet suit. I see such services advertised for triathlons now and again. A wetsuit will keep you warmer. In fact, in said triathlons, your not allowed to wear them above… 80 deg or so because of the danger of over heating. Be warned that it’s a very different experience being in a wet suit. When they fit correctly they are quite tight. Some folks find themselves panicking and feel unable to breathe due to chest compression or throat compression (It’s generally perceived. They aren’t THAT tight.)
Also, diving wetsuits are different than swimming wetsuits, which are, I imagine, different than surfing wetsuits.
Surfing or swimming wetsuits, especially in Hawai’i are going to be quite thin and flexible. You ought not have a claustrophobic sensation once you get it on. Getting it on is a bit tough, because you’re squeezing yourself into a tight suit, but once it’s on it’s like a superhero suit.
You should be able to rent the wetsuit and booties. Gloves aren’t gonna be as common there.
Er, please note this poster’s location. In July, the Hawaii water was VERY cold to me. I’m from South Carolina though.
I don’t know jack about swimming in Hawaii, but I do know about swimming in natural bodies of water (and the Pacific could be described as such) and I’ve known one or two people with Reynaud’s.
Please, do wear gloves. It’s not just the cold, natural bodies of water offer possibilities of injury from abrasive sand, rocks, and who knows what else. With circulation difficulties I’m assuming healing isn’t so swift, so you’ll want to protect against injury as well as chilly water.
It has been a number of years, but I felt absolutely no need for a wetsuit while snorkeling off Oahu in December. The water was perfectly comfortable for the couple of hours I was in it. For comparison I do wear a shortie (short sleeve / mid thigh leg) suit when waterskiing in the summer. These lakes I ski in are generally between 65-70°.
Water temps will likely be at 80° or a few degrees cooler. But they should feel a bit warmer if the sun is out. I’m not familiar with Raynaud’s, so take this with a grain of salt. But even if you chill very quickly I expect a shortie wet suit should be sufficient to keep you comfortable.
I have Reynaud’s. I would be most concerned about my hands and feet because that’s what causes me the most pain in cold water–too HOT is also unpleasant because it takes me a minute to figure out that I’m getting burned.
I grew up at the beach in NC. I would swim from April to November, but that was before the Reynaud’s.
I would rent a short surf wet suit and buy gloves and booties–I’ve seen some that come above the ankles, so your extremities are more protected.
I’ve also noticed that my skin overall is more sensitive, so I’d bring some calamine and other calming lotions because salt water can give you rashes that can dampen your fun–especially if you’re squeezing back into a suit on day 2-3 of the rash. (it’s not sand, it’s algae in the water that causes the reactions.
Its not unusual to see surfers in Hawaii wearing wetsuits, but its not because of the water temperature.
They wear them because they are sitting on their board exposed to the wind. Even if the air temperature is warm, wind blowing against your wet skin can make you feel cold quite quickly and surfers often stay out in the water for hours.
Better you stay in the water swimming and not try surfing. You’ll really freeze sitting on a board.
As a scuba diver and triathlete who’s dived and been swimming in both warm and cold water, I offer the following advice:
Should you wear a wetsuit? Based on what you’ve said, I think you should. It can’t hurt. I’ve been diving in 80 degree water in Fiji, and I wore a 5mm wetsuit, even though I don’t have Reynaud’s. Keep in mind, though, that I was diving to 60-80 feet. If you’re snorkeling and staying close to the surface, the water may be 10 degrees warmer in the first 1-2 feet of water.
Also, I did not wear a hood, which you should also consider. A hood will help significantly. Most people exaggerate the amount of heat you lose from your head, but you do lose heat there. A thicker hood, say 7mm, might really help you from losing heat.
I wore gloves and booties, and you should definitely do those as well. I wore thin gloves, but thick 7mm gloves would really help. Your extremities are also a definite source of heat loss.
You should be able to rent all of this. If you go with booties, keep in mind that you need fins that are meant to be worn with them. These have a strap around the back and an open pocket. Fins meant to be worn over bare feet have a sort of slipper opening.
You can also rent triathlon wetsuits, but I wouldn’t advise it. Triathlon wetsuits are 3mm to 5mm thick, with thinner stretchable areas to allow you to swim easily. They wouldn’t insulate as well, they wouldn’t come down far enough on your arms to go under gloves, and they certainly wouldn’t come down far enough on your legs to match up with booties. Moreover, the legs don’t have zippers, which makes them a real pain to get on and take off.
You won’t be able to rent a drysuit designed for diving. They are rentable, but you have to be trained to use one. Even the newer lightweight ones are designed exclusively for scuba diving. You need to have an air source to inject air into them, and you need to wear at least some sort of inner layer, otherwise you don’t get that much warmer. They’re hard to get on and off, and you still need gloves and hood.
I don’t know anything about drysuits for other sports such as kayaking or surfing. They might work.
You should also remember that a wetsuit (and even to some extent a drysuit) will make you buoyant. A thicker wetsuit makes you more buoyant than a thinner one. A 7mm wetsuit like the ones we wear while diving in Monterey makes it nearly impossible to go down more than 1-2 feet in the water. All the air bubbles in the neoprene cause this. You usually get around it by wearing a belt with weights. You don’t need much weight, but I am warning you in advance. You may find that a 3mm or 5mm keeps you warm and doesn’t require weighting.
I doubt that a rash guard would help you much. They’re made out of nylon/spandex, just like a swimsuit. They don’t offer anything more than perhaps a thin layer of still water next to your skin.
I hope all of this helps.
I do NOT like cold water. I can tolerate it , but if its bothering me to point that I am thinking about it whats the point? I can take 80 degree water for a decent amount of time. On the other hand, in 72 or so water and within 15 minutes I aint a happy camper any more (not that I ever really was to start with really). If you don’t tolerate cold well IMO you definitely need a wetsuit and gloves and maybe also a hood and booties. A drysuit may be overkill (and it has other issues not discussed here) but I don’t think you will tolerate just a swimsuit even in Hawaii.
You may need a wetsuit. No way you’ll need a drysuit.
Whitewater kayaker here. I have several wetsuits and drysuits and I agree wetsuit is the way to go. Drysuits provide little warmth on thier own and depend on insulating layers worn underneath to keep you warm. They are also a little trickier to get on and off and relieving yourself can be an issue also. Cheaper ones may not have relief zippers or have small ones meant for urination by penis equipped people.
You can poke around hereand get an idea of what’s available at the paddling end of the spectrum. The stuff they are calling Hydroskin at the linked site (NRS) is what is referred to as rash guard in this thread, I believe.
OK, I guess I’d better check before we go and see if I’ll be able to rent it all.
My Raynaud’s is reasonably mild - it takes fairly serious cold for me to have a reaction in my hands or feet. The issue I have swimming is my whole body will lose heat quickly - I have the same problem on dry land but it’s much easier to find an outside heat source there! I think in Hawaii water, as long as my core is kept warm I should still be able to enjoy the experience, but I will get gloves and booties if I can too.
Oh! Huh - I haven’t spent enough time in salt water to have any idea if it will bother me or not, so good point and thanks!
OK, and a hood too! 
So I ask for a regular wetsuit - a snorkeling wetsuit?
Ha, maybe I should quit dieting! 
OK, yes, that doesn’t sound like it will work, since a swim suit hasn’t seemed to do much for me in the past.
Yes, thanks!
A thin 3-5 mm surf suit is likely going to be plenty. It’s also going to be likely the most that is on offer.
Also, it seemed to me when I was there that the water was very salty - much more so than the oceans I’m accustomed to.