Swimsuit/Rashguard or Spring suit in Byron Bay?

[mllew]

Hey all,

I'm heading over to Byron Bay first week of March for some surfing and as I've never been to Australia, I'm not sure what would be best to pack for my surf trip. It looks like the water will be pretty warm, but any recommendations as to whether I should just stick to a swimsuit and rashguard (or surf suit) or a thin spring suit?

I'd rather be comfortable and not bothered by getting a sunburn/cold etc.

Thanks so much!

[dtc]

Byron will be warm water wise and air temp wise; you can generally get away with boardies and a rash vest. Or a shortie wetsuit or 1mm rash top if you feel the cold, although the water will be mid 20C so not too bad

However, sunburn is a real issue if you arent used to Australia. So long sleeve rash vest is a must, good quality sunscreen liberally applied. Maybe a surf hat?. A thin spring suit is a good option to avoid sunburn - I'm a bit further south (in Australia) but wear a full suit most of the time for the sun protection benefits.

Shorts, thongs (flip flops) and a t-shirt will cover most of your off shore activities. Sunglasses essential.

Having said all the above.. .March gets a fair bit of rain, so keep that in mind. It will still be warm, but might be raining. In which case, having a thin spring suit could be useful

[mllew]

Thank you so much! That was extremely informative as I was not thinking about either the rain factor or how strong the sun would be. Now that you mention both of those, I am definitely leaning towards a spring suit over a simple bikini and rashguard.

I'm from NorCal and am constantly in a wetsuit, so I don't mind the extra layers -- honestly I'd rather be sun safe at this point than painfully applying aloe after a day in the water. :p