Before heading to “the office,” as Captain Cal refers to the lineup, surfers ask ourselves, What to wear today?

Now that it’s November and the weather’s cooler, a reader emailed to ask about “the advantage of certain styles (for swimming and surfing) and how to care for your suits and rash guards.”

For most oceangoers, apparel is dictated by conditions, which are always changing. For instance, four to five days before the dark of the new moon, the Captain wears a long-sleeved rash guard to protect against stings from box jellyfish that swarm South Shore waters at that time of month.

Function-minded surfers and swimmers also wear rash guards — and sometimes leggings — to guard against chafing and provide warmth when it’s cloudy and windy, and sun protection when it’s bright and hot.

To others, fashion comes first. For some women it’s all about daring to be bare in swimsuits that are, well, barely there.

Witness the daring young woman on a SUP who paddled out to Suis clad in a long-sleeved top that bared her slender midriff above see-through lace bottoms. As we sat on our boards, waiting for waves, she stood like a statue amidst us, her tush at eye level.

The guys’ eyes were wide. Instead of paddling into position when a set came, they sat there as if paralyzed and watched her pick off a wave with the greatest of ease.

Eager to escape the scene, I caught a wave in. So did my neighbor Debbie, her husband, Kimball, and Captain Cal.

Cal shook his head.

“Did she come out to show us her butt?” he asked.

Good question. Maybe what seemed like exhibitionism was unintentional on the girl’s part. After all, there was the time I pulled off my thinning tank suit after a lap swim and discovered that the backside had turned completely transparent during my workout. I’d been inadvertently mooning everyone at the pool.

Hence this basic care tip: Because chlorine, salt and sun progressively eat away at any fabric, take the time to thoroughly rinse swimsuits, rash guards and wet suits in cold water and hang them to dry in the shade — instead of jamming them into a swim bag to rot, like I did.

Comfy is good, and a little stretchy elastane in the fiber lets you move and breathe unimpaired. But avoid a baggy, stretched-out suit. Form-fitting suits take on less water and produce less drag, allowing you swim and paddle more efficiently.

One big day out bodysurfing, I realized my rash guard was weighing me down and had to ditch it to get in to shore (apologies to the ocean habitat). Many top bodysurfers wear Speedos for this reason.

On the other hand, no matter how snug, bikini bottoms can get torn off in big, crunchy waves.

That’s why I wear board shorts. Made in a bicolor block design, they resemble classic, local Taki’s shorts from the 1960s and ’70s, but they’re updated in a weightless, stretchy material, snap snugly and pull tight with an interior drawstring. A pocket holds wax and other essentials.

The other day, clad in my new trusty tank suit, I was about to enter some thrashy shorebreak at Pounders when I saw I’d forgotten to take off my engagement ring. I’d stopped surfing with it on since the time I got out of the water at Sandy Beach and the diamond was hanging by one prong.

At Pounders my husband tied the ring onto the nylon key loop in the pocket of his board shorts and fastened the Velcro securely before diving in. We forgot about the ring until we went to rinse off, and there it was in the pocket, shining through the sand.

Style should defer to function — and survival. November is the month with the second-most shark bites in Hawaii waters, and, according to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, shiny jewelry and high-contrast prints might attract their notice — more reasons to leave the diamonds at home and seek a low impact in your look as well as your actions in the sea.

“In the Lineup” features Hawaii’s oceangoers and their regular hangouts, from the beach to the deep blue sea. Reach Mindy Pennybacker at mpennybacker@staradvertiser.com or call 529-4772.