to hood or not to hood?

Hey there,

I'm a newbie (17 dives so far) going on my first ever diving trip in Cozumel in a few weeks.
I've been reading a lot about water temp in the Caribbeans as well as some divers' gear preference.
For this trip, I'm gonna take my 5mm full wetsuit, but I have no idea if I should also buy a hood and/or gloves.
It's gonna be mid-end of December when I go, and the water should be about 24C (I think it's the higher 70's in F).

From your experience, do I need a hood/gloves for this weather or not?
Also, what kind of hood would you go with (thickness, style). I read a lot about people complaining the hood causes them jaw discomfort (or even TMJ problems). The one thing I like about hoods (in theory) is that they keep your hair out of the way and allow an easy removal and replacement of mask (if needed). Some people even go with a hooded jacket, but I think it might be way too hot with some many layers...

I'd appreciate your input.

I use a hood for most of my dives, heat loss through your head can make you feel colder quicker. Either use a hooded vest or standard hood, and buy one with a built in valve or you will need to cut a hole in it to release the air bubble that will form inside it when you are diving.

3mm should be fine for 24C

Being in cold water, a hood is a necessity for diving. Plus, like you mentioned, it's convenient to avoid getting hair in the way. I've never experienced jaw discomfort or heard of it occurring with other divers I know. Maybe the hood was too tight in that case, but I'm thinking that a jaw discomfort seems like a mouthpiece/regulator problem If the hood is the right size, it should be snug but not feel like it's constricting your head. At 24C, a thinner hood (as Searcaigh suggested) would be adequate.

A lot of tropical divers opt for a BEANIE, rather than a hood. A beanie secures with a strap and is, in my opinion, much more comfortable than a hood. I go bareheaded at 24ºC (75.2º F), but start to think about the beanie any colder. Mine is 3mm thick, as is my wetsuit in that temperature water.

Hood and gloves? Only if you are diving off of Maine in January or you are entering ships with a lot of jagged metal. I wear gloves when using a buoy line to get down because of the fish hooks, ManOWar trailings, etc. I did wear a beanie once on a ship dive but it bothered me so much that I didn't use it any more. I know that some people are more sensitive to cooler temperatures than others but I just can't see wearing anything more than a half mm suit in tropical waters and that's to keep the coral off. When I started diving I was given a 3mm Henderson which I wore a couple times while diving off of Pompano but it was so hot that I had to keep pulling at the collar to let water in to cool me off. Second dive I borrowed a pair of scissors and cut off the arms and legs and made a shorty out of it. One time I did sort of wish I had a full suit on while diving the Eagle in February. The bottom temp was 63 degrees which kind of got to me. But the bottom time was only about a half hour and the surface waters were around 70 so I warmed up pretty fast. If I was going to Coz I'd forget about a wetsut till I got there. They rent them at most of the decent shops for not many pesos.

I would say no hood and no gloves. I wear a hood in water 65 degree farenheit and less (that's about 18C) . The gloves go on at about 60 degrees F, 14C. You may find it a bit more problematice to clear your ears when wearing a hood, and you need to be aware sometimes air gets trapped in a hood and can mess with your buoyancy so be aware of and attentive to that if you opt for a hood. A beany has been suggested and has the advantage of reducing heat loss and NOT covering your ears, so if you really want something on your head, go for a beanie. However, you really wont need either. A 5 mil fill is a lot of exposure protection by itself. I opt for a 3 mil in Cozumel. However, your body mass, individual metabolism and personal comfort zone will dictate what is best for you. Within those parameters, I am confident that NO GLOVES, and BEANIE INSTEAD OF HOOD, OR ELSE NEITHER, will be just fine.
DivemasterDennis

efpef:

Hey there,

I'm a newbie (17 dives so far) going on my first ever diving trip in Cozumel in a few weeks.
I've been reading a lot about water temp in the Caribbeans as well as some divers' gear preference.
For this trip, I'm gonna take my 5mm full wetsuit, but I have no idea if I should also buy a hood and/or gloves.
It's gonna be mid-end of December when I go, and the water should be about 24C (I think it's the higher 70's in F).

From your experience, do I need a hood/gloves for this weather or not?
Also, what kind of hood would you go with (thickness, style). I read a lot about people complaining the hood causes them jaw discomfort (or even TMJ problems). The one thing I like about hoods (in theory) is that they keep your hair out of the way and allow an easy removal and replacement of mask (if needed). Some people even go with a hooded jacket, but I think it might be way too hot with some many layers...

I'd appreciate your input.

Click to expand...

Of course everyone will vary in their preference, but I personally dive a 7mm and a 3-5mm hood year round (and I live in Florida). When I dove in Cozumel a few years back, gloves were not permitted on the reefs we were diving, so I'd check with the charter you'll be using wether or not you can have em.
There were a ton of jellies there, so I was greatful for the max coverage possible.
As for the hair issue... I have reasonably long hair, and to be completely honest, my hair is yanked and pulled every time I use a hood or anything that goes over my head, but it does make mask removal/replacement in the water a little less of a headache for me personally.
I also tend to have slight issues with my ears, and I think the hood helps (but I really think it's in my head.)

Anyhow... Personally.... I'd try it, see if you like it, and you can always take it off on dive 2.

AFAIK, gloves are not permitted in the Cozumel Marine Park, so that's a moot issue. IMO the policy sucks as I routinely get stung by hydroids or practically invisible water-borne nasties (stray jelly tentacles, siphonophores, etc.) - on the July Coz trip it was a hydroid I brushed against in the Devil's Throat swim-through that we did in the dark and my hand ended up itching for a week.

As for wearing a hood, that's a personal choice. vladimir's suggestion of a beanie is excellent - I had J try one when she used to feel claustrophobic wearing a full hood and she liked it. So easy to don that you could stick on in a pocket and put it on mid-dive if you get chilled. Personally, I'm like DivemasterDennis: I don't wear a hood unless it's below 60-65 degrees and would never consider wearing one in the Caribbean, but I tend to be hot-headed.

I will rather dive without gloves than without hoodie.

A 5mm is on the heavy side but that is what my wife always wears in Cozumel. She usually adds a cap like this (BODY GLOVE Wet Suit Black Cap Hood NWOT. size small | eBay) which controls hair, provides some thermal protection to a high heat loss area, but does not have the difficulties of a full hood.