New to cold water
- Thread starter kxkid
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
Leejnd
Contributor
Definitely. Wear a hood. The only time I ever go hoodless around here is much later in the year when the water is warmer...maybe Sept/Oct. Right now the water is way too cold to go without one.
Mr Carcharodon
Contributor
You might get away without a hood in the warmest month or two of year, but in general a hood is a good idea year round for Catalina. You could find yourself in the low 50's down deep.
You will probably use a lot less air if you have a hood, especially if the water temperature is in the 50s or 60s. I will almost always wear a hood or hooded vest under my wetsuit, even in the tropics when the water is in the 80s. If you're totally claustrophobic, look for something that isn't overly restrictive and has a lot of stretch
Tim R Alcoser JR
Contributor
You might be able to get away without wearing a hood later this summer/early fall. Depends on your tolerance to cold. I'd bring it just in case. I didn't wear a week ago at the Dive Park, and I was fine. Though I admit, the first few minutes of the dive were pretty cold, especially in the Thermocline at depth.
You might tell us a little more about yourself. If you're a 5'1" 110lb woman, you may be colder than a 6'1" 225lb man. Even then it's subjective. Do you get cold easy? Are you acclimated to colder climates (guessing not if you're in AZ). It's easier to shed layers than it is to wish you had them when they're needed. I dive dry in southern california without a hood often. I personally would be cold without a hood if I were diving wet.
krawlings
Contributor
I would go with a 5mm hood . Like was mentioned before it is better to be able to remove a layer than to wish you had that layer. I will put on a hood in water tempt 65*and down in to the low 40's . The best thing is to stay as warm as you can to enjoy the dive . I have done dives that I was really chilled / cold and did not totally enjoy the dives compared to doing dives in the same temps and having the correct thermal protection and being warm I did not want to come up from the dive I was enjoying the dive MUCH more. And I did not burn through my air as quickly. BIG PLUS.
blue steal
Contributor
- Messages
- 2,777
- Reaction score
- 386
- # of dives
- 500 - 999
I always wear a hood. 5mm separate or a 5mm hooded vest.
Not so much for the cold, but to keep water from rushing in and out of my ears and keeps the hair in place.
Not so much for the cold, but to keep water from rushing in and out of my ears and keeps the hair in place.
Leejnd
Contributor
And keeping one's coiffure looking attractive is SO important when underwater...
Just teasing ya Dennis! :blinking:
While the old myth that "75% of heat loss is through the head" was debunked by scientists, it's still damn uncomfortable when your head is cold. I've got a couple hundred dives here in SoCal, and I can count on one hand the number of times I went hood-less (and it was only in very shallow beach dives during the warmest months).
Similar threads
