Wreck Diving Gloves?

[Xitesmai]

So I ordered a pair of 3mm gloves from my LDS, however they were back ordered so they ordered the 5mm instead. Which is OK considering we are in a temperate zone so water temps can get down pretty low in fall and winter.

The gloves are fine but its difficult to manipulate some gear because I feel like I have sausage fingers. Had a hard time this weekend manipulating my hood, wrist seals, compass and computer.

However I'm traveling to the Keys in November and doing the Wreck Trek Challenge (or atleast part of it) and I would like a pair of gloves that I can use on the wreck dives (protection for accidentally touching rusty metal, lobster hunting, etc) and maybe use them during future classes...Rescue, EAP, S&R etc.

Could anyone recommend a pair of gloves that would be good for this? Should they be kevlar lined?

I've been looking at the following:

Hollis 4mm Kevlar gloves
Akona 3.5mm ArmorTex
Pinnacle Merino-KarbonFlex

Any help?

 

[HowardE]

Atlas fit gloves... $5 a pair.

Sent from my SCH-I510 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Akimbo]

Kevlar gloves are tough but much stiffer. You have to put your hand in the glove to choose because everyone is different. Can you wait until you get to Florida? Gloves are consumables.

 

[Malpaso]

I used these General Purpose Gloves - Extra Large-2001XL at The Home Depot when I recently dove in the Caribbean. They are very comfortable, give a decent amount of protection, and breathe well.

 

[ajduplessis]

I use 5mm Scubapro Everflex gloves with the tips (up to first knuckle) cut from thumb, index, and middle fingers. I used some neoprene cement on the seams to make sure they don't come loose. This works very well, I use the same gloves for my cave dives.

 

[DevonDiver]

I use 3M Comfort Grip gloves:

They have awesome dexterity, fit like a second-skin. Cost ~$5 (I got mine in Ace Hardware, Manila...so I guess they're in the USA too).

I also treat wreck gloves as consumables... but these do happen to last twice as long as the toughest diving gloves. With diving gloves, even the kevlar ones etc, it tends to be the seams that get torn open first. The 3M gloves have no seams..

 

[klauricella]

we use this really cheap and durable

PVC Dot Gloves, 3 Pair

Kevin

 

[Spg01]

Any ideas for water down into the low 50's °F?

 

[Wayne at DiveSeekers]

As a wreck diver, we should work on muscle memory are practice clipping/unclipping, reel work, accessing gear etc.. all the time. When the practice is put in you will be able to use any type of glove (dry, 7mm, 5mm etc) and execute the skills. When diving wet gloves I have found the Fourth Element line of gloves to be the warmest and easiest to use. It is a tighter fitting glove but very flexible and easy to grip things. Water temp in the 50's, I use their 5mm!

 

[Gilldiver]

For wreck diving, I considered gloves to be expendable, you just use them up on the sharp edges if you do any digging or work. Because of this I have never used dry gloves, even in 32F water doing boat salvage in February/march in New England.

I do look for a glove with good puncture resistance like the 3M gloves above but usually use cheap rubberized gloves I get at work or from Home Cheapo. In cooler water, put a rubber band around the wrist to keep the water flow down. In cold water - less than 45 or so, I use a dive glove and may put a cheap cloth glove over it to try to make them last. In real cold water being in the 30's fill the dive glove with warm water (90-110F) water from a Thermos immediately before putting them on - you may need a buddy or tender to help you. I have done as much as 2 and a half hours rigging a boat for lift in water cold enough to have skim ice this way. Now, my feet are a completely different story, after 2 hours or so in 33F water they just hurt when I get out and start walking.

FYI, the quickest I ever went through a pair of gloves was less than 5 minutes due to Barnacles on some rocks and pileings.