Question for tropical divers: Gloves or no gloves

[EireDiver606]

If you aren’t inclined to touch the reef, and they still won’t let you wear your gloves, stow them in your pocket, put them on underwater and take them off before ascending

 

[Fastmarc]

My preference is for 3M Comfort Grip work gloves. Very thin, excellent dexterity, very 'grippy' on wet metal and skin tight.

These give an excellent grip on metal boltsnaps (I dive tech and sidemount),when climbing boat ladders etc... They also protect from skin abrasion, cuts and stings... all of which can happen without going anywhere near coral. When fingers get water-soaked and wrinkled they easily get damaged... and that can lead to infections etc.

I actually use these daily at work and I never thought about it, but they would make great dive gloves. Very comfy and grippy.

 

[Fastmarc]

If you aren’t inclined to touch the reef, and they still won’t let you wear your gloves, stow them in your pocket, put them on underwater and take them off before ascending

This was what I did in Cayman. Waited a little until they saw how I behaved and controlled myself underwater then put them on. I just repeated this on the following dives and no one said anything to me.

I didn't take them off before ascending though as they're most useful when getting out.

 

[tomfcrist]

Reef dives? No. I like bare hands...lets me feel the jellyfish stings.

Wreck? Gloves. All day everyday....

 

[rabe]

Down here I might be diving with no wetsuit sometimes, but I always wear my gloves.

 

[Bratface]

I only wear gloves if I have to go down a barnacle covered mooring line or if I'm wreck diving.

 

[Centrals]

I dive mainly in tropical water and don't wear gloves even in wrecks. However, on many occasions I wished I had because of all those horrible stinging creatures during the shallow deco stops.

Wearing gloves or not has no bearing on the diver's attitude and skill.

 

[CarcharodonCarcharias]

Most of the dive sites in SE Asia do not allow gloves. That is not to say that everyone abides by it and I still see some ppl with gloves during my dives.

There is really no point wearing gloves in tropical waters.

 

[TMHeimer]

Most of the dive sites in SE Asia do not allow gloves. That is not to say that everyone abides by it and I still see some ppl with gloves during my dives.

There is really no point wearing gloves in tropical waters.

Because of stings and other things in tropical (or any) waters, I think the majority would disagree and vote in favour of gloves.

 

[NAM001]

I do gloves but there are places that will not allow gloves to be worn.