Diving Hood Advice Needed

[ScubaScubaScubaYAY]

Hello,

I am about to begin a job in Spain and am trying to prepare for the colder water there (between 59 and 70 Fahrenheit). It looks like I am buying a 5/4 wetsuit and I am pretty sure that this will not protect me enough and that I will need a hood. However, I am not sure what thickness of hood to get, or how to size them, or where the best place is to get them.

Any and all advice concerning hoods would be very much appreciated. Thanks.

 

[blkirk91]

Go for the 7mil suit and you may not need a hood. While everyone will tell you that you must wear a hood it is all a diver preferance. I have routinly dove in 45deg water with out a hood and comfortably outlasted divers in thick bulky hood. If you decide to get one get one that is made of the hyper stretch material as they are the most comfotable. If you have not routinly worn a hood equalizing may be a problem and my recomendation is to get a hole punch of the office supply kind and put a hole in each side of the hood over your ear canals. It will not decrease the effectiveness of the hood but it will make you more comforatble. In those water conditions you may also try just a beany cap.

 

[cmburch]

I would get brain freeze at 46F without a hood! A 3mm hood will work for most until about 65F. I dive NorCal 48-52F down to 44F at depth. Where to post to get input from Spain? Maybe a Spain section or DeeperBlue.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

A 5/4 wetsuit is too thin for those temperatures and a hood is absolutely recommended....a 5mm hood would be best

 

[Peter_C]

You can easily cool a wetsuit down by pulling the neck open, but it is much harder to warm up, without swimming at top speed. 7mm might be the way to go for you. Especially if you are going to do multiple dives. Then have a hood on hand just in case you need it.

I'd be in a drysuit!

 

[ajduplessis]

5mm suit is to thin for me. I would also recommend a 5mm hoodie

 

[a22shady]

As others have stated the suit seems to be little thin, Atleast for me i would freeze I get cold easily. I use a bare 7mm Hood. At first I hated the thing but after couple dives didn't bother and now I actually don't mind it and prefer to wear it, Atleast diving here in northeast. I dive in waters ranginf from 75F surface water temps down to 38F and use this hood all the time.

Personally I would wear sometime a hood no matter what especially with a thinner suit as you loose a lot heat from your head. Here is a link to the hood I use. It is labeled as a drysuit hood but can be used with a wetsuit somepeople use these becuase they don't like the vest's, or bib. Easiest place to get hoods would be your local dive shop this way you can see some different ones and try them out. If you don't have any local that you can or want to drive to then go online, www.diverightinscuba.com www.scubatoys.com www.leisurepro.com

Dive - Products - Accessories - Hoods - Tech Dry Hood - zipper - Unisex

 

[scubajo007]

You do not state where you will dive, is it in the Atlantic or the Mediterranean Sea?
I was in the water at Sirte Bay in Libya at 15 deg C (59 F) this January using a 5mm wetsuit, 5mm boots, and a 3mm hood. I managed 45 minutes but that was cold. I have been diving in the Mediterranean Sea in August using 3mm wetsuit only and that was sufficient.
I think you should consider one suit for the summer and one suit for the winter, go for 7mm wetsuit with 3mm hood in the winter. Just find a dive shop and try the protection suit.

 

[Bedros A]

Contrary to popular belief, you DO NOT lose 40-45% of your body heat through your head. You lose heat equally all over the body, depending on the surface area that is exposed to the cold.

When it comes to the thickness of a hood, it's really a personal choice. Some people wear 3mm, some wear 7mm...go with the average...5mm .

Enjoy Spain

 

[ajduplessis]

No true, you loose around 20% of heat through the head area. The reason is very simple. The skin around your head is a lot thinner, have no fat to insolate and have veins very close to the surface. Due to these attributes you will loose heat very easy, especially whiles diving.