Wristshot
Contributor
Ishie,
(Still thinking about the mental image of "hood only")
I read another post before where you said that you don't like wearing a hood. I suspect that it is the constriction around your neck that bothers you, not the hood portion, or the warmth of it. My buddy had a similar problem and he ended up getting a larger sized hood so that it did not constrict his throat. He got a Henderson hood that has the vent in the top so that the hood does not hold a ton of air. Just something to consider.
Clearly you are a person with a stronger tolerance for cold than the average person. (more like my mother who always feels warm, unlike my sister who always feels cold) Still, wearing a hood is a good idea because hypothermia can sneak up on you. Remember that the body will divert blood if it thinks it needs to, so you can get problems in teh extremities if you get too cold.
Also consider that some custom wetsuit makers can make or modify a hood that will fit you comforatbly without constricting. Just another suggestion.
By the way, when you dive at Tahoe, depending upon where you dive, and how deep you go, you make not need a hood. In August 2003 at Sand Harbor down to a depth of about 45 feet it was a balmy 65 degrees in the water.
Side Note: When I dive Monterey the only problem I have with the cold is at the end of the second dive when I am at the ladder, and the boat crew wants to talk to me. They want to ask questions, but my frozen lips won't function. Sometimes they start to get worried. I tend to stay in the water for a minute to gather my thoughts and to clear my nose before I climb the ladder. (I always check to make sure that I am not holding anyone else up) When I just float near the ladder, they start asking questions, and when I have trouble answering, they ask even more, worrying because I seem "disoriented" to them. Oh well.
Wristshot
(Still thinking about the mental image of "hood only")
I read another post before where you said that you don't like wearing a hood. I suspect that it is the constriction around your neck that bothers you, not the hood portion, or the warmth of it. My buddy had a similar problem and he ended up getting a larger sized hood so that it did not constrict his throat. He got a Henderson hood that has the vent in the top so that the hood does not hold a ton of air. Just something to consider.
Clearly you are a person with a stronger tolerance for cold than the average person. (more like my mother who always feels warm, unlike my sister who always feels cold) Still, wearing a hood is a good idea because hypothermia can sneak up on you. Remember that the body will divert blood if it thinks it needs to, so you can get problems in teh extremities if you get too cold.
Also consider that some custom wetsuit makers can make or modify a hood that will fit you comforatbly without constricting. Just another suggestion.
By the way, when you dive at Tahoe, depending upon where you dive, and how deep you go, you make not need a hood. In August 2003 at Sand Harbor down to a depth of about 45 feet it was a balmy 65 degrees in the water.
Side Note: When I dive Monterey the only problem I have with the cold is at the end of the second dive when I am at the ladder, and the boat crew wants to talk to me. They want to ask questions, but my frozen lips won't function. Sometimes they start to get worried. I tend to stay in the water for a minute to gather my thoughts and to clear my nose before I climb the ladder. (I always check to make sure that I am not holding anyone else up) When I just float near the ladder, they start asking questions, and when I have trouble answering, they ask even more, worrying because I seem "disoriented" to them. Oh well.
Wristshot
