Cold Water Gloves

[Spotm]

Hello all,
I'm fairly new to diving and I'm just in the process of acquiring my exposure suit. I've got a drysuit on the way and I'm wondering which type of glove is better for cold water diving, 5 finger or 3 finger? My hands get pretty cold diving, but I also like to poke around in places. I would love to hear your opinions on which type of glove you prefer!

 

[Bubbletrubble]

Drygloves.

Yeah, I know. You just spent a bunch of money on a drysuit. The last thing you want to do is drop another $100-$180 on a dryglove system. You'll hold out for a while. You'll try a few different kinds of wet gloves over the next year or two.

If you continue to dive in cold water, you'll be switching over to drygloves...eventually.
Borrow a dryglove system from one of your buddies. Several manufacturers (Diving Concepts, Viking, Sitech) make a removable system that mounts onto latex wrist seals. Try 'em out. You'll be surprised how much you like them.

P.S. Make sure that the drysuit latex wrist seals fit your wrists. Trimming them to the appropriate size is recommended. Leave them a little tight but not too tight. If they're too tight, they can restrict bloodflow to the hands which may contribute to cold hands.

P.P.S. In general, I try to dissuade newer divers from "poking around" underwater. Hands can get stuck (drysuit rings can increase the chance of this) or you can get injured depending on what you touch. I realize that certain kinds of wreck diving, particularly those involving current, necessitate hand-walking down a line or gripping onto the wreck itself to prevent getting blown off.

 

[a22shady]

Dry gloves are definetly a Big plus. I dove her in northeast my first year coldest was 42F and used 5mil Akona's whole time my hands would get cold a lot below thermoclines. I then Bought a Pair of 7mm 5 Finger Henderson H2 gloves fit and feel great and not much dexterity difference between the Akona 5 mil. But a lot warmer. I got my Drygloves last summer and wear them all the time.