Cover yo' head!...

[nwdiver2]

You may lose the same amount of heat through your head as the rest of your body, but when vaso constriction takes place in the limbs and reduces blood flow extremities get colder, the head on the other hand increases blood flow (can’t freeze the brain or even cool it) so more warm blood flows into the head.

So if your feet are cold put your hat on.

 

[Sue Sue]

Negative, that's a myth and false. Source You lose exactly as much heat through your head as any other body part. Also, you should never need a hood in COZ. A 2-3 mil shorty is optional but recommended on 3 tank dives. I dove 15 dives in 1 week wearing swim trunks. This was in September.
*sigh* If it becomes cool to wear "du-rags" while diving I'll have to quit!

You have found a source to back up your opinion that a person looses as much body heat from their head as anywhere else...HOWEVER....sometimes what science says does not always agree with what good ole Grandma says... If you are cold...wrap up in a blanket and you warm up????,..Yes Put the blanket also over your head...and you are warmer

Base line....There is not one standard answer to how much insulation an individual diver requires to be warm. Nor is there a definite answer as to where the insulation should be worn ie: head, chest, body... The best bet is to learn your limits and be comfortable. If diving in colder waters...pack warm options. If diving in warmer waters....pack cooler options. If diving in waters that are on the cusp of weather changes...pack with warm and cold in mind then you will really be prepared as needed.

DH and I always have our 3mm, then prepare warmer or colder as needed. DH also is follicle challenged and will be packing a cover of some sort in the future. Scalp sunburn is not fun and it is a big invite for skin cancer. Also, Du rags or beanies are great for gals and guys with long hair to keep in under control.

Thanks Sharky for your tips. It is good to have some ideas on hand to help make diving better for everyone. Sue

PS: Also, there is a reason why all those little babies have beanies on in the nursery. It helps them to keep warm and regulate their body temperature
Sue :nurse:

 

[budaman]

When we went to Coz in February, I was concerned about temps because everyone said the water temps had been cooler than usual. Besides buying a 3MM full suit, I found an item that actually worked quite well....it is called a SCAP. It is a 1.5MM do-rag type of head gear. I had never been able to keep my Lycra Scubado Rag on my head, but this one has little grippy nubs on the forehead that actually kept it on when doing either back rolls or strides off the boat. This was the first time I had used something for head cover during a dive, and it was kind of nice. Stayed warmer and I credit it partially for enabling me to just wear my 1/2MM skin the three days we dove....never did get the 3MM wet. The water temps ranged from 75 - 79 degrees those days. I got ours at a local shop, but they were available at ScubaToys when I researched them. Also, they didn't interfere with mask at all.

Mike

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[loudives]

I had to find a way to keep particulate matter out of my ears as I got frequent ear infections. Got a 1mil beanie.

I wear a 3mil shorty always, and did find myself a bit more comfy wearing the beanie. it's not a matter of how much heat you lose, but how much you retain! Like a wet suit after water enters the beanie your body heat warms it a bit, the warmer water feels better and you retain body heat longer.

 

[ggunn]

I had to find a way to keep particulate matter out of my ears as I got frequent ear infections. Got a 1mil beanie.

I wear a 3mil shorty always, and did find myself a bit more comfy wearing the beanie. it's not a matter of how much heat you lose, but how much you retain! Like a wet suit after water enters the beanie your body heat warms it a bit, the warmer water feels better and you retain body heat longer.

I bought a cheap beanie that didn't fit very tightly and developed an unexpected problem. I am rather lean (although not so much as I used to be), and my legs have almost no fat on them, so I always have a little trouble with trim. On my first dive with the beanie, I was puzzled by the additional trim problem I was having until I realized that bubbles from my reg were getting captured by the beanie.

 

[Jim Baldwin]

I don't think there is not a month that we have not dove over the years. I always wear my 3 mm full suit and most of the time I wear my 7mm drysuit hood. It certainly makes my diving more comfortable. When it's cloudy and cool on the second dive I will sometimes add a 3mm shorty.

If you think I'm thermally challanged you are correct. At 6' 1", 175 lbs. I don't carry a lot of extra insulation. My average bottom time is 1 hr and 20 minutes and after that length of time if I don't have on enough neoprene I will get the shakes.

When I teaching in open water I have a 7.5 mm drysuit and again my drysuit hood. The water temps are 69 at the springs and around 72 to 75.

Doing the AOW dives the bottom temps will be just over 50.
With that I can hang in there all day and be comfortable.

As others have said it's what makes you comfortable.

 

[driftin' by]

I've been going to COZ since 1994 usually in June or September and have only seen a few even wear shorties. When have you been going in January?

I've been every month except July, August, January and February and most frequently in May. I'd estimate seeing about 20% NOT wearing a wetsuit and that's is usually the same person... Jeanie's husband, Mike from BA! Nevertheless, with the exception of this freakish winter/spring in Coz, generally, there is only a 2-4 f variance in tempratures in Coz. I frolicked about 43 f water at Gilboa Quarry in Ohio in May after the ice melts.

Really?? You haven't seen some of the better ones then.

No, that's just how bad it was. IMHO. And for the very reasons you indicated.

As for the wetsuit issue, I wore a .5 mil skin on Coz for years until bying a 3mil last year. I thought I was perfectly fine with the .5, only occationally getting a bit of a chill. Once I changed to the 3mil. I was amazed at how much more comfortable, without being too warm, I was even though I wasn't uncomfortable with the thinner suit.

I've been wearing a 2mm shortie in ~80f water for years but since moving to Houston from Ohio and thinning my blood, I've recently chilled on 60+ minute dives and thought about a full skin or bringing my 3mm full suit. I think you're onto something here Sharky... I think it has to do more with covering more of your body than adding thickness. My wife chills very easily but dives a .5mm full suit in ~80f water with no discomfort except on the surface when it's overcast, windy and raining. So covering more whether it's your head and or extremities will do wonders for comfort.

I bought a cheap beanie that didn't fit very tightly and developed an unexpected problem. I am rather lean (although not so much as I used to be), and my legs have almost no fat on them, so I always have a little trouble with trim. On my first dive with the beanie, I was puzzled by the additional trim problem I was having until I realized that bubbles from my reg were getting captured by the beanie.

Conehead! Was it cheap enough to poke some holes in the top?

 

[budaman]

One thing about the SCAP I didn't mention...the newer version has a couple of holes on top to let air escape. Wife's was a newer one, mine older, so I heated up an 8D nail & made my own holes.

By the way Josh.....how was Bonaire? Been looking for a review as we are contemplating there, Roatan or Belize instead of GC in November.

Mike

 

[stortecky]

Negative, that's a myth and false. Source You lose exactly as much heat through your head as any other body part. Also, you should never need a hood in COZ. A 2-3 mil shorty is optional but recommended on 3 tank dives. I dove 15 dives in 1 week wearing swim trunks. This was in September.
*sigh* If it becomes cool to wear "du-rags" while diving I'll have to quit!

Did you read your own source. here is the last part

Even though head heat loss is less than one-third to one-fifth of total heat loss, that is a good amount considering that your head is only about 7-9% of your body total surface area. (But, some people have bigger heads than others in proportion to their stature.) To reduce heat loss, wear a hat.

So Sharky is right about getting a Cap instead of upgrading your wet suit. your head loses a much larger percentage of heat per area then the rest of your body. So it would make much more sense to try a cap as apposed to getting a new suit.

 

[bluebubble1995]

You only cover 1/4 of your head while wearing a hat so divide the findings by 4. Hey, if you want to pioneer the scuba sombrero I'm behind you all the way!