customizing a hood?

[bowyorang]

Hey guys/gals. I went on my first cold water dive yesterday and found a problem. I'm sure it is something that you all have probabably dealt with already, that is why I'm asking.
My problem was that after being submerged a while my mask started fogging up, so I did a partial flood and clear. I was unable to get the mask back under the edge of the hood with gloves on so there was water constantly leaking in. This was also my first dive with a hood.
My question is, is there a way to trim around the edge of the hood so that the mask doesn't have to go under the edge? Or should I just get use to constantly clearing the mask with a hood?
Any other suggestions is appreciated as well!

Micah

 

[do it easy]

I usually stick one finger under the top of the hood and one finger under the side of the hood, below the mask, give it a firm tug and work your fingers around to get the hood over the mask skirt. Lather, rinse, repeat for the other side.

I would also recommend only lightly rinsing the defog

 

[orangelion03]

A lot of hoods have thinner material around the face opening. This allows the hood to fit better and improves the sealing around the face...this also allows the opening to be trimmed for the correct fit. You can cut material away with a sharp pair of scissors. Put on your hood and mask and have a friend trace the outline of the mask on the hood. You may have to use Aquaseal or similar compound around the cut edges to keep any of the nylon from fraying (the strings can get caught under your mask seal).

Cheers!

 

[ItMustBeJames]

When you said "customizing a hood", I thought you meant something like this:

 

[bowyorang]

Thanks guys,
I'm going to try and finger it out before my next dive. If not, I may try using the scissors around the edges as suggested. I just gotta figure out something differant. I would have done a trial run before but I had just gotten the hood 5 min. before the dive and was itchin to get wet. Live and learn.
Thanks,
Micah

And by the way, ItMustBeJames, that was hellarious! If I hadn't already gotten a hood....I would HAVE to have one of those!!!!

 

[Teamcasa]

I had both my lovely bride's and my hood altered. It’s amazing what a few snips by a professional wetsuit tailor can do to enhance the diving experience. I don’t even realize I’m wearing a hood!

 

[dumpsterDiver]

Put the hood and mask on a few times in the bathroom mirror. It should be pretty easy to see if the hood is too big, which is actually unlikley. I always place my hand on top of the hood and then push it backwards. This slides the hood a little away from the face and leaves an open space of skin. If the water is above 70 degrees or so, the hood can stay like that.

If it is cold, then I slide the hood back down forward OVER the outside of the mask. Having the hood overlap a little on the top and outside of the mask is not a problem. Then as mentioned, stick a finger under the perimeter of the face opening of the hood and run your finger around. This ensures that the mask is under the hood, especially on the sides of the mask.

Play a little before you start cutting, espcially if you dive in cold water, a small gap at the top will be uncomfortable