ear holes in hood

[rab1412000]

hi guys

i bought a vest and hood combo to complement my wet suit
my primary problem with diving however is equalizing and i feel that using a hood will make it more difficult for me to equalize my ears.
i have decided to make small holes on the hood where my earholes are located.
my question is what would be the best way to make these holes and not make them look like they were punctures by a child.


thanks in advance

 

[tc]

Heated nail usually works. Try it in an area low on the vest that won't show to see how it looks.

 

[Randy43068]

TC suggestion is a good one. I put holes in my hood, too.

 

[rab1412000]

TC suggestion is a good one. I put holes in my hood, too.

thanks for the tip man.
just wondering if a hole that small will be enough for my ears to equalize...
any thoughts?

 

[Randy43068]

you don't need it to be very big, just big enough to pass a small amount of water to equalize your ears.

 

[rab1412000]

great thats what i also thought just a small hole would do!

 

[herman]

By heated, we mean red hot. Hold the nail with a pair of pliers (vise grips are best) and heat with a tourch or gas cooking stove. I would also suggest you put the hood on and have someone mark the exact spot you want the holes to be before heating up the nail.....taking the hood off before making the holes is also a good idea.

 

[dkktsunami]

While you are doing this you may also wish to put some holes in the top of the hood if not already provided by the manufacturer. This will allow trapped gas to escape. As mentioned above, a hot nail is the way to accomplish this. I have two rows of four holes in my hood.

 

[spectrum]

My question is what would be the best way to make these holes and not make them look like they were punctures by a child.

Specifically I like to use a #6 finish nail with the point ground to a blunt end. Hold it in a pair of vice grip pliers and heat it cherry red. Be sure you are in good ventilation, smoldering neoprene is nasty stuff. Press the cherry red nail through the hood and make a slight orbital motion as it starts to cool. This will provide a small hole and bind most of the fiber ends of the facing material.

This is a wet hood and for most divers ambient water pressure will reach your ears with no hole. Perfect fits have been know to happen so it is possible that there is some value to this exercise.

In the Philippines I gather cold is not an issue. For the benefit of cold water divers reading this I would not advise punching holes until you know there is a problem. You could just as well be setting yourself up for cold water induced vertigo.

The top of the hood hole(s) IMO are a "must have" feature.

Pete

 

[OceanObsessed]

...taking the hood off before making the holes is also a good idea.

Safety freak