Hood, Gloves and Boots essential?

[Anderson8]

Hi all,

I am a relativley inexperienced diver with just over 20 dives to my credit and have had all experience in water temperature around 30 degrees centigrade.

However i shall be diving elsewhere in May where the temperature is around 22 degrees centigrade and i do not have a hood, boots or gloves.

I didnt need a suit in the 30c temperature, i have a suit now but can i dive safely without the other items mentioned?

P.s i dont seem to get cold very easy.

Thanks!

 

[TSandM]

I think you can easily do without the gloves -- I am fairly easily chilled, and just did several days of diving in the 20 degree range without them, and my hands were fine. However, I did use a hood -- hoods add a tremendous amount to the effectiveness of your insulation.

Using open-heel fins, I have never dived without boots, so I'm no help there

 

[Garrobo]

30C is around 85F. That's bath water temp. No wetsuit necessary. 22C is around 71F. Still not cold enough, in my estimation, to wear a hood unless you are prone to getting cold. I wore a beanie once when the bottom temp was 63F. Ditched it on the second dive. Never wear booties and use gloves only when going down a buoy line.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

22°C = approx. 72°F
At that water temp., I'd recommend a hood (but my cold tolerance might not be comparable to yours). Gloves would probably be optional.
Whether you wear boots is probably determined by the kind of fins you have. Closed-heel fins = no boots. Open-heel fins = boots.

Understand that if you don't have enough exposure protection, you'll be uncomfortable underwater and you might not want to dive as much.

 

[Searcaigh]

22C is what I was diving today and I was wearing a 6.5mm semi dry, hood and boots. I don't normally wear gloves as I prefer the dexterity of my fingers without them to operate my camera housing, although I will wear them if I am wreck diving.

I gave a spare hood to my friend's wife today and she noticed a whole world of difference, a lot of heat is lost through your head. Just make sure it is not too tight as this can cause problems equalizing.

 

[fjpatrum]

I'll agree with TSandM. Hoods, for me, are essential to my comfort. I was wearing one in the pool yesterday, and the water was between 24 and 29. I was wearing a spring suit (long sleeves short legs) with a hooded vest and no gloves. Without the vest I get cold even in those temps. I don't wear gloves or boots in those temps though. (I prefer closed foot fins...)

It's really all relative to your own comfort but I prefer having the hood to not having it. You can always take it off if you're too warm... not so easy to put one on if you don't have it.

 

[j yaeger]

+ for hood!!!
...i can scream just as loud,whether its a moray eel that has just brushed my bald head..
...or a piece of seaweed!!!!!
take the stuff
you can always take it off
have fun
yaeg

 

[101recon]

Tolerance to cold varies greatly from diver to diver.
I can easily do 45 min to an hour in 52F/11C with no hood or gloves but my finger tips start to get cold near the end of the dive.I surfaced at the end of a dive last April (54F) and my buddy asked "How the hell do you do that"? I asked "Do what"?
For my buddy it was out of the question.For me it was no big deal.
Keep good notes on all of your dives,gear used,comfort level,etc.It makes future dive planning easier as you go along.A good thing to remember is that you can cool off much easier than you can warm up.

 

[Aussie Diver 13]

I dive regularly in water 17-20C without a hood, being kept warm by my 5mm semi dry. I always use booties and gloves but mostly for protection from rocks etc. Having said that, I've dived with a friend in 17C water and she was cold in a 5mm plus hood. We're all different. But diving when you are cold is no fun, so be prepared. I have yet to suffer from being too hot in the water!

 

[TMHeimer]

At 22C I use a shortie or maybe body suit. Hood only to keep water out of ears--or Doc's Pro Plugs instead. You have to find your own cold tolerances by experimenting--no advice from others (like me) will help, as everyone's tolerance to cold differs. I have a mental chart that determines what suit I wear. Sometimes I wear the top only to my 7 mil farmer john. It all depends.