Warm Water Gloves ???????

[Alpinesender]

I went into one of my local dive shops today to pick up a pair of 2/3mm gloves. The owner of the shop told me no one was selling them any more because the dive operators are discouraging divers from wearing them to protect the reefs.
This doesn't seem right to me, has anyone heard of this?

 

[diver 85]

I went into one of my local dive shops today to pick up a pair of 2/3mm gloves. The owner of the shop told me no one was selling them any more because the dive operators are discouraging divers from wearing them to protect the reefs.
This doesn't seem right to me, has anyone heard of this?

been like that since the early 90's in Roatan's marine park......no one wears them where I dive down 'south'......

EDIT..and 3/2's are too thick anyway, 1 mm is all you need above 75 degrees..

 

[Damselfish]

It's very common in warm water areas for "no gloves" to be the official rule/law, and operators often discourage gloves even if it's not official. The reasoning, correct or not, is that people will be less likely to touch the reef with bare hands.

Even if they're not banned or discouraged, few people wear gloves in warm water because you don't need them (except maybe a few special cases) and it's so much nicer to not have to anyway.

 

[Saltwater Junky]

I haven't heard of this. If they want to protect the reefs, they would not take anyone out to the reefs.

 

[Alpinesender]

Well my first responce was that they should be smacking divers that don't behave properly. I still think its probably a good idea to wear them for protection, even if its only for getting in and out of the water.

 

[Damselfish]

sure, but that would be after it was too late, and anyway they won't see everyone. And dive ops hate to smack their customers so for better or worse they tend to hang back on that sort of thing. As far as protection getting in and out of the water, I have never felt the need and I've done a lot of warm water diving. I don't think many people feel a need. Like I said, there may be special cases - if you truly have some gnarly exit, or have to hang onto a fire encrusted anchor line for some reason, generally you won't be faulted for having gloves in your pocket for when they're needed.

Really, it's basically been the rule for many years in most warm water places and it's not a problem. I think some people that are bothered by this, are more bothered by by being told what to do, or because they know they won't touch anything even if they're wearing gloves.

 

[driftwood]

If you want to start a really good fight just talk about wearing gloves on Bonaire Talk - The place to discuss everything and anything about Bonaire! The marine park on the island has a no glove rule unless you have a note from your doctor. They are serious about the rule and will confiscate your dive gear until you pay the fine. The theory is that you will be less likely to touch the reef without gloves. From what I have seen, people with rental digital cameras are a bigger threat to the reef.

Personally, fire coral isn't pleasant to touch but not a big deal in the great scheme of things. On the other hand, box jellies are a big deal on night dives and I wear full exposure protection (hood, full suit and gloves) to avoid getting stung. My wife was stung by a sea wasp a couple of years ago and you do not want to go through that. My bottom line is that you do not need gloves unless you are diving where you are fairly certain that there are nasties swimming close to you. The gloves I like are the Pinnacle Attack gloves, comfortable to wear and I can still operate my camera without too many additional problems.

Edit: Something as thin as panty hose will protect you from sea wasp stings, a good layer of vasoline works as well

 

[SDAnderson]

I haven't heard of this. If they want to protect the reefs, they would not take anyone out to the reefs.

The "No Gloves" rule is a negative incentive that speeds the learning curve for the noobs and helps the geezers remember to touch nothing.

Harsh, perhaps, but something needs to be done to reduce the amount of damage being done by divers. The rule is a compromise...you can dive but not with gloves on. This way, the dive/no dive decision is left to the diver, not the shop/charter/divemaster/ranger: if you're going to dive, you need to master your buoyancy well enough that you can keep your hands to yourself or pay the price for your ineptitude.

 

[Alpinesender]

Thank you everyone, this clears it up nicely.
I think I will purchase a pair to have in my kit for use where appropreate and allowed.