Wearing a hood?

[Rafael]

How cold can you dive without wearing a hood, it is possible to dive in Boston without one? How warm the water should be in order to avoid it?

 

[ScubaThor]

IMO, it depends on what you can tolerate, from a temperature standpoint. Some people handle cold better than others...but your head is usually one of the places where you lose quite a bit of body heat. Your mileage may vary.

 

[MSilvia]

How cold can you dive without wearing a hood?

60-65 degrees f is about as cold as I'll go without a hood, so diving to any significant depth around here pretty much requires one.

Is it possible to dive in Boston without one?

Yes, if you're doing a shallow dive in late august. Otherwise, you'll almost certainly want a hood.

How warm the water should be in order to avoid it?

I'd recommend 70 degrees or warmer at the surface. It'll be colder at depth, and you don't want to get uncomfortable just because it seemed warm when you jumped in.

 

[sharky60]

IMO, it depends on what you can tolerate, from a temperature standpoint. Some people handle cold better than others...but your head is usually one of the places where you lose quite a bit of body heat. Your mileage may vary.

I agree, it is one of those subjective things. Some people wear a hood all the time, one of the DM's I know in Cozumel wears one on almost every dive. Those guys get cold easier because of how much diving they do.

A person does lose the majority of heat through the head and weather you can 'tolerate' it or not, it you have to wear gloves to keep you hands warm, I'd put on a hood also. I don't do much cold water diving so I can't give you a temp, but I would imagine anything from the low '70's and colder it would be to your advantage to put one on.

 

[pipedope]

I nearly always wear a hood, as much for keeping extra stuff out of my hair as temperature protection.

For warmer conditions I like my Henderson Tri-Lam, very comfortable.

 

[PerroneFord]

I don't think I'll ever dive without one again.. Too many benefits for me personally.

 

[Dave Zimmerly]

My girlfriend always dives with a 5mm hooded vest in addition to her 3/2mm full body suit, lycra skin and polar boots. And this is in the Carib. But she never gets cold and is warm for me later if you know what I mean.

 

[ShakaZulu]

Hey, your dive computer is in the piece of bone your are exposing to extreme cold......go for it.

 

[Charlie99]

A good option in between a hood and no hood at all is a beanie. If you find a hood confining or awkward, try a beanie instead. It can go on before or after the wetsuit and mask.

 

[spectrum]

I enjoyed some fesh water dives sans hood or with just a thin beanie this summer.There were a few shallow shore ocean dives where the currents kept us in warm enough water to get away with it but I wouldn't chance it going in. I did spend the wqarmer months using my vest with the 5mm hood, now it's 7mm time.

Pete