Some of the most beautiful dive sites in the world have temperatures too low for divers to stay comfortable in for long – imagine yourself, for instance, immersed in a crystal clear lake in Europe, admiring the sun’s rays knifing through the water ahead of you, then wishing you had a way to stay warm so that you could stay in the water a bit longer. No matter where you are, or what you’re looking at, being cold is never fun – and while diving, losing body heat can be dangerous. Luckily, the right gear can help you stay safe and comfortable. Here are some helpful tips for selecting accessories designed to help you stay warm and enjoy diving more.
Gloves and Mitts
While one might think that something as simple as a pair of gloves ought to be a snap to select, there are a few considerations to keep in mind. Warmth, comfort, durability, and dexterity are all factors in choosing the dive gloves that will work best for you.
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Warmth – Most dive gloves are not designed to keep your hands dry; instead, they’re made of neoprene like your wetsuit, and provide warmth by trapping water and holding body heat next to your skin. Like dive suits, they come in a variety of thicknesses, with 2.5mm gloves simply providing some protection from the elements and, at the opposite end of the spectrum, 7mm gloves providing quite a bit of warmth. For diving in very cold temperatures, standard mitts and three fingered mitts allow you to have more skin to skin contact, thus helping your hands to stay warmer while you are diving. Additional factors to consider include whether the gloves have reinforced wrists to help keep water transfer to a minimum.
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Fit and Comfort – Some gloves are designed without wrist straps in an attempt to help keep you warm, but they can be difficult to get into. However, if the gloves are comfortable once you’re wearing them; that counts for quite a bit. As you are trying gloves on, keep in mind that gloves that are too tight will experience stress at the seams, and that will let in more water; gloves that are too large will allow too much water transfer to take place. Like finding the perfect pair of jeans can take some time, so can finding dive gloves that fit just right.
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Durability – A durable pair of dive gloves will last longer, particularly if you do a lot of shore diving and find yourself grabbing rocks and such as you are entering and exiting the water. Kevlar and titanium reinforced gloves do cost a little more, but they can increase both strength and grip.
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Dexterity – One thing to keep in the forefront of your mind while making your selection is that you don’t want to sacrifice too much dexterity. You want to be able to adjust straps and manipulate gauges, and you want to retain the ability to clear water from your mask should the need arise. You want to be able to write on a slate if necessary, and you’ll probably need to communicate with your dive buddy at some point. Five fingered gloves offer the greatest amount of dexterity, while three fingered mitts are a good compromise. Traditional mitts will keep you toasty, but you’re going to have to sacrifice dexterity if you are wearing them.
Hoods
Whether you dive in cold water or if you stay in warmer water, you’ll probably want to wear a hood since about sixty percent of your body heat escapes through your head even when water is a comfortable ten or twenty degrees cooler than your body temperature. Like gloves and wetsuits, dive hoods are usually made from neoprene, and are designed for wearing in either warm or cold water. A thick neoprene hood that covers your head and neck is best for diving in cold water, and the larger the bib attached to the neck, the less water will transfer and the warmer you’ll stay. Warm water hoods are much less cumbersome, but they leave you exposed to the elements.
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Fit - The right dive hood should not be too loose; if you’re going for a cold water hood it should feel snug around your cheeks and jaw, and should cover most of your forehead. Still, it should not feel too tight – if it is uncomfortable around the throat or facial area, then you’ll need to go up a size. Too loose a hood will not protect you from the elements at all, as water will be able to flow in and out freely.
Boots
Unless you spend all your time diving in full foot fins, you’re going to need at least one pair of dive boots. Not only do they protect your feet from sharp rocks and hot sand on shore entries, they keep your feet warm in cold conditions. When selecting the right dive boots, keep warmth, fit and comfort, and durability in mind.
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Warmth – Unless you’re getting a dry suit with boots designed to keep your feet dry and warm, you’ll find yourself choosing neoprene dive boots. As with gloves, hoods, and wetsuits; boots come in a variety of thicknesses, with the heaviest being the warmest. Like gloves, boots can be reinforced with supplemental material such as titanium, and can include straps designed to reduce the amount of water transfer that takes place. Others have zippers that make getting in and out of the boots easier, but unless the zippers are specially reinforced, they could allow excess water transfer.
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Fit and Comfort – Just as important as warmth, fit and comfort can make or break the way you feel throughout the duration of your dive. Choose boots that feel snug and secure on your feet, and be sure they’re not too loose. Not only will loose dive boots allow too much water to enter, preventing your feet from staying warm, they can chafe and cause blistering, which can lead to a nasty, painful infection.
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Durability – Be sure to choose dive boots that are durable enough to stand up to the type of diving you plan to do. If you normally do boat dives, and rarely set foot on rocks, then you have much less to worry about; but if you ever need to walk across rough surfaces, or protect your feet from sharp barnacle encrusted rocks, then you’ll need tougher soles. Everyone needs to consider skid resistance; whether you’re walking on slippery rocks or the deck of a boat, there’s nothing quite like a nasty fall to ruin your day.
Staying warm helps to decrease fatigue, and despite your level of enthusiasm or bravado, hypothermia is unpleasant, to say the least. By selecting quality dive accessories designed to last, you give yourself the opportunity to get the most out of each and every dive.