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Wetsuit Hoods

Hood Fitting Tips

Water pulls heat out of your body 25 times faster than air does. Many people don't realize that almost half of a person's heat loss occurs right out of the top of your head. Covering your head with a hood will increase warmth and comfort and extend your activities a great deal. Even in warm water, you may not need a head cover for the first day or two of a trip, but on following days, the water seems colder because you have lost core heat. Like air temperature, water temperatures throughout the world are different in winter than they are in summer, varying as much as 20 degrees. In the Caribbean the water temperature can be in the 80's in the summer, six months later the water temperature can be in the low 70's.

Women tend to get colder easier than men. This is because women tend to have more surface area (curves) then men do. If a couple is traveling together it will almost always make more sense for the woman to have a warmer hood than a man would to the same destination at the same time of year.

If in doubt, always buy a hood slightly warmer than your needs. You can always remove a head cover, but if you are cold during a dive there is not much you can do except stop diving.

Dive Hood Dive hoods are designed for warmth and comfort while submerged. This category ranges from a thin lycra material to 7mm thick hoods. Lycra dive hoods give little thermal protection and are used mainly for protection from the sun and anything in the water that should not touch your skin. Beanies cover just the top of the head, back of the head and the ears. They have an adjustable strap under the chin to hold it in place. A wetsuit diving hood covers both the head and neck area and ahs a bib that can be tucked into the wetsuit at the neck. A Dry Suit diving Hood has a short bib that covers head and neck only, and is designed to cover only the neck seal of the drysuit.

Surf/Swim Hood These hoods are designed for maximum warmth and flexibility for dynamic freedom of movement at the surface. This category ranges from a thin lycra material to 7mm thick hoods. Lycra hoods give little thermal protection and are used mainly for protection from the sun and anything in the water that should not touch your skin. Beanies cover just the top of the head, back of the head and the ears. They have an adjustable strap under the chin to hold it in place. A surfing hood covers the same as a beanie with a long bib that covers the neck and throat and tucks into the wetsuit at the neck. Many of them have a short visor to shield the eyes and face from spray and glare for optimal sighting and positioning. Some of the cold water surf hoods also have a drawstring closure around the face for superior sealing and warmth. See less ▴