Hood, gloves and necklace thingymadgig

[Sparky750]

I need to buy some gloves and a hood for UK diving i've been advised to go for 5mm but what makes etc, I've seen some saying titanium lined and all kinds so any advice would be great. I also want a necklace thingymadgig for holding my reg around my neck for when it gets knocked or kicked out of my mouth etc or like the other night when i opened my mouth to speak underwater like a numpty and it fell out Also how much weight do people dive with as i need to pick up some shot pouches too I'm 16.5 st (pure muscle it's just relaxed) diving drysuit on a single cylinder. Hoping to pick everything up tomorrow from my LDS in preparation for my first dive next weekend so quick replies would be greatly appreciated.

[Scuby]

I'd guess 8 - 12kg, but there's far too many factors to have any confidence in that estimate.

I used to use 3mm gloves all year round and didn't have much problem... although now I use dry gloves which are far nicer, although more expensive initially. For wet gloves, you can get a kevlar coating which is good (harder to cut the glove on a wreck), titanium lining's i've never been convinced about, so that wouldn't influence my decision either way. Wet gloves with a velcro or similar wrist strap help reduce flushing (water moving in an out that makes them cold).

For a hood 5mm should be fine, I think that's what most of them are - you don't need the flexibility in your skull (!) so no point going any thinner really.

For a necklace I found the octoguard things (the bright yellow ones) kept floating away. I now use one made out of a bit of bungee and a few knots, which works far better, is far cheaper, and looks better! I used 2-3mm black bungee You can probably find a picture of how to make one if you search through the forums.

One last top tip: don't try to open your mouth to talk underwater... doesn't work

David

[Lou]

Hood - get one that fits well, 5mm is a good thickness. Smoothskin around the face makes it more comfy for me. Think about how the neck will sit on your drysuit. If you don't have a "warmcollar" over your neckseal then I wouldn't recommend one with an apron as the apron just flaps up.

Gloves - this time of year I use 3mm. They are easier to get on than 5mm but I use 5mm in the winter. Kevlar fingertips are an option, but what you do want to look for on whatever gloves you get is a good wrist seal. that could be a semi-dry seal, or a decent "wrap", velcro or otherwise, to stop flushing.

If you want a necklace that you keep on when the reg is in your mouth I would suggest the most comfy would be to just get a length of surgical tubing and catch each end under the zip-tie that hold the mouthpiece on (obvioulsy you have to fit a new ziptie to do this )

[sidthejedi]

If you think you need 12 buy another couple of single kilo bags of shot extra. Not because I think you will have underestimated by 2kg, but I find 2kg bags are easier to pack in my harness pouches than 1kg bags and invariably as I've got more confident and wanted to reduce my weight I've found that dropping 2kg is too much. Or other times when I've been stressed and unable to sink and extra kilo has been useful to have around.

Also a spare kilo or two of lead means you can help out if your buddy needs a spare kilo, and when the lead gremlins strike you might be able to avoid having to pay ridiculous sums for lead at the dive site.

[Sparky750]

Cheers for the replies folks i'm of to my LDS and have been told i will not buy a computer or anything else shiny we'll see

[puddlediver]

If you are only going on dives to 30 metres or so - take my word for it - at the moment, no hood or gloves needed. Saying that I was in Dorothea a few weeks back and it was only 7 degrees below 15 metres.

I was in the sea down to 30 metres last weekend without hood and gloves and was fine.

In winter (from November 'till June) I use a 3ml hood and 3ml gloves. Fine for me.

Lyv

[scottish-diver]

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[puddlediver]

Originally Posted by scottish-diver

anyone have a survival blanket handy.

He he he, then again, it could be hot flushes and my age

[Lou]

Originally Posted by scottish-diver

anyone have a survival blanket handy.

Well - she is right at the moment. No hood or gloves for me either on the last few dives. Recorded 18 degrees a 36m a few weeks back - toasty

[scottish-diver]

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