I currently dive with an O.S. Systems dry suit with out an attached
hood. The coldest I have been so far is 42 Deg. F. When I was shopping
for my dry suit I tried on several with attached hoods as well as
several with out. What helped me make my decision is that If I am going
to be diving in water between 47 and 60 deg. F, I will not need the
extreme thermal protection that an attached will offer. I also found it
harder to pull on. On the forth dive of the day on a boat in the Channel
Islands here off California coast where the air temp can be 100 deg F, I
would be getting in and out of the too much for my comfort.  I also
intend on replacing my own neck and wrist seals (after a demonstration
from my local SCUBA shop tech) to save overall cost. I can always
purchase a new hood if I rip it on a wreck without having to replace or
patch the my suit. Also I tend to dive in water at or around 55 to 60
deg. F and having the dry suit is just pure heaven, however, a hood is
not always necessary when the air temp is in the high n 90's  

Robert A. Moriarity Sr.
ramoria@un*.co*
thenerd@ao*.co*  :-O

>-----Original Message-----
>From:	taylor@ru*.ne* [SMTP:taylor@ru*.ne*]
>Sent:	Saturday, March 15, 1997 12:05 PM
>To:	BrianE@an*.an*.ui*.ed*
>Cc:	techdiver@aquanaut.com
>Subject:	Re: Dry Suit Hoods
>
>> I'm looking for comments on dry suit hoods: attached vs non-attached,
>>neoprene
>>vs latex.
>>eddie-brian@ui*.ed*
> 
>Depends where and what you are diving.  If you frequently bump your head
>into things and have to replace your hood, a detached hood has merit.  For
>diving in COLD water, I prefer attached hoods.  If I never dove colder than
>45 or 50 deg F, I wouldn't bother with the hassle of  the attached hood.  (I
>also put on my dry gloves below 45-50)
>
>
>Attached vs. separate:
>I like an attached hood for warmth.  When I had a separate hood I used to
>frequently have a ring of ice water around my neck, not warm.  Not a problem
>with the attached hood.  Another advantage to the attached hood is that you
>can trap air in the hood.  Gives you a warm, dead air space around your
>head. Another advantage is that when you twist yourself into a wierd
>position and that inevitable gush of water goes down your neck, you get much
>less and it is already warmed up if it comes from inside your hood.  
>
>Disadvantages:  pushing your head through the neck seal is more of a problem
>with an attached hood, twice the material to get past. If you have
>difficulty getting past the neck seal, think twice. Until you figure out how
>to vent the air bubble from your hood, it can be a real pain when it pulls
>your mask up, flooding it and deforming your nose. 
>
>Latex vs neoprene:
>Neoprene compresses.  Down deep, a neoprene hood will lose some of it's
>insulating value. If you use an attached latex hood with some separate
>insulator to wear underneath, you can put air in the hood allowing the
>beanie underneath to expand and regain it's insulating value.  The latex
>hood can be sealed on your skin so that you have a dry head after the dive,
>but I've seen people injure their ears when it seals too well and the hood
>material is forced down the ear canal. Negative point on neoprene hood is
>that like any other neoprene item it can eventually take on "that dive gear
>smell"  and if it is attached to your suit, it is a little harder to wash.
>Another problem with the latex and beanie, is you can leave the beanie on
>the boat accidentally.
>
>Having said all that, I use Viking with an attached neoprene hood, and will
>not be likely to switch.  I use this suit in the Great Lakes in temps from
>34-55F, and the only time my head is cold is right after I get a haircut. My
>wife dives in a latex hood and beanie. Since she learned to deal with the
>bubblehead problem described above, she's been happy. 
>
>Tim Taylor
>taylor@ru*.ne*
>
>Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve web page and 1997 FSUPC Photo Contest
>winners
>http://www.rust.net/~taylor
>
>--
>Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'.
>Send list subscription requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'.
--
Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'.
Send list subscription requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'.

Navigate by Author: [Previous] [Next] [Author Search Index]
Navigate by Subject: [Previous] [Next] [Subject Search Index]

[Send Reply] [Send Message with New Topic]

[Search Selection] [Mailing List Home] [Home]