A wetsuit hood is an important accessory for your wetsuit, especially when diving in colder waters.
What Is A Wetsuit Hood and What Is It Used For?
What Is a Wetsuit Hood?
A wetsuit hood is an accessory to a wetsuit that is used to protect the head from heat loss during scuba dives. Wetsuit hoods are also known as scuba diving hoods. Although some hoods are built into the wetsuit or as a hood attached to a scuba vest, most are not and must be purchased separately. Gloves and boots are also considered accessories to wetsuits.
There are two different styles of wetsuit hoods. There are full wetsuit hoods and regular wetsuit hoods. Full wetsuit hoods include a shoulder bib or an extra piece that sits on the top of the shoulders that tucks under the body of the wetsuit. They provide extra protection against water leaking into the body of the wetsuit. A regular wetsuit hood covers just the head.
Wetsuit hoods come in different sizes. The hood should fit close to the head with no gaps or bulges, but should not fit so snugly as to be uncomfortable or cut off circulation. A wetsuit hood is either constructed with a zipper up the back of the head, or as a single piece.
How Do They Work?
When diving, most heat loss is through the head, about 30 to 40% and can occur even when water temperatures are warmer, for instance during extended dives in tropical waters. Wetsuits and wetsuit hoods provide thermal insulation for divers when water temperatures go below the comfort zone.
Wetsuit hoods (and wetsuits) work by trapping a layer of water between the skin and the wetsuit. When water reaches the same temperature as body temperature the wetsuit acts as a thermal blanket to keep you warm.
What Is It Made Of?
A wetsuit hood is made out of neoprene, a stretchy synthetic rubber that is extremely durable. A wetsuit hood typically has a nylon or smooth rubber coating on the exterior. Most wetsuit hoods range from 3mm (millimeter) to 7 mm thickness. Usually, the face and bib are 3mm thickness and the part covering the head is 5 to 7 mm thickness.
Some wetsuit hoods are made of compressed neoprene usually in a 5mm thickness, and some are as thin as 1mm. These thinner wetsuit hoods are coated with titanium, which works the same way as the aluminum reflecting blankets used by marathon runners to keep in body heat after a race. The titanium is sandwiched between the neoprene and the rubber. Wetsuit hoods made of compressed neoprene or titanium are not a necessity. It is more important that the wetsuit hood fits properly and is adequate for the water temperature you are diving in.
The method of construction for wetsuit hoods is also important. Blind-stitched and glued seams will keep you the warmest and are the most effective at keeping water from leaking in, and heat from escaping from your body.
Always buy the best wetsuit hood you can afford even if you only use it for recreational purposes or for tropical dives a few times a year. Wetsuit hoods without a shoulder bib typically cost about $15. Wetsuit hoods with shoulder bibs cost about $25 to 50.
