Description
IST HD9 Hood
From the IST, that has been around since 1976, comes the IST HD9 Hood. Made from 3mm thick neoprene material, this hood is suitable for dives in temperate to cold waters. It is highly comfortable to wear, and stretchy to fit most head sizes.
A good hood to have to protect the head from sunburns during any water sport activities. It also displays great warmth retention ability and helps prevent hair entanglement with mask straps.
The hood comes with a chin strap with velcro closure, which greatly increases the ease of putting it and taking off.
Diving Hoods
Diving hoods do several things. First, they keep your entire body (including your head) warm. Your mother likely told you to wear a hat when you stepped outside on a cold day, and research has proven that she was absolutely right. About 60% of body heat escapes through the head, so when we go outside on a cold day without a hat or when we dive without a proper hood, our bodies need to work much harder to stay warm. On a dive, this extra energy expenditure can affect the quality and length of our dive. A hood helps us maintain a good body temperature, even on cold-water dives.
In addition, a hood keeps our hair from getting in front of our eyes or getting entangled in seaweed or other obstacles underwater. Therefore, even divers in warm water will likely need a hood some of the time.
Hoods work in some ways like hats – they trap heat before it leaves your body. Diving hoods are also more sophisticated than your favorite winter hat. Many of today’s diving hoods are made from a material known as neoprene. Neoprene is made from many tiny air bubbles, making it spongy. The air bubbles trap the body heat of the diver more effectively than a winter hat. The hood also traps a small amount of water near the diver’s head. The body heat warms the water that is trapped in the diver’s hood, which keeps the diver warm and comfortable.