Diving, although beautiful and exhilarating, can also be dangerous, if you aren’t suitably equipped. Sure, it’s important to choose the right wetsuit, BCD and mask, but you need to also consider suitable protection for your extremities and in particular, your hands.
We’ve already covered why you should wear dive gloves and we suggest you check that post out if you need further encouragement. The basics are gloves provide both thermal protection and physical protection against the various sharp things you can come across.
Psssttt… Don’t have time to read the full review? Here’s our top 3 best selling dive glove picks;
- 5 Size Options
- 3 Color Choices
- Snorkeling/Diving Gloves
- Comfortable Fit
- 3 Thickness Options
- Non-Slip Finish
- High Stretch Gloves
- Natural Hand Position
- Very Comfortable
- Seamless Diving Gloves
- Great for Using Cameras
- Thinnest Glove Around
Whether its coral reefs, fish gills, lobster claws, shipwrecks or just random rocks and debris. There is a lot that you can hurt yourself on under the water and given the importance of having fully functioning and healthy hands while diving, it’s best to look after them.
Best 10 Scuba Diving Gloves
In order to look after your hands whilst scuba diving, you need to invest in a good pair of diving gloves. How do you choose from the wide variety there is out there though?
As with most scuba diving accessories, there are tonnes to choose from. But don’t worry, we are here to help. In the following post, we’ve collected together our list of what we feel are the 10 best diving gloves available right now.
1. Neo Sport Premium Neoprene Five Finger Wetsuit Gloves
To start of our guide, we have this awesome pair of diving gloves from Neo Sport. Available in two different thicknesses and a variety of sizes, they are made from incredibly pliable and soft neoprene. As well as providing the necessary desired thermal and abrasion protection, they are suitably flexible giving you the dexterity you need for an enjoyable and safe dive.
The seams have been sewn and glued to ensure they are watertight. A high-quality gator-elastic closure helps them to fit over the sleeves of most wetsuits to give you a very streamlined and secure fit and seal. Their best feature is undoubtedly the textured palm and cyclone design that provides a superior grip for various surfaces.
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2. Tilos 1.5mm Tropical Dive Gloves
Next, we have the Tilos 1.5mm diving gloves. These have curved fingers to stop your hand feeling strained and have an adjustable wristband made from Velcro to give you the best fit possible. Additionally, these gloves also have reinforced fingertips, thumbs and palm sections to increase their durability.
The gloves are constructed from X-Form, a special limestone Neoprene, a particular kind of fabric that does not contain any petroleum and is fully compliant with the rules laid out by PAH. While the lycra paneling provides you with that much-needed bit of additional stretch, the mesh backing ensures water flows through to stop your hands from overheating if you’re diving in tropical environments.
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3. Cressi High-Stretch Premium Neoprene Diving Glove
Cressi are an incredibly popular Italian brand that specializes in all things swimming, snorkeling and diving and has done since 1946. We’ve featured them numerous times before and with good reason – they design and create high-quality products – it’s as simple as that.
The high-stretch neoprene diving gloves from the company we have here are similar to many of the others in our guide in that they have the full five fingers. Cressi have just used a single lining of the comfortably soft and flexible material.
On the interior of the gloves though, Metalite is used to great effect to ensure they are easy to put on and take off. On the exterior, the surface is completely covered in a finish that helps you get a firm and stable grip of things while underwater.
Curiously, the preformed shape these gloves have might be off-putting to look at, at first, until you realize that it’s a natural resting position for your hands, with your fingers bent slightly.
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4. Bare Unisex Sealtek 5mm Diving Gloves
Another popular diving accessories brand that we’ve featured before on Ocean Scuba Dive is Bare. Here, the 5mm Sealtek diving glove, marketed as a wetsuit glove, is a great investment. It promises high-end comfort and an unrivaled sealing. It features Glideskin-in wrists that provide an extra layer of protection against water entry and as the name suggests, makes it easy to take it off and on.
They are made from a 4-panel structure that increases the amount of flexibility they give by reducing the number of stitches and seams and like the gloves above, they feature that performed curved finger design that lowers the chances of fatigue, while also helping with their dexterity.
On the palms, they have the special 3D print that provides additional grip while providing protection against abrasion. All in all, they are a great pair of diving gloves.
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5. XS Scuba Dry Five Pyrostretch Dry Diving Gloves
Now we have diving gloves from XS Scuba. These are marketed as high-end diving gloves especially designed for swimming and exploring in cold waters. With blind-stitched and glued seams, they provide an excellent seal against water.
They have been constructed with the best PyroStretch neoprene with an ideal thickness of 5mm. The double cut-off design also reduces the amount of water transference too. As well as the XXL, XL, Large, Medium and small sizes you’d expect there’s also an extra-small size made for ladies.
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6. Fourth Element Neoprene Diving Gloves 5mm
Fourth Element are the next brand with a great pair of diving gloves we wanted to highlight. Whether you are intending on diving in cold waters, tropical waters or shipwrecks. Like most though, it’s been made from 5mm of neoprene material, giving you the confidence to deal with cold climates. It’s flexible and has the extremely high-quality Thermoflex lining that means your hands are always warm and dry.
In addition to the gluing and stitching that’s used in the construction of diving gloves, they are also welded with a nice watertight fit. The less seams a pair of diving gloves has, the better. In addition to all that’s going on the inside of the gloves, they also benefit from a carbon-style grip to increase their durability and lifespan, while giving that extra bit of grip you need when you’re underwater and trying to grapple things.
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7. Mares Pure Instinct Amara Five Finger 2mm Diving Gloves
Mares are another great brand that we’ve featured extensively on our site, due to their experience and skills in the industry. These 2mm, which are admittedly thinner than a lot of other diving gloves, neoprene accessories provide you with a great mixture of dexterity and warmth.
The Amara material used on the fingers and palms is like suede or similar synthetic leathers and provides the much-needed comfort, while the neoprene ensures they are flexible. In a different design to many of the others, these also benefit from Velcro strapping to secure them around your wrist snugly.
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8. Mares Classic Flexa Five Finger 5mm Diving Gloves
We now have another pair of diving glove to talk about from Mares. This time, it’s the Mares Classic Flexa Five Finger 3mm gloves. These are suitably thick to help provide you with the protection you need against the harsh elements when you’re underwater, particularly in colder climates, while providing that flexibility and dexterity that allows you to handle and use your equipment and move around naturally and smoothly.
The neoprene makes this possible, while the blind-stitching and double-gluing, that Mares are known for, ensure they will last a long time so that buying these is a smart investment. You also avoid the problems associated with thicker seams and bunching. As there are a total of 6 sizes available, you are bound to find the right gloves for you.
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9. Scubapro Seamless 1.5mm Diving Gloves
Again, Scubapro are another diving accessories manufacturer who have a great reputation for making user-friendly and affordable products that use the best and most cutting-edge techniques and technology. Heat taping is used rather than the traditional stitching that’s normally used. This makes them extremely lightweight and especially tactile, flexible and soft. Perfect for when you are maneuvering around colder waters.
The lack of traditional stitching also means you have improved dexterity around the fingers. So, you never have to worry about being able to use your dive computer and other diving gear and equipment. It’s also got a printed palm that’s soft without slipping or gripping.
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10. Aqua Lung Cora Warm Water Diving Gloves
Aqua Lung are yet another with a sterling reputation in the diving and snorkeling industry. These Cora warm water diving gloves stand out in particular though, as being designed by women for women. They have a lot narrower and longer fingers and palms to give them a better fit for female hands and digits.
As is the case with most, they have high-stretch fabrics that provide dexterity and a more comfortable fit. The material used also dries quickly while the holes provide perfect ventilation. The integrated entry design also ensures that you have a much easier time putting them on and off.
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Diving Gloves Buying Guide
If you are looking to buy diving gloves, we hope the above reviews help you. If it still doesn’t seem like enough though, we have put together a guide that will help you understand what you need to consider when buying them.
The Material of Scuba Diving Gloves
The majority of diving gloves are made from neoprene rubber, which is a high-end, high-quality and high-performance fabric that is known for its durability and stays flexible while remaining in good condition in even the harshest environments.
A safety feature you need to look out for, that’s common in many diving gloves, is that they are able to bend without any problem. Neoprene is also known for its waterproofing properties and when it is combined with a suitable liner it keeps your hands snug and warm.
The Thickness of Dive Gloves
The thickness of the diving gloves you need depends on the temperature of the waters where you will be diving. For instance, we have provided some examples below.
Diving Below 52-Degrees 
If you dive underwater in temperatures below 52-degrees, gloves with a thickness of 5mm are required. If you need to dive in colder waters, you may have to invest in gloves that also have liners too.
Diving Below 55-Degrees
If the water you are diving in is lower than 55-degrees though, you only need gloves that are 2.5mm to 5mm.
Diving in Warm Waters
If the waters you dive in are much warmer than those mentioned about, you only need to use gloves that are thick between 1 to 2.5mm.
The Size of Scuba Gloves
As is the case with any pieces of clothing, you need to choose diving gloves that fit well. Choosing diving gloves that are smaller than you need, then the gloves are likely to be uncomfortable and constructive.
However, if they are bigger than you require, the water can cause the interior of the glove to cool down as the water can get inside. Larger gloves are also more likely to come off while you are diving.
Gloves that are loose-fitting also make it more difficult to work with your diving equipment while you are on a dive. This not only means that they are less likely to keep your hands warm but also likely to become a safety hazard.
The ideal fit, therefore, is a diving glove fits snugly without being too constrictive.
The Style of Gloves
The most common style of diving gloves that you are likely to come across, and that is featured heavily in our guide is the five-finger-style glove. This resembles the kind of glove you’d wear under normal circumstances. Though it’s made from a different kind of material.
This is the diving glove that will give you the most freedom to move around underwater. They act just like a normal glove but are designed to be submerged. The alternative is the mitten-style glove which have a larger section that fits all four fingers and a separate section for your thumb.
Although many people favor them, these gloves do not provide quite as much motion as the finger-style gloves. The reason they are so popular is that they provide excellent thermal insulation. So, if you are heading to waters with cold climates, but don’t intend on using a lot of equipment, the mitten-style is a great choice.
