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 are 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 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. After all, you do need them for using your scuba hand signals!
Best 10 Scuba Diving Gloves
In order to look after your hands, you need to invest in a good pair of scuba divers gloves. How do you choose from the wide variety there is out there though? Some of the best ways to warm up after a cold dive start with wearing gloves.
As with most scuba 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 dive gloves available right now.
1. Neo Sport Premium Neoprene Five Finger Wetsuit Glove
To start of our guide, we have this awesome pair 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 Glove
Next, we have the Tilos 1.5mm scuba diving glove. 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 are also have reinforced fingertips, thumbs and palm sections to increase their durability.
The glove is 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 in tropical environments.
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3. Cressi High-Stretch Premium Neoprene Diving Gloves
Cressi is 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 is similar to many of the others in our guide in that they have the full five fingers. Cressi has just used a single lining of the comfortably soft and flexible material.
On the interior 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 this has 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 Scuba Diving Glove
Another popular dive 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 glove 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 a special 3D print that provides additional grip while providing protection against abrasion. All in all, they are a great pair.
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5. XS Scuba Dry Five Pyrostretch Dry Glove
Now we have a diving glove from XS Scuba. This is marketed as a high-end scuba diving glove specially 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 Scuba Diving Glove 5mm
Fourth Element is the next brand with a great pair that we wanted to highlight. Whether you are in cold or tropical waters or exploring 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 which means your hands are always warm and dry.
In addition to the gluing and stitching that’s used in the construction of this scuba diving glove, they are also welded with a nice watertight fit. The fewer seams a pair has, the better. In addition to all that’s going on the inside of the glove, 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 Scuba Glove
Mares are another great brand that we’ve featured extensively on our site, due to their experience and skills in the industry. This 2mm, which are admittedly thinner than a lot of the other choices, 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 Dive Glove
We now have another pair of scuba glove to talk about from Mares. This time, it’s the Mares Classic Flexa Five Finger 3mm glove. 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 this 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 glove for you.
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9. Scubapro Seamless 1.5mm Dive Glove
Again, Scubapro is another accessory manufacturer who has 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 scuba 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 Glove
Aqua Lung is yet another with a sterling reputation in the industry. These Cora warm water scuba 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 Glove Buying Guide
If you are looking to buy scuba dive 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 Dive Glove
The majority of scuba diver 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, 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 the Dive Glove
The thickness of the glove you need depends on the temperature of the waters where you will be diving. For instance, we have provided some examples below.
Below 52-Degrees 
If you dive underwater in temperatures below 52-degrees, a glove with a thickness of 5mm is required. If you need to dive in colder waters, you may have to invest in a glove that also has liners too.
Below 55-Degrees
If the water you are in is lower than 55-degrees though, you only need a glove that is 2.5mm to 5mm.
Warm Waters
If the waters you dive in are much warmer than those mentioned about, you only need to use ones that have a thickness of between 1 to 2.5mm.
The Size of Scuba Glove
As is the case with any piece of clothing, you need to ensure that they are a good fit. Choosing a pair that are smaller than you need, then they are likely to be uncomfortable and constructive.
However, if they are bigger than you require, the water can cause the interior to cool down as the water can get inside. Larger gloves are also more likely to come off.
Those that are loose-fitting also make it more difficult to work with your dive 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 glove that fits snugly without being too constrictive.
The Style of Glove
The most common style of dive glove 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 one 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 has a larger section that fits all four fingers and a separate section for your thumb.
Although many people favor them, these 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 an excellent choice.
