In the tropics it is now advocated that you not wear dive gloves when you dive. It is said that gloves give you the sense of “permission” to touch the delicate coral reefs. While this may be well and good, it does not, and cannot, apply to California diving.
We dive in a much more harsh environment than your run of the mill tropical island. Temperature alone is enough to have you throwing on the warmest gloves possible. And then there is the urchins, wrecks, and more. If you beach dive at all, or hunt, you definitely need a pair of sturdy mittens.
Dive gloves are one of those things that seem easy to pick in the dive store but can sure screw up a dive if you pick the wrong ones. First, the warmest and toughest are generally not the best. You need dexterity and agility, and that will cause some trade off in thermal protection and durability. But if you play your cards right, your compromises will be small and you’ll end up with dive gloves that will give you the best performance with the least encumbrance.