Cramps in feet after diving

[elmer fudd]

If your foot is being squeezed by a too narrow foot pocket you'll get cramps every time and they can be bad.

Just because you can get the fins on easily doesn't mean they are the correct size either. You see, your foot can bow inward and become narrower when you don your fins. The problem is that they will soon afterward begin to give you discomfort and cramps.

If you're wearing wider boots or socks and this problem has suddenly cropped up, then you have the answer to what's causing it.

 

[Peter_C]

How stiff the foot bed of your foot wear is can make a big difference too.

Myself I prefer a very tight connection to my fins. I can tell if I have a thinner pair of socks on vs a thicker pair under my booties inside my drysuit, with my shoes over the outside of it all. Any less connection and my feet swim inside and I start clenching my foot trying to make good contact.

When I go to remove my fins they are locked onto my shoes, and it takes a couple side to side wiggles to break the suction and pull them off. To me that is perfect.

 

[TMHeimer]

I get that in my right foot instep most times when I'm in the pool for 2-3 hours straight. The fins I use are standard and not very heavy. I'm not doing much finning there compared to ocean diving yet it never occurs in the ocean (I get other cramps there). In the ocean I use very heavy split fins and cover a lot of ground. Potassium pills cut down on my overall cramping a lot, but not the foot thing. I have yet to find a solution.

 

[lostcajun]

I'm a newbie, but what my wife and I have done to prepare for our Liveaboard experience (=lots of dives) in July is to swim laps several times a week with training fins, mask and snorkel... and we hydrate and.... eat a banana a day. Not sure that any one thing helps, but getting the body used to certain behaviors in any activity makes a big difference...

 

[RonFrank]

Cramps can be a hydration issue.

 

[Lopez116]

I agree on the dehydration. My wife is actually on blood pressure meds and one of the side effects is that she becomes dehydrated more quickly. She gets foot cramps and even spasms in her toes if she is mildly dehydrated. I am now extra on her about drinking lots of water.

 

[Ayisha]

I had the Avanti Quattros between 11 and 9 years ago and I had pain all the time in my legs, ankles and feet during diving. I varied my kick to get relief from the cramping. The smalls were a little big for me and probably flopped a little while diving. My instructor said they were power fins and I didn't have the power legs to go with them. I eventually switched fins and never had that problem again.

 

[TMHeimer]

I think the reasons for cramping vary. I always drink a HUGE mug of water before bed and still sometimes cramp in the night. I'm sure heredity plays a big part with me.