I use a 7mm boot here in SoCal and they were very comfortable in Hawaii.
5mm boot? Good all around boot?
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diver 85
Contributor
Parysa
Contributor
I've got 5 mm Henderson boots and I love them. I mostly dive colder water, and I've been pretty comfortable on most of my dives. I've only had a few where I've not been able to feel my toes by the end of the dive. And I've never had a problem with "floaty feet," lol. The only problem I have with my boots is I wish they were a little taller (they're the ones that come just above the ankle) b/c my wetsuit is about 1/2" too short in the legs, so there's usually a gap. It fits perfectly otherwise, so I'd rather just get taller boots, lol. And definitely go with the hard-soled boots. They're awesome and you never know when you're going to be tromping across gravel or through the woods or something to get to the water.
This is just my two cents, but I've used the Deep See safe sole 6.5mm tall boots forever. I use them when swimming with open heel fins in the YMCA pool, I use them in 62 degree quarries, and I use them in warm water. They have thick soles, so walking back to the car in them doesn't hurt, and I haven't been able to kill them yet. Oh yeah, and they're cheap too.
The common theme here is .. get a boot that looks like boot, not a bootie .. one has a sole and arch support on it like a real boot
5mm will be fine, I've had my 5mm Seasoft Stelth boots in 80 water in the Gulf and it felt good to have warm feet for a change from the 50's* water that I dive here
5mm will be fine, I've had my 5mm Seasoft Stelth boots in 80 water in the Gulf and it felt good to have warm feet for a change from the 50's* water that I dive here
billtodive
Contributor
High top boots are so much better; and feet can never be too warm.
Plus they make such a fashion statment worn with a shorty!
Plus they make such a fashion statment worn with a shorty!
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I've been ice diving a bit, and I wore 5mm boots with a 7mm wetsuit, worked like a champ. When your in very cold water your feet go numb anyway. As far as feet floating up issues, ankle weights fix that (or just keep your legs straight)
As far as keeping warm goes, if you go in cold water, frozen feet are frozen feet.
As far as keeping warm goes, if you go in cold water, frozen feet are frozen feet.
I have a pair of Akonas in 5 mil, and Deep Sea 6.5, and have used both everywhere I dive when I am not diving dry. Fit and a good sole is the most important features, and a good lds will spend the time to find you the ones that are right.
Bruce Justinen
Contributor
Hi, this is Bruce from SEASOFT SCUBA. I wanted to add some thoughts to this thread because there is a lot of misunderstanding about dive booties.
There is no real downside to wearing thicker boots in warm climates. A home with thick insulation works just as well in warm climates as in cold, maybe better.
High top booties are sometimes a better option in warm water, especially if you are doing shore diving. Short booties will more easily allow sand into your bootie when entering the water, this drives me crazy personally.
A boot with a real elevated heel is preferable to a flat bottom "bedroom slipper" type bootie. We have all seen divers walking hunched over, it is not the weight of the gear causing this "hunching". It is the diver trying to transfer the center of gravity to the balls of the feet and toes because this is where we find balance and stability. An elevated heel allows you to walk upright with confidence, I mean we often carry more than a hundred pounds of gear!
A hard soled bootie is preferable to a soft soled bootie. Your foot inside a soft sole bootie will tend to flex up and down with the bootie inside the fin foot pocket. The small muscles and tendons of the arch especially are not designed to start and finish every kick, CRAMPS are the result. Hard soled booties will almost always eliminate cramping.
An arch support underneath the arch of your foot is important. Most booties do not have this feature, this gives the foot added comfort, support and stability. It also acts as a "lock" on the foot moving forward towards the front of the bootie.
Women often have trouble zipping up their booties. This is because most boots are made using a form called a "last". This last, unfortunately is designed for men. Fortunately I have a solution for you.
Take a water or other type of bottle and fill it with very hot or boiling water (be very careful). The bottle must be as big or bigger than your ankle. After zipping up the bootie, push the bottle down into the opening stretching the bootie opening to the new size of the water bottle. The hot water will heat up the air cells in the neoprene and when they cool, they will be in the new larger size. You must leave the bottle in until it completely cools.
I hope this information is useful to you, thanks for reading.
Bruce
There is no real downside to wearing thicker boots in warm climates. A home with thick insulation works just as well in warm climates as in cold, maybe better.
High top booties are sometimes a better option in warm water, especially if you are doing shore diving. Short booties will more easily allow sand into your bootie when entering the water, this drives me crazy personally.
A boot with a real elevated heel is preferable to a flat bottom "bedroom slipper" type bootie. We have all seen divers walking hunched over, it is not the weight of the gear causing this "hunching". It is the diver trying to transfer the center of gravity to the balls of the feet and toes because this is where we find balance and stability. An elevated heel allows you to walk upright with confidence, I mean we often carry more than a hundred pounds of gear!
A hard soled bootie is preferable to a soft soled bootie. Your foot inside a soft sole bootie will tend to flex up and down with the bootie inside the fin foot pocket. The small muscles and tendons of the arch especially are not designed to start and finish every kick, CRAMPS are the result. Hard soled booties will almost always eliminate cramping.
An arch support underneath the arch of your foot is important. Most booties do not have this feature, this gives the foot added comfort, support and stability. It also acts as a "lock" on the foot moving forward towards the front of the bootie.
Women often have trouble zipping up their booties. This is because most boots are made using a form called a "last". This last, unfortunately is designed for men. Fortunately I have a solution for you.
Take a water or other type of bottle and fill it with very hot or boiling water (be very careful). The bottle must be as big or bigger than your ankle. After zipping up the bootie, push the bottle down into the opening stretching the bootie opening to the new size of the water bottle. The hot water will heat up the air cells in the neoprene and when they cool, they will be in the new larger size. You must leave the bottle in until it completely cools.
I hope this information is useful to you, thanks for reading.
Bruce
Great stuff... copied your post to take to the shop... it will be handy to answering customer questions there as well...
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