jowe
Registered
Hello there!
I'm at the 'PADI online learning' and 'buy the minimum stuff to hop in the water' point in my dive journey.
As all diving boots seem to be "unisex" aka sized for guys and in whole sizes, my 9.5 in women's shoes translates to 9 in diving boots. So a little large in the foot but still snug, at best, on the calf.
I'm in Monterey, CA, so quite a bit of sand beach entry coming up and boats at some point. Oh and quite chilly ~50F/10C
Cressi Isla (bit too big and no velcro tab to hold up zip) and Aqua Lung Superzip 7mm (sized like a Womens 9 not Mens 9 = longest toe uncomfortable, 10 too big) were fails so I'm looking at:
- XS Scuba 8 mm Thug Boots - hard sole - has tread grooves but kind of smooth)
A little too wide in the foot, a tad long and a bit uncomfortable/tight on the calf.
- Bare 7mm S-Flex Boot - rubber sole - seems grippy
Closer width fit and a tad long in the foot but less uncomfortable/tight on the calf.
Both fit fine in my Oceanic Viper 2 OH fins
I'm trying both of these on dry, of course.
I've read that hard soles are recommended for beach entry (even sand?) in which case XS Scuba seem better, but gear should be as close fitting as possible without cutting circulation, and they are a bit loose in the foot.
Also read that boots might stretch if:
a) wet
b) if soaked in hot water and worn, or a bottle filled with hot water and shoved in there.
c) over time
So any of the above might make the calf-fit more comfortable, but bad news if just time and cold water made the foot any looser.
I'd really appreciate your thoughts and experience with cold water boots please (and **cannot wait** to be posting about something other than footwear!)
P.S. Please forgive me if I missed an exisiting post on this, I have searched and read quite a bit here before joining).
I'm at the 'PADI online learning' and 'buy the minimum stuff to hop in the water' point in my dive journey.
As all diving boots seem to be "unisex" aka sized for guys and in whole sizes, my 9.5 in women's shoes translates to 9 in diving boots. So a little large in the foot but still snug, at best, on the calf.
I'm in Monterey, CA, so quite a bit of sand beach entry coming up and boats at some point. Oh and quite chilly ~50F/10C
Cressi Isla (bit too big and no velcro tab to hold up zip) and Aqua Lung Superzip 7mm (sized like a Womens 9 not Mens 9 = longest toe uncomfortable, 10 too big) were fails so I'm looking at:
- XS Scuba 8 mm Thug Boots - hard sole - has tread grooves but kind of smooth)
A little too wide in the foot, a tad long and a bit uncomfortable/tight on the calf.
- Bare 7mm S-Flex Boot - rubber sole - seems grippy
Closer width fit and a tad long in the foot but less uncomfortable/tight on the calf.
Both fit fine in my Oceanic Viper 2 OH fins
I'm trying both of these on dry, of course.
I've read that hard soles are recommended for beach entry (even sand?) in which case XS Scuba seem better, but gear should be as close fitting as possible without cutting circulation, and they are a bit loose in the foot.
Also read that boots might stretch if:
a) wet
b) if soaked in hot water and worn, or a bottle filled with hot water and shoved in there.
c) over time
So any of the above might make the calf-fit more comfortable, but bad news if just time and cold water made the foot any looser.
I'd really appreciate your thoughts and experience with cold water boots please (and **cannot wait** to be posting about something other than footwear!)
P.S. Please forgive me if I missed an exisiting post on this, I have searched and read quite a bit here before joining).
