Booties - under or over?

[JohnnyH]

Okay, so I'd like to get some opinions from folks about if you tuck your booties under your wetsuit or do you pull them over.

I always teach students to tuck the booties under the leg of the wetsuit, and to be honest I don't have a hugely compelling reason for this other than...

1) There is a _slight_ tendency for zippered booties to come unzipped if you zip them over a wetsuit leg

2) If you consider moving forward through the water column, the booties tucked under the wetsuit leg is slightly more hydrodynamic

Mainly, it's just 'cause that's the way I do it.

But I'd like to get other's thoughts.

John

 

[Dive Junky]

I pull the boots over the wetsuit when I dive. It just seems easier. No other reason.

 

[aMc10]

Depends on the suit. For my 3mm, I'll put my boots over. For thicker suits that typically have a zip at the ankle, boots under. With a semi-dry, I'll put the seal inside the boot and the wetsuit over. Whatever's comfy, really - I've never had any problems with boots coming unzipped.

 

[Charlie59]

So many reasons to pull the neoprene over the bootie

1) As said, keeps zipper zipped
2) Real cowboy divers wouldn't wear their jeans inside their boots!
3) The nastiness that would pool in your bootie if you pushed it into the boot by putting boot over neoprene (think about it)
4) Would you want an eel to laugh at you?

 

[Beachlover]

Boots under the wetsuit

 

[Vie]

I've always pulled my wetsuit (3 mm) over the booties.

 

[shoturtle]

under the wetsuit, less water in the boot. I tried it the other way, had more water flowing into the boot.

 

[Melicertes]

I don't see much reason for either being more preferable than the other. As for me, I've just always had my boots over the wetsuit. It's just the way I learnt and it's never been uncomfortable or caused me any problems that would prompt me to do it another way. As for the zipper getting unzipped - mine's never become unzipped more than about a 1/4" so it's never bothered me. [edit: now that I think more about it I guess it's always been a natural thing for me because I dive a semi-dry(wet) suit - kinda hard to expect a semi-dry seal to do it's job when it's pulled over the boot ]

 

[texdiveguy]

Boots under the wetsuit.

 

[Melicertes]

under the wetsuit, less water in the boot. I tried it the other way, had more water flowing into the boot.

And why is more water in the boot a problem?