Can changing your boots help with floaty feet?

[WaterFox]

I'm a newly certified open water diver and I'm having issues with my feet wanting to float. I've tried several things like lowering my tank, using more negatively buoyant fins but my feet still float. To get through the class I was using ankle weights but would like to ditch them ASAP!

I was wondering if perhaps trying different boots would help with this problem. The rental equipment I was using was the Deep See Manta boots size 7, I think they are 6 mil. When I got into the water they did feel rather big on me, my foot was wiggling around inside the boot. So I'm switching to size 6. Just curious if switching to smaller size help my floaty feet at all?

I'm looking to buy my own set of dive boots, 5 or 6 mil, preferably something with a sole. Before I go buy a pair, I was wondering if different styles of boots would affect buoyancy at the feet and perhaps help them not to float so much. Thanks!

 

[scarefaceDM]

It would help a little if you mentioned where you dive.
Soles on booties is nice if you walk a distance with gear and if you do alot of shore diving. Soles are great when stepping on rocks and such.

Size does matter. Proper fitting gear is also key. Loose poddle jackets ill fitting wetsuits and booties will affect your position in the water ( trim ) If the boots are big then they will add to the floaty feet syndrom. A more negative fin does help. The negative fin I am refering to is a Scubapro jet fin, a turtle fin and even Mares Quatros can be a good choice.

New botties will be a little more bouyant. Like a new wetsuit, it has to be crushed (used ). What I am refering to is the microbubles in neopren which has air in them. Once the suit has several dives on it is looses some bouyancy. If you ask around to some of the more expereinced divers they can tell you that when diving new neoprean often requires a little more lead to help decend to depth. Becasue you are more bouyant with new neoprean. Once you have a few dives under your belt with the new suit-boots etc you will be able to drop some weight as you gain more dive experience.

But you are starting out and once you have become more experienced and the skills have become second nature the floaty feet will be an after thought.

It is nice that you do not want to stick with ankle weights which is a crutch of all things. Keep practicing and dive your butt off.

 

[Bob]

Were you in a drysuit? If so, that's a common problem with a new drysuit divers. Combine a drysuit, 6 mil boots, a new diver and yes, I can envision your issue. If not, instead of 6 mil why not try 3 mil boots? 3 mil boots will be less bouyant that 6 mil. Also purchase boots that fit well. Gear that doesn't fit well will make you uncomfortable and effect your trim in the water. I also recommend a negative fin such as the SP Jets or the Mares Quattro. Congratulations and keep diving. almtree: Bob

 

[piikki]

I kind of doubt than moving a size down in boots will much effect the buoyancy, so I would just choose the booties based on what you need and what fits. Hard sole boots rock. If your feet were wiggling obviously the boots were too large but assuming you weren't wearing a wetsuit inside your boots and having a huge amount of air trap there, I don't think the size itself was the issue. Reduction in the amount of neoprene could be larger between brands than between sizes but I do not think it's substantial enough when you are talking about same 5mm boots.

In same wetsuit the differences in top/bottom heaviness in my case have been affected either by tank (type, size, location), weight distribution and fins (negative vs floaty), and to some degree with trim (the fine tuning - even if you are bit off you can try to eg arch and lift knees to get your head/legs where you want). I have floaty feet whatever I dive with and best for me has been negative fins.