Cold feet during surface interval

[knuhol]

Hello divers!

Air temperatures are dropping bellow 0 °C/32 °F these days, there can be ice and snow on the land. I don't have any problems with cold feet in the water (which is about 6 °C/43 °F) - I can do first dive 50-60 minutes without any problem. However, I cannot stand the cold during surface intervals when standing on the land and my dry suit boots are in contact with the frozen ground.

Do you have any smart hacks how to improve this experience? Some shoes which you can pull over the dry suit boots maybe?

We usually spend the surface interval outside doing BBQ and after approx. 1 hour we jump in for the second dive. My feet freeze after one hour and I very often decide skipping the second dive because of that. I use good double socks and adding more socks would be too bulky. Also changing from dry suit to regular clothes isn't the most convenient option in such temperatures if you need doing it outside.

Thanks for any tips!

 

[VikingDives]

Hello divers!

We usually spend the surface interval outside doing BBQ and after approx. 1 hour we jump in for the second dive. My feet freeze after one hour and I very often decide skipping the second dive because of that. I use good double socks and adding more socks would be too bulky. Also changing from dry suit to regular clothes isn't the most convenient option in such temperatures if you need doing it outside.

Thanks for any tips!

DUI makes a heated dry suit sock. Other than that, I'm assuming your socks are wool, if not you might want to consider moving to wool.

 

[Zef]

Hello divers!

Air temperatures are dropping bellow 0 °C/32 °F these days, there can be ice and snow on the land. I don't have any problems with cold feet in the water (which is about 6 °C/43 °F) - I can do first dive 50-60 minutes without any problem. However, I cannot stand the cold during surface intervals when standing on the land and my dry suit boots are in contact with the frozen ground.

Do you have any smart hacks how to improve this experience? Some shoes which you can pull over the dry suit boots maybe?

We usually spend the surface interval outside doing BBQ and after approx. 1 hour we jump in for the second dive. My feet freeze after one hour and I very often decide skipping the second dive because of that. I use good double socks and adding more socks would be too bulky. Also changing from dry suit to regular clothes isn't the most convenient option in such temperatures if you need doing it outside.

Thanks for any tips!

There are a couple different kinds of insoles for ski boots that are designed to help with cold feet...first there are insoles with some kind of aluminum/foil like surface on the bottom that are supposed to reflect heat, but this is more gimmicky. Then there are battery operated heated insoles...these work well but are expensive and will be wrecked if your suit springs a leak. There are other companies that make insoles with merino wool and some out of cork which will help provide some insulation from the ground during your SI. Here are some options:

Therm-ic socks, insoles, heating gloves for winter
merinoGREY
REDhot
https://www.amazon.com/Orthotics-In...uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl
Ski Boot Insoles | Skis.com

You can also stick these in your drysuit boots after getting out of the water....if you have attached boots, you can just drop them in and shake them down to your feet:

-Z

 

[Ana]

I'm not very good on geopraphy for that side of the world... would moving to Southern Sweden be an option?

 

[TMHeimer]

Not sure if it would work diving dry, but during colder weather at our OW checkout dives we had a big cooler with hot water that the students (and me) could stand in during surface intervals. With a cover, it is amazing how long the water remains at least warm.

 

[grf88]

Sound like you just need to insulate your boots from the ground during the surface interval. Try some high density plastic foam insulation cut it to the approximate size of the soles and bungee it on. Will not last long but cheap to replace.

 

[NothingClever]

Similar to above, take along a closed-cell foam camping pad and place your feet on it while seated or standing. You can cut it to the right size to fit in a dive bag yet provide enough surface area to move around a bit when laid out.

 

[davehicks]

I have a similar experience. My feet are warm during the dive, but cold after. On thing I figured out is that at the end of a Boat dive when I am floating on the surface waiting for pickup you tend to be vertical for some time. Of course all the air is squeezed out and your feet get cold fast. Now if I have to be on the surface for any extended time I try to stay horizontal on my front or back. This prevents the foot squeeze and I stay a lot warmer.

In addition, make sure you don't overstuff your boots with too many socks. If you don't have some wiggle room there won't be enough space for insulating air. Too many layers can actually make you colder.

I've also added an extra layer of padding with 3mm sole inserts for my boots. This was more for comfort on beach entries, but it helps on cold ground as well.

 

[yle]

I'm not very good on geopraphy for that side of the world... would moving to Southern Sweden be an option?

Stockholm is already in the southern half of Sweden. I don't think moving any further south in Sweden would solve the problem.

 

[rhwestfall]

As said above, stand on something to insulate your feet from the ground. If you need more, there are big slip on insulated overboots that hunters use... I will use both options when in tree stands for late season.

If you are diving dry, the iron salt based toe warmers are a good option.