Dive boots or barefoot for beach diving in Curacao?

[CycleCat]

Starting to think about what gear to pack for an upcoming first trip to the island. I could save a bit of weight and room by packing my barefoot fins and some dive socks but if that is not appropriate for wading in for most shore diving there I can pack my light boots and an different appropriately-sized set of fins. We have booked four days of boat dives with Ocean Encounters but will do two more days of shore dives with The Dive Bus and maybe a few random shore dives on our own. Any advice?

 

[rhwestfall]

My cheap Amazon water shoes have been my choice for our 4 trips to Curacao (all shore diving). The very thin size of them lets me bring smaller fins than my at home monsters.​

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No matter what, you still need to wade in, pull your boots off, and wash out that fine sand. It took 4-6 weeks for my toes to heal from the rub rash when I didn't, and rubbed them raw...​

 

[lexvil]

You’ll want some protection for your feet, water shoes or thin booties.

 

[tkaelin]

While diving on Curacao, I wear my booties on sand entry shore dives as they fit snug around my ankles preventing sand from entering my booties on entry. My low cut lightweight booties are great for boat or shore entries from a dock but they get too much sand and small pebbles in them for shore beach entries and are annoying having to take them off after the entry to get the sand and pebbles out. Dive socks are a must for me on multiple dive trip days for comfort and preventing chaffing and sore spots. I have not done the dive bus but having seen them before at dive sites you are definitely not going to want to be barefoot or just wearing dive socks traveling with them and getting from the bus to the beach.

 

[rhwestfall]

yeah, liner socks make a big difference!

 

[ReefHound]

I almost always dive barefoot. What I did in Curacao is walk in with my crocs, take them off in 3-4' of water, loop my spg through them, and put on fins. Reverse on exit. They are very floaty and would slide up behind my shoulder and be above me on dives. I probably looked ridiculous.

 

[arew+4]

Like everyone else is saying some sort of thin soled booties will be fine, it's not iron shore like most of Bonaire. A little something could save you from an errant sharp rock or broken bottle.

 

[ontdiver]

As I have gotten older and now consciously avoiding any injury that might disrupt a trip, I always pack a pair of boots...and socks.