Gloves and boots and fins... oh my!

[Katdb]

Hi everyone,

I'm finishing up purchasing my own gear set, but have a coupl eof items that I need some advice on. I will be diving both in Canada (brrrr :icosm13 and the caribbean and I do get very cold on dives (I dove in bermuda last year in May with a full wetsuit, not sure of the thickness though, and my lips were blue!) so I went with the Henderson hyperstretch 7mm full suit for cold waters, and my shorty for the caribbean.

I have a set of aqua glide split fins that I don't like for 2 reasons; I find that my feet would cramp and they tend to rub the top of my foot raw!. I'm female, 5'5" with some rt knee problems, so I'm looking for fins that would give me the power to keep up without being too heavy!

I am also looking for boots (so the fins would have to be able to accomodate that), hopefully that I could wear both in Canada & the caribbean. I know Henderson makes some different ones, but I'm open to all suggestions.

Lastly, I would like some gloves that are warm but still allows dexterity. I have very small hands (size small woman's in lab gloves) so I was thinking that I should probably stick with some thinner gloves (maybe 3mm or 5mm).

Thanks for any suggestions! I've been reading through reviews and the boards, but can't find posts that match my requirements!

Katdb

 

[fisheater]

Check out Force Fins. They're unique (and some-say ugly). Your foot sits on the fit, rather than in back of the fin and they allow you better use of the larger leg muscles. I find them to be very powerful without feeling like you have plywood planks stretching out your calves. But that's just me.

 

[muddiver]

Start with finding a pair of booties that fit your foot snuggly and not too tight but are also not loose. The raw spot is from having boots that are too big. It allows the boot to move around and rub your foot raw. You can have the same problem if the fins you are using are too big and loose, but a snug set of booties will make up for loose fins and protect your foot. You really need to go to a dive shop and try some on. There is no substitue for the "try it" to see if it fits process.

The thickness of gloves and boots will really depend more on the cold water diving (Canada) than warm water diving, because it won't matter to if you have too much insullation on your hands and feet. You can always buy a set of gardening gloves (white cotton with black dots) for warm water diving that are cheep.

I like the TUSA fins because they are stiffer than most other fins yet still light weight. Sorry I don't remember the modle right now. Any plastic fin that has the stiff plastic down the sides will be stiffer overall and willl give you more thrust for your kick.

 

[ronbeau]

Hi everyone,

I'm finishing up purchasing my own gear set, but have a couple of items that I need some advice on. I will be diving both in Canada (brrrr :icosm13 and the Caribbean and I do get very cold on dives (I dove in Bermuda last year in May with a full wetsuit, not sure of the thickness though, and my lips were blue!) so I went with the Henderson hyperstretch 7mm full suit for cold waters, and my shorty for the Caribbean.

I have a set of aqua glide split fins that I don't like for 2 reasons; I find that my feet would cramp and they tend to rub the top of my foot raw!. I'm female, 5'5" with some rt knee problems, so I'm looking for fins that would give me the power to keep up without being too heavy!

I am also looking for boots (so the fins would have to be able to accommodate that), hopefully that I could wear both in Canada & the Caribbean. I know Henderson makes some different ones, but I'm open to all suggestions.

Lastly, I would like some gloves that are warm but still allows dexterity. I have very small hands (size small woman's in lab gloves) so I was thinking that I should probably stick with some thinner gloves (maybe 3mm or 5mm).

Thanks for any suggestions! I've been reading through reviews and the boards, but can't find posts that match my requirements!

Katdb

You will get a lot of opinions relative to fins.

I have found the Atomic slit fins to be very good. My wife has Atomic Reef Red fins and my daughter has the Atomic Smoke on Water fins. I have Atomic Liquid Blue fins.

See if you can go to a local dive shop with several different brands and models of fins. They might even let you try them out in the pool if they have a demo pair in your size.

 

[Nismo]

Get boots that fit as mentioned. I use my 5mm ones both cold and tropical. Happy with my Pinnacles.

 

[spectrum]

Katdb

Getting the boot fit correct is foremost. For best results in your local diving I suggest a good 7mm boot, Deep-SEE and others have them and they should be easy to find in Canada. These will be just fine in warm water. Since you have certain intentions of diving in a shorty make sure that your new boots have a Velcro tab that locks the zipper down. Without your 7mm suit legs in the boots the top of the boot will be a little more fluid and the zipper may slide down otherwise and that's a nuisance. For you coldest local wet dives you can even add 1-2 mm socks in the booties and that can help a lot.

For cold water diving I suggest a 5mm gauntlet glove. The gauntlet really helps reduce circulation and keeps the blood vessels in your wrist protected form the cold. These two benefits equal comfortable hands. Let the fit be slightly loose. this will allow your palms to warm a small water volume that can circulate to your finger tips. There will be some loss of dexterity and that's one of the things that makes cold water diving a specialty in it's own right you will adapt with practice. You are much better off trading some dexterity for fingers that are not numb. I'm partial to Bare for these.


For the tropics first check on your destination since many prohibit gloves. If you need some then 3mm or less will do you well. Some even use gardening gloves and the like since you're really looking for abrasion protection more than warmth.

If that full suit is not enough for home consider adding a hooded vest. The Bare Arctic or Velocity step-in models worn over you full suit are great. Even the 3mm hooded chicken vest worn under will "kick it up a notch". Bare products once again.

If the fit allows wearing the shortie under the full suit is an option but it will not provide the superior neck closure of a hodded vest.

As for the fins, Get the boot right first and that may solve it. Other wise make the new boots part of the fin fitting process. My wife and I are partial to the Aeris Velocity fins, they are not split but they have vented soft centers that give you a nice compromise. Other wise you already have splits and if they fit I'd give them a few more spins. Part of your cramping is probably the newness of diving. Go to a local pond for an hour or 2 a week and do some long distance skin-diving in your wetsuit of course. This will tone your legs for swimming with fins. Pace yourself starting out. Skin-dive laps in a pool will do the trick too.

Dive safe and often,
Pete

 

[scuba_frog]

Lot of good info here. Kat, I also have bad knees and just came off my 2nd surgery. I use Tusa splits. I find that the splits have less knee strain than others.

Boots - I use 5mm for warm and cold dives (Chicago area). I like SeaSoft boots. They are easy to get on and are warm. I also do a lot of shore quarry dives which require some walking on stones and gravel. I find that the SeaSofts have a very thick sole which allows walking on these surfaces without feeling the rocks...and they fit inside the Tusa's no problem.

Gloves - like spectrum mentioned, many Carribean sites do not allow gloves. That being said, concentrate on something warm. I have 3mm Henderson Hyperstrech gloves. These keep me warm, but if your a cold blooded person, 3mm might not be enough. I am always warm, so they work for me. I also like them because there is a lot of dexterity in them. I can pick up the smallest of objects and can "feel" what I am grasping.

 

[Katdb]

Thank you so much everyone! This definitely gives me a lot to think about