Hard Sole Booties for Bonaire?

[Art Vandalay]

Get some booties with thick rubber soles if you plan to do much shore diving. I did okay with "regular" booties with the thinner soles but when I go back I will definitely get thicker soles. A lot of the shore diving entries are rocky.

You can do without the thicker soles but you will be more comfortable with them.

 

[gert7to3]

Here's what I use at Bonaire.

http://www.nrsweb.com/shop/product.asp?pfid=2328&deptid=1169

Their rubber sole kicker would work ok too:

http://www.nrsweb.com/shop/product.asp?pfid=2327&deptid=1169

I had to do a little sanding so it would fit my fin's foot pockets. That felt sole really grips on slimey rocks. Nothing will cut through it.

 

[under water]

I asked the same question on Bonairetalk about a month ago and several folks said they were just fine using these

Deep See 3MM Womens Aqua Purge Slipper Vulcanized rubber soles with puncture resistant "safe sole" layer

http://www.leisurepro.com/Prod/Cate...escSort_0/Filter_2=49:1=733/DPSAPW.html?Hit=1
http://www.leisurepro.com/Prod/Cate...tock/DescSort_0/Filter_1=733/DPSAP.html?Hit=1

Which is good, because that is what we have
I am NOT bringing by drysuit boots to Bonaire!! Can't find any fins to fit them that I like.

 

[spectrum]

Spectrum,

I picked up my SeaSoft Sunrays from www.unrealfind.com just before my Bonaire & Statia trip last Thanksgiving. I was very pleased with their performance for shore diving, versus my Mares hard-soled (avanti?) booties I used on my 2004 Bonaire & Curacao trip.

I'm taking my Sunrays to Curacao for another workout next month.

Thanks for the tip. We went for the Stealths so we can get good use out of of them at home too. The next question will be what they do to the fin fit. I will know that this week. They really don't look too meaty in the photos so I'm cautiously optimistic.

If we find they are too much boot for warm water we can snap up some Sunrays for a future trip.

Thanks,
Pete

 

[WarmWaterDiver]

Here's a 2003 comparison review - it appears SeaSoft dropped their 5mm offering since then. My Mares Avanti's are in the same review, since discontinued by Mares and replaced by their Trilastic boots.

http://www.scubadiving.com/5mm_dive_boots

I found the sole of the Avanti gave crappy traction - the grooves below the ball of the feet left minimal sole surface for contact on boat decks or typical Bonaire shore dives (slippery going). But the Avanti was much better overall than my first booties, which were Deep Sea Seeboots with no arch support.

The Sunrays fit my fin foot pockets about the same as the Avanti - no discernable difference for me in that regard (I wear a Men's size 9 so I'm in the middle of the pack anyway - this might be a significant factor). The Sunrays have much better traction than the Avanti for me. The slick lining of the Sunrays is a nice plus from the Avanti for me.

Let us know how the Stealth Pro's work out!

 

[spectrum]

We got our SeaSoft Stealths in and they won't be the answer.

It is a very nice boot and fits my foot very well. They are too chunky on the soles to work with my "wet fins. Even my larger fins that I use with my drysuit don't fit up in a solid way. Other than that they felt great standing and certainly offer more protection for shore diving at home and away. I was surprised that the boot was so pliable where my spring straps landed. With the cleat nothing would come undone but it puckered up in a surprising way.

For my wife the higher boot got her in trouble in the calves and her fins were a mismatch as well.

The good news is that we had free inbound shipping so we're only out the return postage.

I think the next stop will be the Bare ice boot. We have a local source for those and given my luck with Bare products they might just be the ticket. Film at 11:00

Pete

 

[justleesa]

aaaawwww....too bad....Next!

 

[tjmills]

So Pete, how did the Bare Ice boots work out?

I have the Henderson Hyper's in 5mm and they fit my LL Apollos perfectly. I want to try a different boot but am concerned about the fit too. The Bare's and the SeaSofts look (in pictures) much bigger. Anyone know?

 

[tjmills]

BTW: Just as a follow up for anyone that might read this later.

Henderson has ruined their design on the boots. The boots now have a black sole rather than the while tennis shoe ones they had previously. I am sure this is some kind of cost savings by Henderson. As a word of caution, these are NOT the same boots and they are not nearly as much support that the older ones (which had all the high ratings) were. DON"T make the mistake with these as they are, at best, medium sole boots now. Very much a disappointment as I was very much a fan of the older ones.

 

[djac5700]

Just a thought - haven't tried it myself, but has anyone ever added some Dr. Scholls gel pads to their booties? I have the medium soled Henderson booties mentioned in the last post and am wondering if this would be an easy way to add support. I leave for Bonaire in 10 days and am considering this as a quick fix to ease some otherwise painful entries...

Do you think the material would hold up? Bad for the environment? Any other factors to consider?

BTW - just in case anyone decides to do this, don't wear or bring your gel soles in carry-on. Apparently the TSA does not allow it - they must be checked. I found this on the Dr Scholls website... Not sure how much it is enforced, but just an FYI.

http://www.drscholls.com/showcase.aspx?scid=2

Scroll to the bottom to see the advisory.