June in Maui, full foot or open heel?

[normantr]

I will be in Maui the first week in June, and am trying to decide if I can wear a full foot fin with a dive sock. Will that be warm enough. I am hoping to use the same fin for diving and snorkeling. I have been looking at the Tusa full-foot split fins. I am currently using the Tusa open heel split fins and love them, but they are just to big for snorkeling. If those of you that have dove Maui can tell me if I will be warm enough with a full foot and a dive sock that would be great.

 

[KidK9]

You'll be fine with the full foot. I was there in August and had an 81 degree bottom temp at 75 feet.

 

[kidspot]

Most folks over here only wear open heel because of walks over the lava rocks to the water - Bitter cold of winter the temp drops to a bone chilling 75* - so it's pretty warm year round.

I happen to wear 7mil boots (with lug soles) in my Jet fins -

Aloha, Tim

 

[normantr]

Here is a sample of what we are looking at with one of So Cals popular beach diving locations:
Location: Shaw's Cove
Date: 4/23/2005
Time: 9:30 am
Surf: 1 ft to 3 ft
Surge: 2ft - 3ft
Visibility: 10 ft - 15 ft
Temperature: 59 Water Air 65

Since I will be doing boat dives, I will probably pick up a pair of the full foot Tusa's and use them for snorkeling as well. I am trying not to lug two pairs of fins along with me.(3 if you count my wifes snorkeling fins.)

Tim

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

I use open heels even on boat dives but if you're only doing boat dives then full foots are fine. If you even one shore dive you'll hate your full foots. I did on my first trip to Maui

 

[SecondCoussens]

Anywhere in Hawaii where you might be shore diving or snorkeling I'd recommend open fins with booties b/c of the lava rock. The bottom on a walk out is almost always rocky, and it's sometimes rather sharp. The boots will be helpful with protecting your feet, and you'll be happier.

 

[jakubson]

I will be in Maui the first week in June, and am trying to decide if I can wear a full foot fin with a dive sock. Will that be warm enough. I am hoping to use the same fin for diving and snorkeling. I have been looking at the Tusa full-foot split fins. I am currently using the Tusa open heel split fins and love them, but they are just to big for snorkeling. If those of you that have dove Maui can tell me if I will be warm enough with a full foot and a dive sock that would be great.

I like the Aeris velocity full foot fin for both tropical diving and snorkling. They are a little shorter than the Oceanic caribe (I don't know the TUSA) so it packs better, but I never had any trouble diving with them in Fiji, Palau, and Belize. I wear a dive sock with them. Punch a small hole in the toe of the sock so that water can drain out of them when you get back on the boat.

 

[DiveMaven]

If I couldn't use my dive fins to snorkel, I probably wouldn't spend the money JUST to buy fins to snorkel in Hawaii. Renting isn't that expensive. We dive and snorkel in Maui with open heel fins and have never been cold.

 

[bluemagoo]

The splits I've seen seem to be pretty big, 'specially the rails. But like everyone else says, the open-heels will serve you better if you plan on any shore diving here -- gashing your foot open on the rocks is a poor fashion statement. Water temps are not a worry unless you're nuts enough to try swimming in one of Kauai's wet caves (ahem, like yours truly). As for boots/booties, I prefer felt-soled ones which don't slip on rocks; fishing supply stores here usually have them; 3mm neoprene side-zip boots with felt soles. Or you could just ShoeGoo(tm) some outdoor carpet to the bottom of your existing boots. Otherwise, Rob White at BlueWaterHunters in Kailua-Kona sells a Kevlar-soled sock which some freedivers use with their longblade fullfoots. On Maui, Maui Sporting Goods caters to serious freedivers and they might have that sock too.

 

[SecondCoussens]

wet caves=leptospirosis. anyway it's a nasty bacteria... i wouldnt recommend the wet caves, as inviting as they are... and they are