Silicone grease to doff tight fins from a drysuit

[divad]

Bagging the boots is a reasonable suggestion, but I'm concerned that if I forget to do it just one time, I may have contaminated my suit forever.



But that prevents you from doing the shore diver's trick that someone mentioned above of filling the fins with water on exit to use like buckets to rinse the dirt off when you reach your changing bench/mat.

Any McGyvers out there who can figure out how to put some kind of removable rubber plug/valve in the hole? Some kind of one-way plug or valve that breaks the vacuum but then seals again upon filling the foot pocket with water.

Just leave a gallon milk-jug full of water in the car. Fins are for diving, jugs are for transporting water. More water than you could possibly fit in your fins (if you're able to get them off).

 

[Lorenzoid]

Just leave a gallon milk-jug full of water in the car. Fins are for diving, jugs are for transporting water. More water than you could possibly fit in your fins (if you're able to get them off).

Well, yeah, you're right. But we already have a car packed with gallons of drinking water, a gallon of p-valve cleaning solution, and other liquids, and when I learned the fin-bucket trick it did strike me as a clever way to avoid carrying yet ANOTHER gallon of something in the car.

 

[divad]

If you can't get your fins off, you can walk backwards to the car, but you won't be able drive it anywhere.

 

[wKkaY]

This is becoming way too elaborate

True... I evidently have way too much surface interval on my hands before my next dive

; drill holes in foot pockets.

I was skeptical at first, but I took a closer look and saw that my boots completely fill the foot pocket opening so I now think the drilling idea has merit. I'll try to borrow a drill tomorrow...

 

[wKkaY]

I read the specs for the WD-40 teflon spray - WD-40 Specialist - and it doesn't say that it's suitable on rubber. So I'll probably give it a miss and try the silicone spray instead.

 

[wKkaY]

I sprayed one fin with silicone, and drilled the other.

The silicone fin slides out very easily. There seems to be no difference with the drilled fin, however I'm testing with dry fins that aren't water-logged.

I also noticed that after the test, the top part of the foot pocket near the opening became less slippery than the other parts, so the silicone film there probably transferred to the boots.

 

[fish149]

I had the same problem. I use armor all inside the foot pocket. Works all season long for me.

 

[stuartv]

I wonder just how much residual silicone will transfer from the foot pockets to the boots to the drysuit, once I roll it up.

Even if you don't get any silicone on the rest of your suit, do you really want to make your boots where you can't patch a hole in them?

 

[rhwestfall]

I read the specs for the WD-40 teflon spray - WD-40 Specialist - and it doesn't say that it's suitable on rubber. So I'll probably give it a miss and try the silicone spray instead.

Good Lord No! WD-40 has kerosene in it...... Smart to avoid!!!!!!

(okay, I see it is not "normal" WD-40.... )

 

[divad]

I sprayed one fin with silicone, and drilled the other.

The silicone fin slides out very easily. There seems to be no difference with the drilled fin, however I'm testing with dry fins that aren't water-logged.

I also noticed that after the test, the top part of the foot pocket near the opening became less slippery than the other parts, so the silicone film there probably transferred to the boots.

You may as well "dive-test" them now, without further speculation before experimenting further.