W I D E feet

[JohnsIsland]

Hello,

I have wide feet, I wear a size 11 quad E. That presents an interesting situation in my FLX 50/50. I am tired of cramped feet. Has anyone had DUI or another company modify the feet on there drysuit? I know DUI will change the size, but havne't heard of a width modification. Sure, I can have a larger size installed, but that's not ideal.

If I can find somebody to fit a wide foot to the drysuit, I suppose I will have to use a neoprene boot. I have been searching for a canvas tennis shoe in a wide, but haven't found one yet.

Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Thanks,

Jeff

 

[RonFrank]

Most drysuit repair shops will put new boots on a drysuit.

You can contact this shop: Superior Diving Repair, Inc.

You could also contact the manufacture of your drysuit, and talk to them. I don't know what sizes they offer, but I'm betting someone out there can install extra wide boot on your drysuit. Do a google search on drysuit repair.

 

[robint]

I have a friend who doesn't wear any boots at all with his drysuit. He wears his Crocs up to the entry point, then slips them off and puts his feet right into the fins. YOu might want to think about that.

robin

 

[JohnsIsland]

Robin,

Have any idea what your friend has for feet? Latex, neoprene? Socks or ? What does he do with the crocs while diving? On a shore dive leaving the Crocs at the beach might involve a bit of a walk with fins on. Something to think about, thanks!

Ron,

Googling drysuit repair gives a bunch of results. Been having a blast reading pages. I would love to hear from someone who has had wide boots/socks/something installed. Have even thought about having ankle seals installed, then I can use whatever neoprene boots I have. I don't like the idea of having another latex seal to repair--although I wonder if the ankle would be less trouble than a neck or wrist. Thanks for idea of googling drysuit repair.

Anycase, I am hoping someone else with wide feet will weigh in and relate there experience.

Thanks,

Jeff

 

[robint]

Robin,

Have any idea what your friend has for feet? Latex, neoprene? Socks or ? What does he do with the crocs while diving? On a shore dive leaving the Crocs at the beach might involve a bit of a walk with fins on. Something to think about, thanks!

Ron,

Googling drysuit repair gives a bunch of results. Been having a blast reading pages. I would love to hear from someone who has had wide boots/socks/something installed. Have even thought about having ankle seals installed, then I can use whatever neoprene boots I have. I don't like the idea of having another latex seal to repair--although I wonder if the ankle would be less trouble than a neck or wrist. Thanks for idea of googling drysuit repair.

Anycase, I am hoping someone else with wide feet will weigh in and relate there experience.

Thanks,

Jeff

Jeff - he has a DUI drysuit and one of the very expensive ones. But he doesn't like the rockboots that everyone else buys. He doesn't shore dive in his suit, just boat (in Calif) or here local where we have pavement and stairs to enter water. He is an instuctor so he dives in his drysuit alot.

 

[Mr.X]

I have double E feet. One of my DUI CFX suits has socks and the rockboot option. I cram the the CFX sock into standard rockboots which is restrictive & something I've put up with for years. That being said I think it would be possible to buy larger sized canvas shoes which could effectively replace the tighter rockboots??? On my second CFX suit , I have gone back to the turbosole which has more room for wider feet.

 

[Belmont]

I have the same problem, I wear Dunham shoes in size 9, 6E width.

I still have not found the right fix for my problem. I have a custom made DUI TLS 350 .

I ordered it with the neoprene socks that were made to my size ( I mentioned my shoe size and the circumference at the ball of the foot.) That fit is perfect but I can't walk around like that.

I bought a pair of low cut neoprene boots from Scubapro and I slip them on over the dry suit socks making sure my toes have enough space in the front.

The only problem I have is that I had to take the boots in size 12 to have the proper width. It is a bit floppy in the front.

On boat dives it's ok, on shore dives, coming out, the front of the boots are full of water and its dangerous walking in loose sand, I did fall on my face in 6 inches of water with twin 130's, but that's another story.

I've been thinking of modifying the front of the boots but it involves cutting and sewing, I'm not sure of the end results.

If I find a better solution I will surely post it on Scubaboard.

 

[JohnsIsland]

Belmont,

I thought I had it tough, but 6e, yikes.

So DUI will take the foot measurements and create a custom fit neoprene sock. That's good news. I was wondering if they just had pre-built neoprene socks, and wouldn't custom build a one. Now all I have to do is find something to go over the sock. So far, the best shoe I have found is by New Balance, 4E widths. Might be a better fit than the size 12, I would imagine you could go with something less than a 12 for your size 9, but who knows. Might be fun appearing in a shoe store and trying on shoes with a drysuit at least partially on. Guess you would only need whatever you are wearing for feet insulation.

Outdoor : Water : SM820

Robin,

I have thought about diving without a shoe, but also wonder how that affects propulsion. I thought it was wise to have something stiff on the bottom of your feet so you used large muscles instead of small muscles, or so I seem to remember reading. But if an instructor is going shoeless, it must be OK.

Thinking about the next step in this process...guess it's time for a few conversations with DUI and other companies that specialize in dry suit repair. Which is another can of worms...deciding where to send the FL X 50/50 for modification (and zipper replacement.)

Thanks to everyone for all the information,

Jeff

 

[Belmont]

Be carteful at the sizing offered. Many manufacturers play around with sizes. They will build a shoe on a 10E last for example and stamp it 9EEE or they will put a thinner footbed inside and call it a 10EE. I am pretty sure New Balance does that.