Wetsuit over the booties?

[pilot fish]

Since we are trying to be as aerodynamic as possible UW, is it a good idea to tuck the top of your booties under your wetsuit at the ankles? Does the top of the bootie, being open around the ankle, create drag? I have a wetsuit that has a strip that fits along the instep, at the bottom of the foot, when you pull it on so I tuck that in under the wetsuit leg. Is this necessary?

 

[pt40fathoms]

Wet suit should go over the boots for two reasons.

First if your boots have zippers, it will help prevent the zipper from creeping open during the dive. I've seen this happen, with the end result of the diver loosing both the fin and boot! Fortunately it was at near the end of the dive and the incident was handled easily.

Secondly, you are preventing water from entering your boot and circulating the water in the boot. By reducing water circulation, your feet stay warmer.

As for streamlining, I would have to say the amount of streamlining gained is minimal at best. But for the two reasons listed above, that alone should prompt you to have your wetsuit over boots, and not the other way around.

 

[sharpenu]

I dont tuck the wetsuit into the boots because it stretches out the boot tops, which makes diving WITHOUT a wetsuit (warm water) a pain.

 

[pilot fish]

Wet suit should go over the boots for two reasons.

First if your boots have zippers, it will help prevent the zipper from creeping open during the dive. I've seen this happen, with the end result of the diver loosing both the fin and boot! Fortunately it was at near the end of the dive and the incident was handled easily.

Secondly, you are preventing water from entering your boot and circulating the water in the boot. By reducing water circulation, your feet stay warmer.

As for streamlining, I would have to say the amount of streamlining gained is minimal at best. But for the two reasons listed above, that alone should prompt you to have your wetsuit over boots, and not the other way around.

Yes, the left boot zipper come partially unzipped during my dive but not enough to lose the boot or fin, so far anyway. All my dives are done in warm water so cold feet is not a consideration, although I can plainly see how it could be if I dove colder water. Wonder why they makes the suits with the arch strap? After I pull the suit on I pull that arch flap off my foot and tuck it under my wetsuit leg. I was doing that more for streamline, never considering I could lose the boot, or have my feet get cold. Thanks

 

[Buoyant1]

I've heard arguments for both, but personally, I put the booties OVER my wetsuit. One person told me to do the opposite, because when you're back on the boat, the water that got into the suit drains DOWN into the booties and you have "squishy feet"..my simple solution... pull them off after the dive and pour out the water...then put 'em back on!

Never had any streamlining trouble at all...

 

[mossym]

definitely outside, stops cold feet during the dive..

 

[pipedope]

I find it depends on the suit/boot combination.

Here in central FL I am using 1 or 3 mill suits and generally a 5 mill boot. Usually I wear the suit legs over the boots.

In lots of my diving I have been working on or in the bottom and putting the suit over the boots greatly reduces the amount of sand that ends up in my boots.

With some combinations it is either not possible or not comfortable to wear the suit on top of the boots.

Try it both ways and see which you like better.

 

[Lexy]

I've heard a lot of people say it's personal preference. I personally put my wetsuit over the boot. And it probably does depend a lot on your wetsuit/boot combonation, as previously posted.

 

[Mako Mark]

personally I hate wearing boots, so I try to avoid it. what I have found though is that the streamlineing thing is negligable and your hose placement and trim has more effect on your drag.

If you wetsuit has ankle zips, it is easy to put them over your booties, without them, I have found you can cause stretching of the wetsuit, and booties are cheaper to replace than wetsuits.

 

[simbrooks]

I go with booties over wetsuit, i prefer to have a tighter seal on the water going into the body than the boots, no zipper problems thus far, but now i mostly dive dry - so its moot until next summer when the 1 or 3 mm will come out again and that is no problem with 5mm booties. I cant see it makes any streamlining difference - keep pointing back to that large metal thing and the larger fleshy thing (particularly if out of trim) that seem to cause a lot of streamlining issues. Now streamlining to avoid snagging is a good thing, but little things arent going to affect you all that much, including wrinkles in a trilam suit or in a bungeed wing vs the rest of the bulk you are pushing through the water.