Late last year I finally decided to buy a new dry suit. Somehow I kind of had grown out of the old one… After some deliberation, I chose to go with a shell dry suit and settled on Ursuit’s new Heavy Light Kevlar BDS. (Maybe I’ll write more on making that choice, and what I think about the suit another time). Anyhow, after having made about 20 dives with it I realised that although I’m wearing two pairs of socks, the boots where way to big, and needed to be changed.
My first thought was to go with the same boot model and just pick a smaller size, but after talking to some people I wasn’t so sure anymore.
Basically it came down to choosing between two different models. The standard neoprene boot that is quite sturdy with a thick rubber sole, which was originally fitted to the suit (and also on my older one). Or, the thinner “tech dry boot” that is made in 4mm neoprene with only a thin sole, thus offering more flexibility but less stability.
After visiting the shop, talking to the guy who would do the “boot job”, and more importantly, trying several sizes of both types of boots, I decided to take a chance and go with the more flexible “tech boots”. Don’t ask me why they call it that…
After almost a week of nervous waiting I finally got the suit back. Fortunately, I had a chance to go diving just a couple of days later. :)
So what about the result? Well, it’s nothing short of spectacular!! In my big ol’ boots, I felt the fins moving around on my foot, and the sturdy rubber boot made it difficult to angle my feet. Now, with the tighter AND more flexible neoprene boot, the fin fit like a glove, and frog kicking didn’t require much effort at all. In terms of flexibility, it’s like wearing a pair of socks!
So if you are about to get a new dry suit, make sure you think about what boots you want!
Dive safe,
K
