Boots (and fins) for Kona shore diving

[scottm]

My wife and I will be on the Big Island next month. We are planning a mix of shore and boat diving. We have used our wetsuit fins/booties for most shore diving trips (Bonaire, Maui) in the past. They are relatively thick soled with good grip, but don't do much for sharp rocks.

Our alternative is the chuck taylors we use for drysuit diving (and an entirely different set of fins).

I understand there can be some long walks over lava rocks around Kona. Are they doable in booties or should we bring the drysuit fins/boots?

And of course any pointers to great shore sites would be welcome!

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Scuba Shore Diving Site Listing for: The Big Island, Hawaiian Islands
Many of the sites are remote enough to leave your shoes on the beach while you dive. I used some thick sole wetsuit boots, but tennis shoes would have been better. Alua Beach was my favorite beach dive there. There are thousands of garden eels in the sand at 130 feet with a turtle cleaning station and lots of cotton mouth eels in the coral.

 

[fisheater]

When are you going to be in Kona? I'll be there and looking to dive April 8-13.

As to dive booties, I use hard soled dive booties that work very well on lava. I use these. Bare 3mm HD Tropic Boot discounts on sale Bare

 

[scottm]

When are you going to be in Kona? I'll be there and looking to dive April 8-13.

We'll just miss you -- arriving on the 13th and taking Monday the 14th to go to Volcanoes National Park.

As to dive booties, I use hard soled dive booties that work very well on lava. I use these. Bare 3mm HD Tropic Boot discounts on sale Bare

Those look nice! Are you able to use the same fins as a smaller wetsuit booty? If I need to take my "drysuit fins" I may as well use the chuck taylors it sounds like.

Alua Beach was my favorite beach dive there. There are thousands of garden eels in the sand at 130 feet with a turtle cleaning station and lots of cotton mouth eels in the coral.

Thanks! I'd been skimming shorediving.com and it's nice to have specific suggestions.

3 more weeks!

 

[danvolker]

If I had to do a long hike over a mountainous area with a lot of sharp and un-even volcanic rock....and I was wearing my tank on my back....my preferred boots and fins would be something really optimized for this purpose...but also something I could use for plenty of other things as well....

I would use some hiking boots that I could also use for non-diving related hiking like activities....whether something high end like http://www.amazon.com/Garmont-Zenit...&qid=1395680113&sr=8-2&keywords=garmont+boots this, or close to it but cheaper....with an orthotic......

And when I got to the water, I could walk in with these, and put on these fins over them-- Either these Force Fin Force Fin Pro - Military or these Force Fin Excellerating Force Fin - Whiskers not included ( probably in a double ExLarge --which they do) .

This combo can work anywhere, and one can be good without the other as well.

 

[fisheater]

Too bad we'll miss you. I use those booties for my "wetsuit" fins, which are a size smaller than my "drysuit" fins. I haven't tried to use any other tropical weight booties, but my "wetsuit" fins also for my 7mm wetsuit booties.


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[LeadTurn_SD]

My wife and I will be on the Big Island next month. We are planning a mix of shore and boat diving. We have used our wetsuit fins/booties for most shore diving trips (Bonaire, Maui) in the past. They are relatively thick soled with good grip, but don't do much for sharp rocks.

Our alternative is the chuck taylors we use for drysuit diving (and an entirely different set of fins).

I understand there can be some long walks over lava rocks around Kona. Are they doable in booties or should we bring the drysuit fins/boots?

And of course any pointers to great shore sites would be welcome!

3mm booties with a "hard" sole (not a thin neoprene sole) are fine for most folks, but a 5mm boot with a thick sole (like a running shoe) offers better protection and support, and is a better choice. That is what I use for shore diving here. My wife does just fine with a 3mm boot with a hard sole. But she is far more graceful than I am.... if there is a "toe-stubber" within 10 miles, I'll find it .

On the Big Island you can expect to walk over some smooth lava, some more broken / rough lava, loose sea stones and broken coral and sand on shore dives, depending on the site. In many place the reef starts in very shallow water. You do need to have good foot protection, but if you are very careful and have semi-tough feet you can actually dive in most places barefoot with full foot fins.... but I wouldn't unless your have "Hawaiian" feet (used to going barefoot a lot) and know the sites well.

Have fun!

 

[spoolin01]

IMHO the only boot worth having for Kona shore diving is one with a felt sole. They don't slip - at all! - on wet rocks or lava, and they hold up fabulously to the sharp rocks. On the downside, they're terrible for most boat decks, pretty slippery. Until I found those, the hard sole boots I tried would all slip badly - a very risky situation.

Some of the dive shops carry them, I've seen them at Big Island Divers. Walmart has them, for $30 or $40 but if your size is in the middle of the distribution, you may or may not find them in inventory. I find they last several trips, and I've never had a sole fail. Deep See is the brand they usually carry and that I like, but I've seen others on occasion. They also sell a variety of related felt-soled water shoes with Tabi-toes, for fishermen. If at all possible, get zippered dive boots without the Tabi separator between the big and middle toes. I find the Tabi style give blisters.

Most of the dive spots don't involve the really rough type of lava, and IMO, losing your footing is a bigger risk than not having heavy enough boots.

A DIY option is to take a regular bootie and glue your own felt pad on the bottom. You can get heavy felt soles (not the softer felt made for inserts) at many sporting goods places. You can start with a hard-soled boot and make a very sturdy felt one, but it may not fit your existing fins.