Spring straps?

[TouchO'Gray]

I had the same problem and cured it with high-top (Akona) booties. Also, loosening the straps just slightly may help. Ultimately, I bought spring straps for convenience and ease in donning/doffing. Merry Holidays!!!

 

[Skittl1321]

Just found a picture from the trip that shows my ankles and it looks like the wetsuit does ride up over the boots, so the straps are on bare skin. So i think I'll try tall boots first, then spring straps.



Still kinda wonder why I didn't have any trouble my first 10 dives, but then have a giant gash from my next 10... I've never dove 5 days in a row before, but I've done 2 days in a row without issue, and it cropped up on day 2 (though was really bad by day 5...)

 

[AfterDark]

I'd rather dive w/o my PDC than my spring straps!

 

[Searcaigh]

Just found a picture from the trip that shows my ankles and it looks like the wetsuit does ride up over the boots, so the straps are on bare skin. So i think I'll try tall boots first, then spring straps.

View attachment 173690

Still kinda wonder why I didn't have any trouble my first 10 dives, but then have a giant gash from my next 10... I've never dove 5 days in a row before, but I've done 2 days in a row without issue, and it cropped up on day 2 (though was really bad by day 5...)

Nice trim, now clip that spg out of the way

+1 for longer booties and spring straps

 

[Skittl1321]

Nice trim, now clip that spg out of the way

We only took the camera on two dives, but it was pretty awesome how much better my trim was at the end of the week than the beginning.

The SPG is on a clip, but I guess it isn't clipped high enough. It's a rental though, so not how I configured the gear My local dive shop uses a bolt clip, but this just had a plastic thing to snap to it, so it hung lower.

 

[drbill]

I switched to spring straps about 8 years ago and have never looked back. They are so much easier to put on and take off. However, I'm not sure they will cure your specific problem. Let it heal. When I used closed heel fins at Jean-Michel Cousteau's Fiji resort they cut my ankles and I had a substantial bacyterial infection from it. Not the fault of the dive op, I was too lazy to bring my own fins. Good thing I travel with Cipro... it cured it in days.

 

[TMHeimer]

I switched to spring straps about 8 years ago and have never looked back. They are so much easier to put on and take off. However, I'm not sure they will cure your specific problem. Let it heal. When I used closed heel fins at Jean-Michel Cousteau's Fiji resort they cut my ankles and I had a substantial bacyterial infection from it. Not the fault of the dive op, I was too lazy to bring my own fins. Good thing I travel with Cipro... it cured it in days.

Yes. I also have had rubbing/cutting problems with full foot fins. One thing that helped was wearing socks. Then I FOUND a pair of open heel fins that were way too small to use with my booties, but perfect without them. I used these when I was in Panama.

 

[islanddream]

I bought the SeaSoft Sunray 3mm low cut boots (which actually come up above the ankle). Take a look at them at LeisurePro. I also wear a 3mm neoprene sock since my feet seem to get irritated after about 2 days of 2-4 dives a day. If you buy these boots, chat with a representative and tell him/her the kind of fins you own. These boots are pretty hefty (great for rocky shore entries) and my hubby had to grind the sides of the soles down so they would fit in my fins. I also bought spring straps and really like them!

http://www.leisurepro.com/Image/Product/XLarge/SSTBSMD.JPG

 

[Damselfish]

Spring straps are nice but nothing inherent in them that will fix a rubbing problem. They could rub worse - you have quite a bit of ankle showing, so taller booties are a good idea in any event. (I used to have some really short booties like those, and while rubbing didn't happen to be a problem for me, I found as they got older they tended to pull off with my fins which was a nuisance.)

But first of all, just try flipping the strap over. Take them off the fins and put them back on with the bump pointing down. Makes that tab less useful for putting the fins on, but more useful for getting them off, which I find more helpful anyway. And the tab won't be hitting you in the ankle. I've done this with this style strap, they weren't actually rubbing badly but hit enough to be annoying.

 

[Alex@nder]

Springstraps are great on jet fins for technical diving. i would recommend to use neoprene socks in boots as shown as they prevent scratching the skin - the salt water prevents healing any skin injury so it's better to avoid potential abrasion


Kind regards
Alexander