A cure for frozen feet?

[dagrath]

I was diving in Monterey, CA today and my dive computer says the low was 51F. I was wearing a 2 piece 7mm wetsuit, and overall I was quite comfortable. My hands were a little chilly, but still had full dexterity and wasn't really uncomfortable.

My feet had a rough day though. After the first dive, my toes were white and mostly numb. I dried them off and wrapped them up in a warm towel while I sipped tea, and they mostly thawed out by the time I got into the water again. By the end of the second dive, I literally couldn't feel anything below the ankles. We had hoped to get another dive or two in after lunch, but called it off based on how cold my feet had been.

Overall, I was really quite comfortable as I mentioned. If my feet had only gotten slightly chilly like my hands, I would have been happy.

I have always had poor circulation to my feet despite being in excellent athletic shape.

I am also quite tall (6'5") and fairly skinny (180ish). Because of this, I wear a smaller wetsuit than most people my height, and it rides fairly high up my ankles. I actually had a tiny gap between my wetsuit and boots, which I am sure really helped speed disaster by allowing a lot more water in my boots. But the wetsuit I wore a week ago overlapped at least a little, and my feet still suffered (though not quite as much).

Is there a good answer, other than going drysuit? It is a pretty big $$ jump to go drysuit, especially considering I am really quite comfortable other than my feet.

[navyhmc]

That tiny gap is most of your problem. A lot of blood flows close to the surface right there-both going into the toes and heading out. cooling as it goes into your foot is part of the coldness, the other is the fact that the body tries to conserve the core temperature and the expensie of the fingers and toes first so it slows the flow of blood to the feet as a result.

What thinkness are your boots? I would recommend at least 5mm boots. Also make sure that they aren't tight but more important, aren't loose. this also contributes to the problem. If your feet are cold, tuck your boots inside your suit. This will keep your feet a little warmer, but may also make your torso just a little colder as water can flow into the wetsuit legs easier-not must easier, but easier nonetheless.

[crgjpg]

You said that you have poor circulation to your feet. Could your circulation also being hindered by you wet suit being too tight on you legs?

[dagrath]

Originally Posted by navyhmc

That tiny gap is most of your problem. A lot of blood flows close to the surface right there-both going into the toes and heading out. cooling as it goes into your foot is part of the coldness, the other is the fact that the body tries to conserve the core temperature and the expensie of the fingers and toes first so it slows the flow of blood to the feet as a result.

What thinkness are your boots? I would recommend at least 5mm boots. Also make sure that they aren't tight but more important, aren't loose. this also contributes to the problem. If your feet are cold, tuck your boots inside your suit. This will keep your feet a little warmer, but may also make your torso just a little colder as water can flow into the wetsuit legs easier-not must easier, but easier nonetheless.

My current boots are 5mm. They fit pretty snugly.

I am almost definitely buying new boots, and will probably end up with 7mm if I do. Which will help some, and then I will hopefully be able to find ones that come up my leg higher so I can overlap with the legs of the wetsuit.

I was trying to figure out if there were other options or tricks. It seems like even thicker boots that overlap better wouldn't make as huge a difference as I apparently need.

[dagrath]

Originally Posted by crgjpg

You said that you have poor circulation to your feet. Could your circulation also being hindered by you wet suit being too tight on you legs?

The wetsuit fits very snugly on my legs, but it doesn't really feel like it cuts off circulation. In between dives, once my feet had been warm and wrapped for a while, circulation was restored. I suppose it could contribute to the problem, but I don't think that is the core problem.

[bubbletrubble]

I realize that this comment probably won't be that helpful to you in your current situation.

Save up some $$$. Buy a drysuit. You'll be much more comfortable on multi-dive days. An important advantage of the drysuit is that after the dive, you dry off your hands and head...and you're completely dry and warm. For boat dives, this means actually being comfortable on the 2nd and 3rd dives of the day.

One of my dive buddies recently transitioned to a drysuit. In his 7mm wetsuit, he said that it would take him a "couple of hours" before he felt warm after a dive in our local waters (typically low to mid 50 degrees F at depth). He described shivering while he was driving home from the dive site. IMHO, that's no way to enjoy the sport. Now he's all smiles when he finishes a dive in his drysuit.

I hope that you find a workable, affordable wetsuit solution to your cold feet problem. If not, happiness is only a credit card away. :-)

Have fun and dive safe...

[bubbletrubble]

After reading the original post again, I have another possible solution for you...but you won't like it: custom wetsuit. Your correct. Your body dimensions are not "stock."

When you do decide to dive dry, make sure that you get a suit that fits. You are a tall, skinny dude. Check out the Whites Fusion suit. My gf just took hers on a trip up to Monterey. She dove Monastery Beach and a couple sites in the Point Lobos reserve. By her account, the drysuit worked well...even crawling out on the beach at Monastery. Admittedly, the conditions were quite good while she was there.

[dagrath]

Originally Posted by bubbletrubble

I realize that this comment probably won't be that helpful to you in your current situation.

Save up some $$$. Buy a drysuit. You'll be much more comfortable on multi-dive days. An important advantage of the drysuit is that after the dive, you dry off your hands and head...and you're completely dry and warm. For boat dives, this means actually being comfortable on the 2nd and 3rd dives of the day.

One of my dive buddies recently transitioned to a drysuit. In his 7mm wetsuit, he said that it would take him a "couple of hours" before he felt warm after a dive in our local waters (typically low to mid 50 degrees F at depth). He described shivering while he was driving home from the dive site. IMHO, that's no way to enjoy the sport. Now he's all smiles when he finishes a dive in his drysuit.

I hope that you find a workable, affordable wetsuit solution to your cold feet problem. If not, happiness is only a credit card away. :-)

Have fun and dive safe...

Yeah, so I am still planning to do a drysuit cert course at the LDS, so that will be something I am looking into. Unlike your buddy though, I don't feel cold overall at the end of the dive. I was pretty warm when I got out of the water, and wasn't in a rush to get dry and in a heated car. I just couldn't feel my feet. So if I can solve the problem with a new pair of boots, I might save myself a LOT of money.

[dagrath]

Originally Posted by bubbletrubble

After reading the original post again, I have another possible solution for you...but you won't like it: custom wetsuit. Your correct. Your body dimensions are not "stock."

Yeah, this is actually a reasonable option that might work. The top for my two piece fits well, but the bottom could be longer. Getting just a custom bottom might be reasonable (more economical than a full dry suit, that is for sure) and solve all my problems.

[sravin1]

i have a suggestion, but I dont know how feasable it might be. buy yourself hyperstretch farmerjohn, then to the ends of your legs try to attach pieces of neoprene that will hold them to your legs. just like they do for the skins.