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Diving Bonaire: Worried about my feet....
Bonaire Talk: Diving Bonaire: Archives: Archives 1999-2005: Archives - 2000-12-29 to 2002-08-31: Worried about my feet....
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Julie on Friday, August 3, 2001 - 10:27 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

My fins are the kind with feet (no booties needed). I'm worried from the posts I've seen about the coral, etc for entries. Will I be ok with these or will I be needing to walk long ways on sharp ground before I'd want to put my fins on?

Thanks.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By DIVER DEBBI on Friday, August 3, 2001 - 10:32 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I would really really really reccommend booties with hard sneaker sole bottoms for Bonaire..unless you do all boat dives..the shore is rough and unforgiving..some of the beaches and cobbles are easy but if you really want to shore dive it's easier with booties..maybe you can rent some to try that while you are there...good luck tell us how it goes

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By herman mowery on Saturday, August 4, 2001 - 11:10 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Julie,

I would highly recommend that you look into some hard soled booties and fins to match. While the walks themselves are not long for the most part, you still have to walk on stones and coral rubble to the water and to some extent into the water as well. Some of the enterence points are rock covered with holes and sharp edges, not to mention some fire coral and urchins. I don't mean to make it sound like a obstacle course, but it can get uncomfortable on bare feet. The hard soled booties just make the job of getting in and out so much easier. There are a couple of beaches, Windsock and Pink come to mind that are somewhat sandy but most are not.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Leigh Ann on Saturday, August 4, 2001 - 11:13 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Hey Herman! Welcome back. How was your trip?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Glen Reem on Saturday, August 4, 2001 - 11:24 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Julie,

Some sort of booties would be good. I used the semi-hard sole booties shore diving on Bonaire for years (until they shrank so much I could not get them on my feet) and they were fine--to my mind the 'sharp' stones on Bonaire are uncomfortable to bare or stockinged feet and will bruise, not cut, your feet. Bruce Bowker's Carib Inn dive shop has the semi-hard booties so if you have some slop in the fit of your present fins you may want to check those out. In any case, fins and booties there are significantly less expensive (for good quality) than here in CT. And some of the fins are not as large as the popular brands here--most are ridiculous,IMHO.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By jan flubacher on Saturday, August 4, 2001 - 4:03 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

julie,

when i followed my ow-course on bonaire, i used the kind of fins you have and for me it was possible, but not comfortable. later i boroughed boots from a friend and fins from a instructor and had much more fun;-)
i think after all the money you spend on the journey the extra fun is worth the (few) dollars.

jan

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Barry Gassert on Sunday, August 5, 2001 - 7:12 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Julie...I switched to full-footed fins about dive 30....and still use them. I have several hundred shore dives logged on Bonaire...here's the trick.

First off you always go and check your entry point. The water is so clear you can see what you have to walk on. MOST entries should be sandy, but there are some that have rubble, but the rubble is worn down and not sharp. Wade in and feel what is there if you like.

If you are walking on sharp coral/urchins in the water - you are at the wrong entry point (except for the east coast sea apples). The Andrea's could be a bit difficult too, but not if you find the right entry place. There are some rough spots on the shore near the double reef area, but read on.

The approach to the water is analyzed to what your feet can endure. I used both tevas or flip flops if my feet couldn't handle - but, most times I was barefooted. I normally left them on the beach - with a rock on them, it is windy and there are enough flipflops on Klein Bonaire. Or have your buddy take them back to the vehicle - it's not that far on most sites.

When you get in the water, only lift your feet enough to 'slide' forward. I normally walked sideways. I never stepped on anything that could injure my feet cuz I was careful where I stepped - I also never injured any corals, etc either.

If you don't feel safe with leaving your flipflops or tevas, then just attach them to your BC belt/strap or pocket. They were never enough to effect my bouyancy.

Just my 2 Rupiahs worth. Have fun with either choice you make.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By bob neer on Sunday, August 5, 2001 - 8:55 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

hey, all that sand and gravel and stuff does wonders for the feet...seriously...go barefooted and do your feet a favor (but be careful)...

here's to happy feet :)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By DIVER DEBBI on Sunday, August 5, 2001 - 12:20 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

sand and gravel are one thing .... sharp coral and urchins are another..who dos'nt love sand between their toes ,we all do, and even those warn round rocks are nice..but they don't call it the " IRON SHORE" for nuthin '..BUY BOOTIES

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Sarah on Sunday, August 5, 2001 - 9:23 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

My fins are full-footed too, but it's not always easy getting into the water with them on, so I have a tendency to walk backwards!!! Silly really, I often fall over and take Hugh down with me!!!! I must invest in some booties to wear under my fins.. my problem is that I have small feet.. just how small do the booties go?????...:)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Josie on Monday, August 6, 2001 - 5:40 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Sarah, I have a UK size 4-4-1/2 foot and the small booties I have are fine. They don't have a really firm sole, but do OK on Bonaire. Brand name is "Deep See" and they're just to the ankle, pull-ons.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Sarah on Monday, August 6, 2001 - 6:11 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Josie, thanks so much.. I'll look them up.. Guess you're off to Bonaire soon:) Again, have a wonderful trip and all the best with "the diving thing"!!! ..:)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Julie on Monday, August 6, 2001 - 9:11 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thanks for the info. Perhaps I can borrow some or something. I'll decide...

But, what's this about not feeling safe leaving your tevas on land? Is Bonaire a place where you need to be concerned about theft at the water's edge? What about the rest of the island? What's the story??? I'm surprized and amazed that you'ld need to have this concern.... Makes me think we made the wrong choice about vacation spot!?!?!?!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Barry Gassert on Monday, August 6, 2001 - 9:22 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

My reference was not so much about theft - it was just a general comment about leaving something by the water's edge. Some people just have to 'lock everything' up and that's cool, so I wanted to just cover that area.

When I used Tevas or flipflops for shore entries, I just placed them under a coral rubble rock so that they wouldn't blow away....I still have the same tevas, but I think Michael might be wearing my flipflops. :) Or maybe it was a beach cleanup that occurred while I was cleaning the reef. :)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Julie on Wednesday, August 8, 2001 - 9:33 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Phew. Thank you.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John Gnann on Thursday, August 9, 2001 - 5:26 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Julie-
It's possible to make barefoot entries like Bob and Barry suggest.
It's possible to walk backwards like Sarah has tried.
It's possible to wear sandals into the water then clip them to your BC.
But, in my opinion, Diver Debbie is right. For most of us tenderfoots, the combination of open heel fins and dive booties with thick soles makes the the Bonarian shore diving experience much more comfortable. I think you will find it to be a worthwhile investment.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Susan Bolin on Sunday, August 19, 2001 - 4:47 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Hi, I've only now read this posting because I'm just back from Bonaire myself...

My boyfriend and I rented our gear, so booties were not a possibility. We dove through Wannadive, and all the Dutch divemasters do go barefoot with no problem. Our city feet could not take the sharp coral, etc, however, so they gave us a great bit of advice during one of our guided shore dives:

We wore our tevas into the water, then strapped them under the main clip on our BCDs. This kept them out of the way while we were diving but allowed us to put them on again before exiting. Not to mention that it did away with any worries about leaving them on the beach.

Booties are probably ideal, but for us this was a great solution.

 


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