Toasty Feet
Chris Phinney, March 23rd, 2008 I have found what I believe to be a winning footwear combination for winter diving. After most low temperatures dives my feet are like blocks of ice. It takes hours for them to thaw out. Now when I say low temperatures I am talking about the kind of water that gives you a near permanent ice cream headache. 
(32-36° F 1-3° C).
So the challenge is to insulate your feet. This is a problem in itself due to the fact that feet are mostly lean muscle, bones and tendons. Most of us don’t have too much natural insulation on our feet. I have been diving for years with 1-2 pairs of socks on and have always been disappointed with the performance.
Two years ago our team member John Millar introduced us to Bama boot liners. These are a low cut boot liners used for rubber boots and such. These added a bit of insulation but on the really cold dives I was still coming out with frozen feet.
Last Christmas on my way through the US to get to my parents house we stopped at the LL Bean outlet in Freeport, ME. This is where I discovered the ultimate fashion faux pa, sandal socks. I am sure none of you have ever heard of such a thing and I know no one owns a pair for use with sandals. Socks with sandals I have been told are just wrong. My fashion education (or is that lecture?) comes from my hip sister Kait.
I bought a pair of the sandal socks which are made of 200g fleece under the strict understanding that I would never wear them for anything other than diving.
On my fist dive of 2008, a chilly 33° F affair. I tested my latest combination.
I started with a base layer of a Smartwool Trekking sock. Wool keeps you warm even when wet so I have always worn these as a base layer.
Next, I added the new fangled LL Bean fleece socks. At 200g they should add loft and insulate well.
To top it off and give that last bit of insulation I added the Bama boot liners. Being low cut, they add to the insulation of my feet but don’t add any bulk to my legs.
These three layers have proved themselves over the winter. While my feet are chilled after a 60 min dive in 33°, they are not blocks of ice. This is the best combination I have been able to find to date.
Note: I was unable to find the fleece sandal socks on the LL Bean web site. Perhaps my sister Kait convinced them that they are a fashion don’t and they stopped selling them. This website still sells them.