blisters suck!

[jtkwest]

i am getting rubbed raw on the top of my 2nd and 3rd toes. it sucks. i just got a pair of gara professional fins to replace my 2000hf's. i got the new ones because i thought the old ones were the problem. i have tried to wear sox but i still get them. at this point i am ready to buy another new pair of fins. i dont so much mind spending the money, i just dont want to repeat this again! i was thinking of c4 fins because of the left and right footpockets. any ideas?

 

[Mr. X]

I wonder if it might be worth working out what you are doing with your feet when finning? I tend to split my big toe nails finning .

 

[jtkwest]

I wonder if it might be worth working out what you are doing with your feet when finning? I tend to split my big toe nails finning .

maybe you are onto something. i was thinking along the line of getting fins that are larger sized to leave room for thick booties,(maybe scuba style) even thinking of going with riffe strap fins, so i can wear really thick boots. how would i tell what i am doing wrong? i dont really know anyone knowledgable enough to tell me. what are you doing wrong to split your toe nail? ever figure it out?

 

[gman]

I've not had foot blisters that could not be fixed with booties. HOWEVER, I've had tons of blisters otherwise... The common theme has always been one of two things. Either doing too much too soon or ill fitting gear. Have you worked up to the load you are doing now? What about taping your toes under the booties? I can't tell you how your fins fit. What about sanding out a little groove inside the pockets above your toes? This might give just a little bit of extra room for your toes without destroying the integrity of the pocket. I have not done this so I'm talking out of my butt right now. But it's a thought...
Little things like this sure take the fun out of it all don't they?

 

[Jonny250]

Ouch, blisters sound painful! not so much a solution but a way to help with the blisters, if you tape the areas with zinc tape it can help. i used to wrap this on my thumbs when kayaking, and hips when fell running with a rucksack.
I thought Mr X had a good point too...
blisters could be from too much room and foot/toe sliding/rubbing?

 

[jtkwest]

I've not had foot blisters that could not be fixed with booties. HOWEVER, I've had tons of blisters otherwise... The common theme has always been one of two things. Either doing too much too soon or ill fitting gear. Have you worked up to the load you are doing now? What about taping your toes under the booties? I can't tell you how your fins fit. What about sanding out a little groove inside the pockets above your toes? This might give just a little bit of extra room for your toes without destroying the integrity of the pocket. I have not done this so I'm talking out of my butt right now. But it's a thought...
Little things like this sure take the fun out of it all don't they?

they sure do! ,(take the fun out) i am currently using sandpaper on the two toes to develop callouses because i really cant afford to buy new fins right now. when i do, i have decided to go with riffe strap fins and boots. for now, we will see how the sanding goes. (hurts a little though)

 

[gman]

YIKES!!! :blackeye You're sanding your skin to make callouses? I sand my callouses off to keep them from catching on stuff, but not to build them up. To toughen the skin (your feet) I've heard people suggest rubbing alcohol several times a day as well as our beloved salt water. Also, if you can go barefoot as much as possible it will take the "cave creature" feel out of your feet. In the early summer my feet are as tender as a baby's butt after a long winter in shoes. But after a few weeks of barefoot/flip flops they come back around.

Good luck to you.

 

[sweetdiver09]

What can help avoid blisters ?

 

[vali]

all the fins i have tryed make blisters on my foot when i whered them on my bare foot!!!
i found the ultimate solutions for any pair of fins
3mm neoprene soks
now...it depend on what fins...
both my freediving bifins and my monofin work perfect wit 3mm neoprene soks [for they have closed heel]
the scuba boots are somehow rigid...don-t like scuba fins with scuba boots

 

[octopus]

@jtkwest

I have exactly the same problem with Gara HF 2000, bare feet. I tend to put waterproof plaster on 2nd and 3rd toe. It seems to help a bit in my case.

However, just lost a nail on a big toe when using C4-40 with Beuchat footpockets (with socks) for 6 hrs
(it was not the case of overgrown toe nail).

 

[vali]

i had the same problem not only with fins, but with all my rigid boots that was to fixed on my foot
the problem seem to apear when the big finger nail is biger than it should be
i allways cut my nail when it grow and i avoid rigid footpockets

 

[Mr. X]

...i was thinking along the line of getting fins that are larger sized to leave room for thick booties,(maybe scuba style) even thinking of going with riffe strap fins, so i can wear really thick boots. how would i tell what i am doing wrong? i dont really know anyone knowledgable enough to tell me. what are you doing wrong to split your toe nail? ever figure it out?

OMD sometimes uses the classic Jet Fins with SCUBA boots (c. 70s design but still sold new today I believe). It would probably have some advantages for walk-ins and scrambling around rocky entries. But I think OMD also uses/used Omer Ice Fins - regular full pocket spearing fins.

I wonder if you are clenching your toes up - like clenching a fist with your feet instead of your hands? That would tend to lift your toe knuckles up higher than normal. If so, maybe you just need to learn to relax your feet & spread your toes out. Alternatively, perhaps these fins are not a good enough fit on you, either the wrong size or shape for you. Could your footpockets be a bit too short? In shoes, and probably in fins too, you should normally have a bit of wriggle room for your toes in the "toe box".

Another avenue to consider might be ensuring that your toes are dried thoroughly when you get out of the water and perhaps protected from sandals/etc. with soft sock. Plaster, as suggested above would probably be a good idea. For blisters, REI sell something called moleskin which is a sort of tough stick-on synthetic velvet for walkers to help protect area that have a tendency to blister (e.g. heels, achiles tendon). I've used it once (it works) and carried it "just in case" many times. I don't think calouses will work with wet feet -I used to get thick finger tip calouses from playing guitar a lot (and pressing too hard) and had hands like thick, dry leather from climbing but wetness softens the skin; the original professional "rock athlete" Ron Fawcett famously wore gloves in the bath to protect his hard earned caloused hands - the tools of his trade. A living legend.

There were amazing pictures in magazines in the 70s/80s of Ron Fawcett in action but v. few on the web now. This is the best I could find: Ron Fawcett on Masters Edge, Millstone:

http://www.shaff.co.uk/news/44/ron-fawcett-to-be-interviewed-by-ed-douglas-at-shaff
More on Ron at:
http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=1320
http://www.mountain-heritage.org/entity.php?ID=147

 

[ny_er]

if my fins rub I just wrap my toes with waterproof surgical tape

my riffes used to rub all the time, cressis rub less on me but for the first few months of swimming with them, usually half way through a day I would wrap my toes