Wetsuit boot
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In scuba diving a bootee or bootie or wetsuit boot is a thick sock-like garment made of wetsuit material. They serve the dual purpose of protecting the diver's feet when walking out of water, with or without a wetsuit, and keeping their feet warm underwater.
Bootee thickness is proportional to how cold the water dived in will be and can be above or below the standard of 5-6 mm of neoprene. The leg of the bootee usually has a zipper down one side.
It usually has a reinforced sole for walking. This sole should not be so thick that one is unable to get a diver's fin on over it: there are makes of bootee whose soles are reinforced with rubber hobnails which could not be worn with fins and were likely intended for wading.
Divers wearing bootees usually need fins with a foot part larger than with bare feet.
As a result, divers in warm water who do not wear a diving suit, sometimes wear bootees so they can wear bigger fins.
Diving bootees are typically only intended for wear with open-heeled fins (with a buckle) and usually do not fit into full-footed fins. Much thinner neoprene socks are sometimes used with full-footed fins, but more for the purpose of preventing chafing and blisters, rather than warmth.
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