Leather boots with lead soles and brass toe caps.	Brass sand shoes with corrugated soles made of brass.
Brass boots with corrugated soles and removable uppers.	Shallow water boots which are lighter than other patterns.

The Diver's boots or shoes have two purposes. The first is to protect the diver's feet from injury. The second is to add weight to the diver's feet. This is to help overcome the positive buoyancy effect from the diver's suit. By adding weight low down on the diver's body it makes the diver more stable underwater. The boots are typically about 35 pounds or 16 kilos in weight. The uppers of the boots are made from leather or canvas and are generally renewable. The soles are either cast iron in the case of German boots or brass or lead in the case of most other boots. The lead soled boots are generally preferred for use on deck plates and smooth surfaces whilst the brass soled shoes are preferred for walking on mud or rough ground. For this reason they are often called sand shoes.

Can you contribute an item of Divers boots to this section?

Please email a photo and a description to info@divingheritage.com

• Last edited 28th March 2008