Are full foot fins only for Snorkeling????

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

shogan

Contributor
Messages
143
Reaction score
0
Location
Louisville Ky
# of dives
0 - 24
So I call one of the online stores looking for fins for my 50lb daughter and they lady helping me indicated that full foot fins were for snorkeling and open heel was for diving.

Is there any truth to this:popcorn:
 
Not really.

On open heel fin is going to allow you a range of possible exposure protection to wear.

A closed heel fin is going to have to be sized with the exposure protection.

If you get open heel, you get get a boot that has a hard sole, which is much nicer when you are walking with all your gear on to and from the dive site.

If you're doing nice warm water diving, a full foot fin is fine. I'd suggest a open heel fin for the colder waters.
 
Also, many full foot fins are "faster" at least in my experience. Not as flexible when it comes to different dive conditions as posted above however.
 
Full foot fins are fine for SCUBA in tropical settings. I would not advocate them for cold water diving.
 
I have always worn full foot fins for tropical (74+ deg) diving. The work just fine, especially from dive boats. Maybe not so much for shore entries.
 
Most shore diving in Hawaii is fine with full foot fins (beach); a few rocky entries are questionable but I have even done most sharp shore entries here without booties. Teva's can be worn into the ocean and then velcro'd to the BC for the dive.
 
So I call one of the online stores looking for fins for my 50lb daughter and they lady helping me indicated that full foot fins were for snorkeling and open heel was for diving.

Is there any truth to this:popcorn:

This sort of categorisation is so simplistic. Back in the good old days, when money was more tight, any kind of fins were considered suitable for snorkelling and diving. It's often forgotten that the first fins used for snorkelling and diving in the post-war era were the kind now used predominantly by bodyboard surfers, all-rubber with non-adjustable open heels:

barakuda.jpg


I expect the lady at the online store would be of the opinion that such fins would refuse to cooperate if used in snorkelling and diving, which is of course nonsense.

As for full-foot fins versus open-heel fins, it should be a matter of personal choice. When I first trained to dive in the mid-1960s in England, where water never gets that warm, nobody wore open-heel fins, everybody used full-foots, which were more expensive. For open-water use, we purchased full-foots that were one or two sizes bigger to accommodate thermal protection. Cressi even brought out "Uni Fins" in size 50-52, something like US size 16-20, to serve divers using Unisuit drysuits with their thick boots:

rondine2.jpg

www.sukellusmuseo.fi

I only snorkel now, but I continue to wear full-foot fins, which I find both comfortable and appropriate for my gentle style of swimming, in the cold North Sea. If possible, let your daughter try both open-heels and full-foots and come to her own conclusion about what is most appropriate for her when she goes diving. I certainly wouldn't just take the word of somebody on the telephone who has probably either been told what to say or is simply pushing open-heels because they're the flavour of the century. Don't let somebody else make up your mind for you when it comes to gear. The purchaser is the one who's diving with the gear, not the salesperson.
 
Another point, my one daughter and I dive, while my wife and other daughter only snorkle. My wife doesnt like the fact that she thinks she looks "nerdy" wearing her booties when most of the snorklers have a full foot fin. Even though I commented on "See how everyone is tip toeing to the water while you walk in your fashionable boots?"
 
I've seen more full foot fins used by people snorkeling than people doing scuba. Open heel fins have the advantage of being adjustable. As your daughter grows, you can buy several sets of full foot fins, or a single pair of open heel fins.

What ever type you buy, remember fit is the most important thing. Fins that don't fit right, especially fins that are too big, will cause blisters, and blisters can ruin your snorkeling/diving experience.

Ron
 
Open heel fins gained popularity, especially in the USA in the 70s and 80s. There are still many people who use full foot fins, especially for boat diving. Generally they are more comfortable than open heel fins and they are just as powerful. In fact, many companies offer similar or the same fin in both configurations, example:

Full foot Quattro:

Mares Quattro Power Full Foot Fins 410301 with reviews at scuba.com

Open heel Quattro:

http://www.leisurepro.com/Prod/MRSFQE.html

Same fin, same power, both are intended for scuba.

N
 

Back
Top Bottom