fins with straps or not?

Great info! Thanks!

I've been looking around a bit and found that they are two type of fins as far as how it fits your feet. Some with straps, some that just fit the right size of your feet. What is best? From what I got from the last message, straps are used with booties and in cold water. The fit your feet ones are used without booties and in warm water. Did I get it right?

Thanks again!

That could be one way to look at it. I look at it from the perspective of "boat or no boat" since pretty much all of my diving is done in warm water. From a boat, I dive with booties and fins with straps. Its just easier to walk around with the little non slippery shoes on... besides, its not my boat and there are other people who would laugh at my slipping and falling. Shore dive or from a familiar boat, full heel reef fins anyday.

This weekend, my shore dives were all done in full heel fins and I loved it. They are light, they are nice for light to medium current, and just down right comfortable.

I wear fins with straps and booties for all my dives. On shore dives I like that the booties protect my feet while walking over rocks and such getting to the water.

I always thought that scuba divers wear the fins with straps and snorkelers and free divers wore full footed fins. But I'm probably wrong in my thinking.

From what I've been told - there tends to be a trend towards boots with straps for the reasons specified above - ie being able to walk around etc....

However, if one is wearing boots every day (ie instructors) and they get a little fragrent - and if it's warm and you don't need boots - then some tend to wear full shoe fin - less aroma.

Problem solved. Buy another pair of booties. An excellent shopping excuse! Thank you.

I just started my OW and I opted for strap fins for different reasons. First of all I live in Belgium (= cold water) so for all my local dives i will need a full suit so I guess it's a logical choice.
Even for my pool training I wear these strap fins. You could say it's a financial choice too... as much as I would love to have a few gear bags full of stuff I'm just starting and still have to buy all my gear and pay for my courses... I guess I don't have to add up the total for you... It would be great to have full-shoe once for the pool, split fins for the calm water and another pair if i have to go into the currents... but equipment wise i've got other priorities.

Although i'm planning on diving in better surcomstances (hence the avatar ) i thought that strap fins where the best choice in the current situation.

On top of that i personaly feel more comfortable with strap fins as I feel they fit more solid too the foot (this is ofcourse a personal idea) and don't give me the feeling that they will drop of my foot as soon as the first goldfish sneezes...

for reminding me. I really should buy a light bootie for use with my Jet Twin jets for warm water. The seven-mil might be a bit overkill for Southern Florida waters and I bought them a year ago when I bought my cold water wetsuit.

I don't even think that our LDS sells full footed fins as the local diving up here wouldn't allow for their use. (Too darned cold). They do sell lighter booties than I currently use for the Caribbean trips.

...the LDS in Flint may have a pair or two of full foot fins, but I'll bet they sell the fins with straps 50 to 1. I have two pairs of fins, both with straps. Turtle fins to wear with my drysuit and split fins to wear with booties and my shorty dry suit when diving down in the islands. In the cold water, you just don't see very many folks wearing full foot fins, even to snorkle....

I think it depends on the type of diving your most accustomed to. Personally, I would wear the full heel all the time down here if I could, but there are places, based on experience, that it is not an option, hence the booties and other fins.

I talked to my wife and she confirms that I'd get frozen foot in the north (she's a Detroit area native), if I dove with full foot fins. So I will have to add to my above post and say its a climatical need as well.

When I take off my fins, they go over my wrists for me to climb the ladder. I can't do this with full foot fins, so I opt for open heel. I would not pass up fins except in very special circumstances (once if memory serves), I want my fins with me in case I fall back in the water. They are much easier to hold on to on beach dives too.