How To Choose Scuba Fins

Style of Scuba Fins

When choosing a pair of scuba diving fins the first question you need to ask yourself is, what style of fins will I need?

There are only tow basic style of scuba fins, Full Foot Fins, and Open Heel Fins. Where you dive will greatly influence which style of fins to choose.

Let’s look at some of the advantage and disadvantage of each Style and which type of diving they are best suited for.

Full Foot Fins

These types of fins have a closed heel and are generally worn barefoot or with thin neoprene fin sock for added comfort.

Because you cannot use these fins while wearing booties, they are generally for diving in worm tropical waters or snorkeling on the surface.

They are also, generally lighter and cost less  than open heal fins.

Because you generally use less diving equipment while in warmer water, you will find that most full-foot fins are a bit more flexible because there is less mass that you need to move through the water.

Open Heel Fins

Most scuba diving fins you will find are adjustable open heel fins and require you to wear neoprene boots(dive boots) to use them, which makes them ideal for diving in colder waters.

They are designed with an open foot pocket and an adjustable heel strap to keep your foot secure in the pocket.

Because diving in colder water requires you to wear more diving equipment, which in turns equates to more mass to move through the water, you will find that open heel fins are generally stiffer and made from stronger materials.

A very important thing to note when buying open heal fins is, you must buy your booties first.

Booties come in different sizes ranging from 3mm to 7mm, the thickness of your booties will decide the size and fit of your fins.