Advice on a Christmas present for my mom (fins)

[Torisen]

My mom's getting close to retirement (my dad's already out) and since my wife and I decided to bring them with us where we went to Belize they're now planning to retire there.

They both love to snorkel (I'm still trying to get them to cross over to the "deep" side and join me on the reef there, I'll probably succeed eventually) my mom needs a new pair of fins and hinted towards that for a Christmas gift, she's 61, about 5'8" and pretty fit, she's walks a couple miles every day and is an avid warm water swimmer. She wants closed heel snorkel fins (It kills me that I can't get them to dive here, their house actually has 150' of great beachfront here on Puget sound in WA, if only I could get them over the cold and dark aspect... That's another discussion) and her last pair caused a little too much stress on her calves.

I think her current fav is the Ocianic v-6 splits (Oceanic Vortex V-6 Full Foot Split Fins

Are these pretty good? Anything better?

 

[lmorin]

Look at the full foot Mares Volo Race fins. My wife uses and likes them a lot because they are extremely flexible, providing very little strain. Moreover, she is able to swim faster with less effort than I can with a more traditional stiff open heel fin.

 

[David Wilson]

Well, I'm in my sixties too, though male, and I snorkel regularly in the cold waters of the North Sea off the North East coast of England. I started snorkelling half a century ago, using all-rubber full-foot fins and personally, I wouldn't wear any other kind of fins.

I love my classic Japanese-made Gull Mew full-foot fins and they come in a range of colours:

Fins > Full Foot Fins > - Marinetone Scuba Diving Gears

Whatever fins you end up buying, do remember that fit is all-important, particularly with full-foot fins. You can't just rely on foot length as a guide because fin foot pockets vary when it comes to width and arch height. You don't want a pair that's too loose or too tight. Try and arrange for your mother to try on her fins for size to avoid disappointment, wearing any socks or booties if necessary.