Best travel fins under 20"

[johnnyscience]

Ok so I will be snorkeling in the Bahamas on a cruise and I need some short fins, under 20" for sure as they need to fit into my carryon

I was originally going to get the Aqualung Storms, but they aren't in stock anywhere and AL has no idea when they're coming back in stock. These are also 20.5" and will not fit in my hard case luggage

I also looked at the Subapro Go Travel fins, but again these are 20.5" - so a no go.

I bought this Cressi snorkel set because I really like the big tear drop lens, as well as their dry snorkel and the color:

Cressi Snorkel Kit

The fins were a bonus as far as I was concerned.

The fins look fine for what I'm looking for, and I think they are short enough to fit in my case, but I'm worried about their construction & durability.

Someone had posted a picture from 2022 showing the buckle attachment that was molded into the fin pulled out and broke. I attached a pic. I'm hoping maybe they've improved this design since then, but I have no confirmation of that.

So I'm going to give these fins a try since they're part of the kit I bought, but I would like to get a higher quality travel fin I think long term.

I did see the Cressi Maui Shorts that are like 16" and seem to have a more durable strap and hopefully attachments points:

Cressi Maui Shorts

Are there any other sub-20" travel fins I should consider other than these Maui Shorts?

I was considering a full foot fin, but I think I'd prefer to use the fin socks so I don't get any blisters at any point and not be able to snorkel the last couple days of the cruise, so an open foot fin is probably what I would prefer.

Can you even repair a fin like this one where the attachment point pulls out of the fin itself?

Thanks!

 

[lexvil]

How about fins that you can take apart, scubapro supernova, tusa hi flex switch?

 

[johnnyscience]

Those are an option, but also pretty expensive compared to the Maui Shorts.

I'm really only going to be doing snorkeling in the bahamas when in port.

 

[johnnyscience]

The Cressi Maui Shorts seem to have the buckle post as part of the hard plastic design, instead of a plastic post that is embedded into rubber like the cheaper ones in the snorkel kit I got

Plus the Maui Shorts seem to have a really robust ankle strap too

I'm a lot more confident that the post will not break on the Maui Shorts because of they way the are designed/made.

Still open to other options though.

 

[tarponchik]

I use Tusa Travel Right fins as light travel fins but these are made to dive in lycra or neoprene socks, not in booties. That's OK for boat diving though.

 

[TostitoBandito]

My Apex RK3's are right around 20". I wouldn't call them a travel fin, but the jet fin style is certainly more compact than split fins and the like. Pretty sure I could fit them in a roller carry-on if I wanted to, though I've never bothered since I check so much gear.

I think the only way you're going to find something really compact is if you go for full foot/strapless snorkeling type fins.

 

[Zane]

I put the GoSport fins in my carry on suitcase which are even longer than the GoTravel fins. Angle them diagonally and they'll easily fit

 

[happy-diver]

Maaaaaaaaaate we've got ScubaPro

Maaaaaaaaaate we've got DeepSix

Maaaaaaaaaate we've got fixings unless you are Lex the Heathen

Maaaaaaaaaate even sports bags to fit the fins you have instead of doing things backwards

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Happy days, with a pelican between my legs

Maaaaaaaaaate your depth is the limit

 

[dmaziuk]

I was considering a full foot fin, but I think I'd prefer to use the fin socks so I don't get any blisters at any point and not be able to snorkel the last couple days of the cruise, so an open foot fin is probably what I would prefer.

Socks are for full foot fins, the open heel fins are for use with booties. If you're not going to do beach entries over fossilized coral ironshore, you may not need booties.

The basic Taiwanese full-foot known in the US as "Sporti Essential Floating" is $20-ish a pair and I'm fairly sure they are shorter than 20" (but not as short as "regular" swim fins). The downside of swim fins is they require ankle stretch and proper kicking technique, to work well.

 

[landphil]

There is no better short fin made than DaFiN- DaFiN - The Swim and Surf Fin preferred by the World’s Best Watermen - they have plenty of power, are super comfy with or without boots /socks and come in several different styles and stiffnesses. I’ve used them to snorkel when I needed to pack light for a trip, and didn’t feel like I was being penalized by using the wrong fins. They’ll last 20 years hanging off a lifeguard tower; so, you’re not going to wear them out by occasionally snorkeling