Female Free Divers of Jeju

[David Wilson]

There's any number of (almost?) identical fins on offer from IST, US Divers, Sporti, and no-names like Head Swimming Corda Rubber Fins at SwimOutlet.com

Not quite identical.

Taiwan diving equipment manufacturer IST (named after the initials of the founders siblings Irene, Stanley and Tony Lin) doesn't rebrand its Sea Diver fins (below) for any other company:

IST Sea Diver fins come with very stiff blades, reminiscent of the full-foot fins of the past made by the likes of Scubapro and La Spirotechnique.

As for the full-foot rubber fins branded as US Divers and Sporti (above), their country of origin is Malaysia, not Taiwan. Made by the Malaysian manufacturer AFS, they are mainly used as pool workout or snorkelling resort fins.

"Head" is a global sporting goods group that now owns Mares. "Head Corda" full-foot rubber fins (above) are made by a different Malaysian manufacturer, PWin, and they come in a larger range of sizes than most closed-heel fins of today do. I have a similar pair branded as "Beco" for the European market and they make perfect snorkelling fins.

 

[Popgun Pete]

In my experience rubber fins for general diving are always superior to plastic, leaving aside the ultra-long blade fins that are best used from boats. Backing up the shore with surf sluicing around my feet on exit the rubber fins with their thick side ribs always felt more stable as I shuffled my way out. As rubber fins require some fettling and the production environment is grubbier than that for plastic molding is why manufacturers quit making them in higher labour cost countries.

 

[David Wilson]

I've often thought the same about natural rubber superiority over synthetic elastomers and plastics as fin materials, Pete. And the following video illustrates the working conditions and labour-intensiveness of natural rubber fin production in a manufacturing plant in California:

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By the way, the fins made in the video are blue Oceanways Aquapros and black Scubapro Jet Fins.