Fins for snorkeling AND walking???

[Simonz]

Hi. I'm new to this forum. I searched previous threads but I didn't find a good answer to my question/problem.

QUESTION: Can anyone recommend snorkeling fins that can also be used for "walking"? By "walking" I mean climbing over rocks and such to get in or out of the ocean.

I am planning a trip to Hawaii (Big Island). I've snorkeled there a number of times before and I find my biggest challenge is getting in and out of the water. If I put the fins on BEFORE I get in, they make it difficult to walk on the lava rocks. If I wait to put them on AFTER I'm in the water, I have to struggle with them. As I've gotten older (well into "senior citizen" territory), getting in and out of the water has become more difficult. Yes ... I know the answer ... take a boat. Boat trips cost money and the Big Island has a number of good shore access snorkeling spots that I would like to take advantage of.

On the internet, I found the following options:
Wetgear "Ripflip": Amazon.com : Wetgear Ripflip Walkable Men's Fin Shoes : Sports & Outdoors
Shinfin: shinfin? = Home - shinfin? Leg Fins (Flippers)
FlipFins: Flipfins® - Patented, award winning, high-performance scuba fins, swim fins, rescue fins, military fins, Special Forces fins, dive fins and fins for float tube and pontoon fly fishing. The world's only fins that provide total mobility in and out of t

I tried the "Ripflip". They seem to be very good for scrambling over rocks, but they don't seem to do a very good job as "fins". My short swimfins provide more "power". I will probably return them to Amazon.

I haven't tried the others. I'm an "average" swimmer (for my age) so I don't need a lot of "power". Cruising along the surface is my speed.

Any suggestions ... besides taking a boat trip?

Thanks,

- Simon

 

[Altamira]

Have you tried fins with stainless steel spring straps? The spring straps make donning and doffing the fins so much easier than the standard rubber fin straps. I too am a senior citizen, and even with multiple replacement joints, I find the spring straps very easy to use. When snorkeling, I clip them to an old weight belt with stainless steel carabiners until I get in and out of the water, leaving my hands free for balance and support.

 

[Kharon]

In a word - NO. Get open heel fins and some hard sole boots. Make sure they both fit well and that the fins slide on and off easily when wet. That's important (wet) because dry is not a problem but wet fins can create suction that is very hard to break.

To use them - wade out to chest deep, put your mask on and snorkel in your mouth. Float and put the fins on. Spring straps make this much easier. Coming out do the same thing. Chest deep, float, and remove fins.

Any fins you can walk in will not be good in the water. Moreover, clambering over rocks, ironshore, etc. in anything but boots is asking to get hurt, probably badly.

 

[Damselfish]

Any fin that allows you to walk and is at all decent for snorkeling seems likely to be more suitable for entry from a nice smooth beach, boat, or pool deck. (Probably the better they are for walking the worse they will be as fins and vice versa.) Scrambling over rocks seems likely to result in trouble sooner or later. I'd concentrate on getting a boot/fin combo where everything fits and does it's job well, and the fins are easy to get on and off. Definitely spring or bungee straps, you may find bungees even easier than springs and they're pretty easy to DIY if you're so inclined - maybe what you already have would work just fine with different straps. Then work on your technique for taking the fins on and off in the water - really this should be easier than on land. Getting or rigging something to make carrying your fins easier or hands free is a good idea too. Even a loop of webbing with a quick release buckle or a length of double sided velcro that holds them together and serves as a better handle can help, if you have a have a way to attach them to you that may help too (which is better may depend on your entry.)

 

[Simonz]

Thanks to all who responded to my question.

The consensus seems to be to get boots and fins that fit the boots. I'll visit a local dive shop and see what it has. I'll try the spring/bungee heel clips. Most of my snorkeling "gear" is 20+ years old. When I first got the stuff I was much younger and I didn't have the mobility/flexibility issues that I have today.

- Simon

 

[Dive Right In Scuba.]

Yes, getting boots and open heel fins is your best answer. You really don't want to be walking around in any kind of a fin on a surface like that. Get a good, comfortable boot and you will be wearing it the who time you are on shore.