Fins: Full Foot or Open Heel?

[savsuds]

I equate the the choices to the way a woman decides if she needs another pair of shoes. YES. The more you dive, the more pair of fins you accumulate.

I used to carry 3-5 pairs of cleats in my trunk depending upon the pitch conditions. I have 2 pairs of fins currently depending upon what I am going to do. You only have too much dive gear when you get nominated for the Hoarder TV show.

 

[Scuba-Blue-13]

I equate the the choices to the way a woman decides if she needs another pair of shoes. YES. The more you dive, the more pair of fins you accumulate..

Understand that completely, I have duplicates for just about every item for every other hobby I have. I'm just trying to figure out which is my best option for my FIRST fins.

I've been drawn to the Cressi Frog Plus since I started shopping, but also like the Tusa Solla. The Sollas give me the choice between open heel or a full foot fin, where the Cressi's are strictly open.

Anyone have opinions of either of these?

 

[claymore]

Full foot fins can be hard to fit if you have feet that are not in the "normal" range of sizes. People with wide or narrow feet may not be happy with the fit. Open heel fins are a little more forgiving with sizing because of the booties and the adjustable strap.

As others have said if you have to do any walking then you either have to bring a pair of shoes/sandals to wear or go bare foot with full foot fins.

 

[savsuds]

I am a fan of the Mares line of fins. It also satisfies the requirement of having Avanti in the name. The Quattro comes in an open heel and full foot options. I like how they feel on my feet. Open heel seems to have a larger color choice, if that matters to you as well. Of course the Free diving fins you can swap inserts for style and performance changes.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Understand that completely, I have duplicates for just about every item for every other hobby I have. I'm just trying to figure out which is my best option for my FIRST fins.

On that basis, I would recommend open-heel for your first fins. They're more versatile. It isn't like you're going to hate them and never use them again. You may find they are all you need. Even if you find you are still be attracted to the idea of full-foot, you would still want to keep the open-heel fins. However, if you were to start with full-foot fins, you may soon discover their limitations and want to buy open-heel fins and booties.

 

[outofofficebrb]

I am a fan of the Mares line of fins. It also satisfies the requirement of having Avanti in the name. The Quattro comes in an open heel and full foot options. I like how they feel on my feet. Open heel seems to have a larger color choice, if that matters to you as well. Of course the Free diving fins you can swap inserts for style and performance changes.

I have the Avanti Quattro + and love them!

 

[kcprofessor]

I use open heel fins because of the protection aspect of the boots when walking on shore or on rocky bottoms as well as the ease of removal 9with spring straps). One thing that was not mentioned about any fin. Get your footwear first! With your socks or boots on, you can try various fins for fit, which is about the most important aspect of fin selection. I have to have different fin sizes to use with either my rock boots or tropical boots.
BTW, if you are only planning on duplicates, think again! How about quadruplicates!

 

[TMHeimer]

I used full foot for decades snorkeling prior to my OW cert. Simpler. Great if in sandy tropics. Also good if they fit PERFECT without having to wear socks. Not at all my choice for scuba. But if you always dive from a boat, OK.

 

[MV Dive]

I prefer full foot fins, Its hard work putting botties on and its one more thing to pack but then again I dive in warm water most weeks. If you are doing shore dives though you should reconsider as you might step on sea urchins etc.

 

[Scuba-Blue-13]

Thank you everyone for all of the advice and knowledge. I decided to go with the Tusa Solla full foot fins as my first set of fins. Most of my diving (in the short term) will be warm water vacation diving from a boat, when I'm ready to start cooler water diving and need thermal protection, or harder soles for beach / rocky entry I'll purchase a set of open heel fins.

One thing I immediately noticed that wasn't mentioned anywhere in this thread though .... if you have hair on the tops of your feet, full foot fins can be certain to eliminate that problem quickly and painfully!!

OK - so my 2nd purchase was a pair of lycra dive socks that made the fins even more comfortable and easier to put on and take off.

Just wanted to update on my decision since all of you took the time to provide suggestions and advice.