Full foot or open heel?

[Ana]

I’ve been using open heel fins I don’t know for how long. But I started diving with full foot fins, without booties of course. I don’t know when I changed, probably when I got sick and tired of having cold feet. But I don’t use the same fins year round, if using dry suit I wear the jets, for wet suit/coveralls/other I use lighter fins.

So this summer I decided to go back to full foot. I discovered two things; maybe I should say I Rediscovered 2 things.

1-Well fitted good quality full foot fins are GREAT. I’ve always pride myself of having acute awareness or the slightest contact with even the smallest object thru my fins, but with the foot in direct contact with the fin it is so much more.
Maybe it is all in my head and I just remember growing up with just fins, mask and snorkel. I don’t know, but I feel like I’ve wasted many warm water dives using booties. From now on, if the water is warm enough to not use a hood then is good enough for no booties.

2- The other thing that became evident was that so so many dive shop attendants are greatly full of $#@&. I thought about the change for a while, I wanted to get Mares, because I knew their full foot are very good. Well, the shop I usually by from don’t have that so I went to a shop where they don’t know me.
Walked in and ask for Mares full foot fin, the guy didn’t pay attention to what I said, he just selectively heard “Mares” blah...blah“fins” and proceeded to show me open heel models. NO, I want full foot, …”oh you don’t want dive fins uh?” Those were his exact words. Granted I have limited to no patience, but sure felt like a stupid thing from him to say. Made me wonder how many students that only plan on diving warm waters are told that they HAVE to use open heel with booties and why? Besides the obvious additional sale.

Anyways, I saw a thread about this particular subject in another forum and I figure it would be some food for thought. No matter what I’m happy I rediscovered the wonders of full foot fins. It may not be as magnificent air in my face while riding a Harley, but warm water thru my toes is quite a feeling too.

 

[alchemist117]

I have both types of fins, and as soon as its warm enough, I much prefer to use full foot, no booties to fool around with, and when I'm flying of on hols, full feet fins are about 1/2 the weight of the other ones. I also agree with the statements on sensitivity, it's so easy to sense any contact on full foot fins.

 

[Darnold9999]

Own both - tropical diving I wouldn't think of diving anything else. Unless you are shore diving I can't think of a good reason to go with anything but full foot.

 

[Pearldiver07]

I'm sorry about the LDS choices that you have. The problem here isn't the fin, it's the people who've been at the shops!

I have several pairs of fins - Whenever possible I take the full foot on vacation (except for Bonaire - too much walking in/out on rocks). But for local diving I prefer open heel and then there's the larger pocket set for my dry suit.

I just wonder why you've locked in on Mares' fins. Granted, you seem to have had good experience with them, but why not consider other brands? I personally prefer the FF Twin Jet, but I know other people that like several other brands.

I would still try going to another shop on principal alone, but open up your mind and look.

Just my dos centavos...

 

[Ana]

I just wonder why you've locked in on Mares' fins. Granted, you seem to have had good experience with them, but why not consider other brands? I personally prefer the FF Twin Jet, but I know other people that like several other brands.

I would still try going to another shop on principal alone, but open up your mind and look.

Just my dos centavos...

I like the Jets and use them with a dry suit, but don't care for split styles. I also have several other lightweights from different brands, not sure why I zeroed in the Mares but I'm thrilled I did. In reality you can never have too many fins, I'm just sorry I narrowed my choices to only open heel.

As far as the shop, I got over it as soon as I walked out. That's just the way it is in PCB, even the shop I use regularly is barely acceptable. I'm not going to buy a compressor and get O2 bottles deliver to my house so I'll always need a shop to fill my tanks. Doctors, lawyers and dive shops; I dislike all three but I also need all three.