Looking for silicone fins, full foot

[noni]

Hello all,

I would like to find and buy a pair of fins like some that I've previously owned, but I don't remember who made them. They were entirely made of silicone, molded in one piece... they actually looked exactly like these rubber fins, except they were yellow where these are orange, but blue in the same place. Eyeline Full Foot Rubber Fins
I don't mind if they're a different color, but I would like the silcone ones because they float, and I don't like the stiff plastic fins. Any suggestions? Thank you in advance!

 

[David Wilson]

I dislike plastic fins too. I prefer full-foot rubber fins when I snorkel because that's the kind I started snorkelling with back in the 1960s and I've never seen any reason to change since they're very comfortable and suit the gentle style of swimming that I do.

Although there are still many models of standard-bladed all-rubber fins around like the Eyelines you illustrated, the only silicone models that I know are short-bladed training fins such as Zoggs:



and Speedos:



If your main criterion for purchase is that your fins will float, there are many standard-bladed fin models that are made of rubber and billed as floating, e.g. Sprint Aquatics Floating Fins:



sprintaquatics-SPRINT FLOATING FINS

If you're interested in floating rubber fins, let me know, and I can point you in the direction of many more models.

 

[noni]

Thank you, David. All I was able to find in silicone were the short ones, too. It looks like, for some reason, full length silicone fins are not being made anymore. (I should have stocked up! ) The rubber ones you directed me to are very nice. It does say the fin is a harder rubber than the sock part, so I think I'll write to them and see if they're sold locally near where I live so I can get a look at them. I don't like them too stiff. How do you supposed they get the rubber to float? If they're hollow, they could crack... I'll ask them that, too.

Yes, I would be very interested in seeing more floating rubber fins! I once had a pair of rubber fins and I lost one in the water, so I do lean toward the floating fins. Thank you very much for your help!

 

[David Wilson]

Thanks for the feedback on my response, Noni. Sprint Aquatics do sell nice rubber fins; when I bought a short-bladed pair, they arrived within a few days, although they operate in the USA and I live in the UK. The natural rubber foot pockets are very soft and comfortable and a stiffer blend is used for the blades. Their floatability is a property of the purer natural rubber blend they use and the lack of clay "fillers" which make rubber fins heavier.

Sprint's fins are imported from Malaysia, where they are manufactured using rubber from local plantations. You'll find Malaysian-made floating rubber fins in many European countries as well as the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The blue and orange Eyeline fins you mentioned in your first message:



are Malaysian-made floating rubber fins, as are Aquazone fins:


Pauls Warehouse :: Swim/Surf :: Aquazone Long Blade Fins

Other floating rubber fins from around the world here:
Deep See: Part of the Aqua Lung Family of Brands
http://www.newitts.com/product/EE-080/Eyeline_Swim_Fins_Senior.htm
Sportgeräte Olaf Grevinga - Schwimmflossen Sprint 126006-15
Fun Dive - Professional Diving Equipment
Kiefer On-Line Swim Shop - 1-800-323-4071
Colored Swim Fins , Caps, Goggles, Masks, Fins & Snorkels, Swimming from Palos Sports
Sonar Wetsuits and dive equipment - Full Foot Rubber Floating Fins
Sport Divers, MFG. - Welcome!

There are plenty more where they came from, but those are the ones billed as floating.

 

[noni]

Thank you, David! This is great news and very educational. Knowing this opens up the wonderful world of floating rubber fins! I've gone from the problem of not being able to find ANY, to the problem of so many to choose from, that I can't decide, which is a much happier problem! :luxhello: I'm thrilled!

Now, I usually go for the ones molded in one piece, because I know they won't come "unglued". You're very knowledgeable about fins, and I was wondering if you know how the sock is attached in a model such as the Sprint fins, and if they come apart over time? Thanks again!!!

 

[David Wilson]

Glad I was able to help, Noni. You can rest assured that rubber full-foot fins made out of two blends of rubber, one soft for the foot pocket and the other stiffer for the blade, will not come apart. This style of fin has been around since the 1950s. They are moulded in one piece, not glued together, so they are virtually indestructible and you will get a lifetime of use out of them so long as you make sure they fit your foot size and you put them on carefully without stretching the heel overmuch. Some books recommend that you turn the heel outside in before donning the fin on your foot, then pull it carefully over your heel. If you find that the fins are a little too big, you can always wear fin grips:

 

[noni]

Awesome :yinyang: Very cool, David! Thank you again!