Open heel or full fin?

[Brian.Bergh]

I have a pair of Mares Volo Race fullfoot and a pair of Dacor DXD fullfoot which i have been snorkling with and generaly swimming and freediving for fun with. and in the summer i think im gonna use my full foots ALOT, dont want to wear booties in the summer.

BTW i find the Mares Volo Race to soft for me. the Dacor DXD has more power i think.

Still have a pair of real long freediving full foots to try out, seeing forward to it.

 

[psusnyder]

For tropical, full foot. They are more efficient, cheaper ($30 for a pair of Oceanic Caribes from Leisure Pro), typically lighter (good for travel and stroke efficiency), and I think they are more comfortable so long as the water is warm enough to not need booties.

If you need booties for warmth, then go open heel.

 

[7millimeter]

If you live in warm water, have a pair of full foot that fit great, then enjoy. Otherwise, get open heal and spring clips and wear something comfortable on your foot.

Yeah, I agree. I think I'll bring along my favorite full-foots on my next warm water trip (won't be for a while, though; we're buying a house!). Locally, it's open-heel and the 7mm boot, even for snorkeling!

 

[Pickled]

I use both but have found that I prefer the full foot fins if conditions allow. If the water is warm and you are diving from a boat, a dock, or a sandy beach then full foots can't be beat. They are light, pack well, generally very comfortable. On the other hand, if the water is cold, shore diving from a rocky beach, then open heals are the way to go. Both have their place. If you are only going to have a single set go for open heals.

 

[ScubaJamie71]

Well I will be living in Tampa area and I will probably do both scuba and snorkeling. I like the idea of open heels, but like I said I will be living just south of Tampa and i ma not sure what the water temps are like there. Anybody know the water temps in that region? Thanks.

 

[AzSnake]

I started diving with a heal strap and never dreamed of diving with a full foot till my buddy talked me into trying out the Aeris Velocity full foots back in March of 2004 when I was in Coz.
They had me sold so fast it was unbelivable. These fins were faster, lighter and I was much more agile in the water. I also felt more efficent because my air consumption droped off pretty quick. Now I see that Aeris sells the same fin with a heel strap so I may just try it out. I only dive warm water so these are now my primary fins. Still have my open heal fins and booties but haven't used them in 2 years.
Scuba Labs gave the full foot Aeris Veloicty fins the Testors choice award.

While not the fastest on the straightaways or the fleetest on the slalom course, the Velocity leads the pack in real-world diving performance. This small and lightweight fin seems to offer everything, from above-average blue-water kicking power to excellent stability to an effective nonskid sole. It is even easy to put on and take off.
TESTER COMMENTS: "The Venus Williams of full-foot fins."--Polly Shaw "Very fast, nice fit ... two thumbs up." --Erin Rechisky "Speed and power with little stress ... a great fin." --Jeff Lovin "Great control, great speed." --Cathy Hamilton