Open or Full Foot Fins?

[idocsteve]

^ Let me welcome you to the board with a "Thank" for a good post that says it all about open fins with booties.

Why carry more gear or risk stumbling around the dive boat as you scramble to find your shoes which are probably mixed in with everyone else's dry stuff in the dry compartment.

Scuba diving is gear intensive enough, cutback where you can especially if you're not giving anything up to do so.

 

[Revid1]

I really appreciate the posts and information. I was the OP and since I am only now diving once a year, I might opt for the open foot version of the Mares product. I was also considering the Apollo Pro Series C split fins, but since I am only doing boat diving I don't know if they would be a good choice. Again, thank you.

 

[David Wilson]

I made this point earlier in the thread, but I want to make it again because of assumptions some open-heel users continue to make about full-foot fins. You don't have to wear full-foot fins barefoot, you can wear them with protective footwear too, so long as you take the trouble to purchase a pair with foot pockets big enough to accommodate the extra bulk:

Back in the 1960s and 1970s, here in Europe, divers often purchased two pairs of fins, neither of them open-heel. One full-foot fin was normally sized for pool use, the other full foot fin was one or two sizes bigger for open-water use with protective footwear. That configuration still works perfectly in 2010 and I wouldn't consider any other option when I go snorkelling in the North Sea off a sandy beach in the North East of England. The preponderance of open-heel fins in modern scuba has as much to do with culture and fashion as it has to do with each individual's perception of practicality and fitness for use.

 

[UaVaj]

You don't have to wear full-foot fins barefoot, you can wear them with protective footwear too, so long as you take the trouble to purchase a pair with foot pockets big enough to accommodate the extra bulk:

The preponderance of open-heel fins in modern scuba has as much to do with culture and fashion as it has to do with each individual's perception of practicality and fitness for use.

Open heel is inferior in almost every way and only neccessary when warranted (cold water dive, beach dive, fins sharing or you think you look cool in it ). If you are still diving with open heel and those warranted conditions do NOT apply to you - you could use a reality check.

Everyone I know either use a poly/1mm/2mm/3mm sock with their full foot. This controls the rubbing.

Your exact size w/: poly sock = snug fit / 2mm sock = tight fit
Your next size up w/: 2mm sock = snug fit / 3mm sock = tight fit

Tight fit is recommended if you are doing deep deep dive as the neoprene will shrink and loosen up at depth - otherwise go with the poly sock (no shrink).



Again, lastly the only challenge with full foot if finding the proper foot pocket. Full foot are like masks. You have to physically try it on to make sure the fit is proper.

 

[David Wilson]

Open heel is inferior in almost every way and only neccessary when warranted (cold water dive, beach dive, fins sharing or you think you look cool in it ). If you are still diving with open heel and those warranted conditions do NOT apply to you - you could use a reality check.

Well said. I would even go further and say that there's nothing fundamentally wrong with wearing full-foot fins over booties in cold water or when entering the sea from a beach. When I snorkel from a sandy beach in the cold-all-the-year-round waters of the North Sea, I always use my trusty comfortable full-foot fins over my exposure suit. I'm very happy with this choice. When facing the choice of open-heel versus full-foot, it's surely best for each individual to weigh up for themselves the advantages and disadvantages of each type and to determine by a process of research and experimentation which type yields the most pluses for them as individuals.