Quick question about fins

[David Wilson]

The only ones I see gingerly walking barefoot across the rocks at our dive sites carrying full foot fins are students or people with rental gear....

Indeed. Amateurs. Seasoned full-foot fin wearers wouldn't be walking barefoot across rocks. In the same way as freedivers routinely do, they would be wearing protective footwear and have already sized the full-foot fins they were carrying to accommodate the extra bulk.

 

[NC Wreck Diver]

Full-foot fins worn with booties:

and here's a diver who prefers using traditional full-foot fins when he does his underwater photography:

My favourite kit - Pete Atkinson - Divernet
Let's get away from the simplistic notion of tropical waters=full-foot fins, cold waters=open-heel fins. The central issue isn't the fins, it's the footwear worn with the fins. Neoprene socks and thin-soled boots can be worn with full-foot fins if their foot pockets are spacious enough. It would be better to focus on the fact that some footwear is so thick and bulky that it's going to be hard to find spacious enough foot pockets on full-foot fins.

As for wearing a drysuit with full-foot fins, I actually do just that when I snorkel in the North Sea. My old-fashioned drysuit comes with thin socks that fit very comfortably into my full-foots. When the Unisuit drysuit came out in the mid-1960s, Cressi marketed special full-foots with huge foot pockets to accommodate the bulky boots:

Finally, if you ever get the chance, have a look at a pair of full-foot Apollo Bio splits. The walls of the foot pocket are much thicker than normal and the design is intended to be worn by divers over footwear and not barefoot.

Make up your own mind about what kind of fins you want, whether full-foot or open-heel. As I said in my original post, the current diving culture in the West is in favour of open-heels. It wasn't always that way. If you want to bow to the majority view and opt for open-heels, fine. I shall continue to snorkel in the North Sea in my full-foots nevertheless!

I wear these fin keepers even with my Plana open heel fins (in black only!). I take a lot of abuse for them, but they really keep my fins on tight to my boots. I guess I'm just old school trained.................

 

[bowlofpetunias]

I have never seen anyone wearing full foot fins AND boots isn't that like wearing wearing sandals and socks together

 

[David Wilson]

I have never seen anyone wearing full foot fins AND boots isn't that like wearing wearing sandals and socks together

Then you can't have looked hard enough, particularly in countries other than your own.

And here in the UK, people do wear socks with their sandals. Why not? We live in a diverse world and everybody's different. Or would you rather every diver went around conforming to some official dress code like they have in Pyongyang?

 

[David Wilson]

I wear these fin keepers even with my Plana open heel fins (in black only!). I take a lot of abuse for them, but they really keep my fins on tight to my boots. I guess I'm just old school trained.................

Good for you. And you don't have to make up any excuses for following your instincts. Those who abuse others for displaying a modicum of individuality are bullies, pure and simple. They're either envious of you for showing such ingenuity or their self-esteem is so low they can't bear anybody to deviate even slightly from their group norms. It's the kind of thing disaffected male teenagers do. Eventually most of them grow up and out of such nonsense, thank goodness.

 

[bowlofpetunias]

I do hope you realize I am teasing!:shocked2: You got me tho... I must admit I have never dived in Britain that is why I suggested the OP go down to the dive sites he is planning on using....... I have only dived in 5 countries so far but I am working on it

 

[David Wilson]

I do hope you realize I am teasing!:shocked2: You got me tho... I must admit I have never dived in Britain that is why I suggested the OP go down to the dive sites he is planning on using....... I have only dived in 5 countries so far but I am working on it

Thanks for that clarification, bowlofpetunias. Sometimes I feel I must get a touch of Asperger Syndrome when I come on to ScubaBoard, because people's intentions and their use of smilies in their posts here don't always seem transparent - at least to me.

I second your sensible advice about "reconnoitering" diving locations in advance of diving them as a way of deducing what the conditions are and what gear is appropriate.

 

[bowlofpetunias]

Without visual clues interpretation can be hard:doh: I get teased for using smilies so much but I have a quirky sense of humour so I often wind up asking to be sure

I got told recently that my Dive T shirts were a "Glamour Don't" My answer was that I am a "Glamour Don't CARE" when it comes to diving

 

[ToddneyX]

Thanks for the info guys. I decided to get a full foot in the end, and luckily got the delivery the day before going on holiday.

I went for the Mares Avanti Quattro Power, going to give it a go later today when it gets abit warmer :]