Suggestions on Fins and Booties

[sandyangel86]

Hey yall! Ok so I am new to diving...haven't even taken classes yet. For my class I am required to have a mask, snorkel, fins, booties, and gear bag. The mask and snorkel I have so there is no problem there, but I do need to get fins and booties. I have no idea what I'm looking for besides the fact that my closed foot fins wont work for the class. I am going to be taking classes here in Charleston, SC and then mainly diving here or in more tropical locations. So any help would be great!!

Also as far as a gear bag goes its just a mesh bag....will that work out or should I invest in something a little more durable?

 

[David Wilson]

I do need to get fins and booties. I have no idea what I'm looking for besides the fact that my closed foot fins wont work for the class. I am going to be taking classes here in Charleston, SC and then mainly diving here or in more tropical locations. So any help would be great!!

Why won't your closed foot fins work for the class? If that's the message you have been given by the instructor without advice about what to look for in the way of alternatives, then I detect a degree of unhelpful closed-mindedness. I snorkel in the cold waters of the North Sea all the year round with full-foot fins worn with booties because that's the choice I made to ensure a comfortable fit and the propulsion, manoeuvrability and endurance that suit my style of gentle snorkelling.

This said, the most important criterion in selecting fins of any type is a good fit. Too loose and they will generate blisters or fall off. Too tight and they will cause cramping. Don't settle on a particular model, or even brand, for the moment. Foot pockets have to fit not only lengthwise, but also in terms of breadth and height. Your initial focus is there. Since you intend to wear your fins over booties, you need to equip yourself first with the latter. Neoprene socks and booties vary in thickness, depending on how much warmth you want and need from them. You may get advice about sock and bootie thickness in Scubaboard's regional forums where people will be more familiar with local conditions. When choosing fins at your local dive store, try them on over the booties to check you have a good fit using that combination. If you can, borrow different sets of fins and try them out in the pool to determine which ones are most comfortable and suit your swimming style. Be wary if others insist on a particular fin model as it may work for them but not for you. Good luck and happy diving!

 

[aascubagirl]

Aloha and congrats on your pending certification course.

A mesh-type duffel bag should work just fine for mask/snorkel/fins but just as David mentioned, the type of fin you want will be largely dependent upon where you'll be diving. If your current fin won't work (not seeing the fin, I won't ask why but if your instructor didn't give you a reason, you should get one!) then I would first recommend a good pair of open-heel fins along w/neoprene boots so that you can dive in a variety of dive settings (boat, shore, warm, cold, etc.) But if very warm, tropical diving is it, than a full-foot fin w/a pair of neoprene socks that will fit in them will work great.

But more importantly, the dive shop through which you are getting certified should be helping you in this! Not just to sell you their gear but to help you understand what it is you will need for your type of diving, why certain features will work better or worse for you, what you should look for in each piece of gear and why you should be purchasing their gear at all. A fins purchase is a very personal choice and not one to be made lightly. Some people prefer split fins, others prefer solid blades. Some people prefer a lot of stiffness, others prefer more flexibility.

Here is what I would do...ask your dive shop if you can practice with some of their fins to get a feel for what you like and what works best for you. IMO, a good dive shop would have no problem with this.

Good luck and happy diving to you!

 

[BDSC]

The best advice I can give you is to find a fin that fits well and is comfortable on your feet. The rest will take care of itself. And trust me when I tell you that you don't have to spend a lot of money to get a good fin that will serve you well.

Split vs Paddle - doesn't matter. For normal recreational diving in the conditions you describe it just won't matter. I'd dare say if you tried on the top 20 fins that are sold today and dove with all of them, the difference you would notice would be minimal.

Don't get caught up in the "one is faster" or "more powerful" than the other. Guess what. Diving is not about power and speed. You'll never find yourself in a race when you're doing a dive. As a matter of fact you want to do just the opposite. Take it nice and slow. Look around and see it all and you don't have to swim far or fast to do that.

Also, don't get caught up in all the great marketing hype you'll see about fins. Some will claim their fin most closely resembles the fin of a fish. Big deal! We ain't fish. Our body is nothing like that of a fish, whale, or dolphin. We don't and never will swim like them. (But they'll never walk around on land like us.) And there are so many cool names now for fins. Like:

Atomics: They have one called, "Smoke on the Water." (Wow. That's gotta be one heck of a fin to be called that.)

Mares: They have names like "Volo Power" & "Raptor" (Make sure some large bird doesn't carry you off with those.)

Scubapro: If you don't like the "Twin Jet" you can step up to the "Twin Jet Max". (Jets........gotta be really fast to be called Jets)

Aqua Lung: They have a new one called the "Slingshot" with "Power Bands". (All I can say is hold on to your reg and mask cause they may get ripped off when you are powered through the water with your first couple of kicks.)

Apollo: They have the "Bio-Fin Pro" and "Bio-Fin Pro XT" (I think you have to dive as a profession to have anything called Pro)

Force Fins: They have the "Tan Delta Force Fin" (If you get those and get in trouble Chuck Norris will save you) and use terms like "Vortex Generators" to describe their fins. (Sounds like something James Bond needs to blow up to save us all)

Now don't get me wrong, all of these are great fins. All would serve you well. But many of these are fairly expensive fins. I have dove all but the Apollo fins and guess what I like just as well, has performed just as well, and I bought them for less than $70. They are the Mares Avanti Superchannel Full Foot Fins. (Cool name also) I've used them in stiff currents in Cozumel and they did just fine. I've had them in no current conditions in the Caymans and again great performance. And not once have I had to race anyone or power my way to the surface or any other direction.

The bottom line is don't worry too much which fin is best because no fin is best. While they may look a little different, they all have the same function and that is to move you through the water and they all do that about as equally as well. Save some money on your fins and put it toward a really great fitting BC or wetsuit. Now that will make a difference in your diving!

 

[vlkr]

scuba labs at scuba mag evaluates equipment including fins. you can refernce it online.

 

[sandyangel86]

Why won't your closed foot fins work for the class? If that's the message you have been given by the instructor without advice about what to look for in the way of alternatives, then I detect a degree of unhelpful closed-mindedness. I snorkel in the cold waters of the North Sea all the year round with full-foot fins worn with bootiesQUOTE]

My instructor didn't tell me my fins wouldn't work I was unaware that you could wear booties with full footed fins (being new and all) so thanks that will save me some money!!

 

[BDSC]

You may want to try some lycra socks if you wear full foot fins. They are much thinner than regular booties but keep you feet from getting any blisters from rubbing.

EVO EVO Lycra Dive Sock

 

[Bubbletrubble]

scuba labs at scuba mag evaluates equipment including fins. you can refernce it online.

This is a good tip, but take the results with a grain of salt. Rodale's/Scuba Lab is an entity conceived of and funded by Scuba Diving Magazine (Scuba Diving Magazine weblink). It's no secret that the magazine generates advertising revenue from the manufacturers of the products they test. This is a classic example of a conflict of interest.

You shouldn't be surprised that a free subscription to the magazine is given out to all newly-certified divers. (Heck. They probably make money by selling your marketing info to other marketers. Read the fine print.) The pretty pictures in the magazine are designed to inspire you to dive more, to buy the latest/greatest scuba equipment, and to spend $$$ on an expensive dive vacation. It's a great marketing tool.

Here's how I use and interpret Scuba Lab results:

• Any item that doesn't get an absolutely glowing review is probably an inferior product.
• Glowing reviews and Editor's picks could be really good items or just heavily marketed fluff -- it's sometimes difficult to tell the difference with the methodology used.
• I primarily use the reviews to get a head-to-head comparison of product features and specs (size, weight, colors, etc.).

Caveat emptor. (Let the buyer beware.)

 

[David Wilson]

I was unaware that you could wear booties with full footed fins (being new and all) so thanks that will save me some money!!

Glad to dispel that particular myth and to save you money as well. Below are a couple of pictures of people wearing full-foot fins with booties:




The full-foot version of Apollo Bio Fins is even designed to be worn with booties.

 

[meesier42]

Here's how I use and interpret Scuba Lab results:

• Any item that doesn't get an absolutely glowing review is probably an inferior product.
• Glowing reviews and Editor's picks could be really good items or just heavily marketed fluff -- it's sometimes difficult to tell the difference with the methodology used.
• I primarily use the reviews to get a head-to-head comparison of product features and specs (size, weight, colors, etc.).

I would modify this some:

• Glowing reviews and Editor's picks could be 1) good items or 2) bought a LOT of advertising space. **Note the difference between Editors and Testers Picks
• Any item that doesn't get an absolutely glowing review didn't buy enough advertising space.
• A poor review means the manufacturer refused to buy advertising (exceedingly rare)
• Any "test" can be contrived to say anything that the editor wants

About the only thing that I look at in ScubaLab results is to read thing like "Weight pockets were difficult to load while wearing the BCD" or "Reviewers found the buckles easy to operate while wearing gloves" or really just the feedback that they have on the ergonomics of an item. The feature list "can" be useful, however over the years I have seen more than 1 example of their feature list being incomplete or overzealous to coorelate with their review.