Full-foots in a Nutshell
Here's an interesting finding from our fin testing--while splits tend to show a slight advantage among adjustable fins, paddles have the advantage among full-foots. Four of the fastest full-foots using a flutter kick are paddles, and three of the five fastest full-foots using the frog kick are paddles. In slalom runs, four of the five fastest full-foots are paddles, three of which earned "very good" nods for maneuverability. In ergonomic tests, three of the five top scores are paddles.
Best of Both Worlds?
On average, full-foot fins deliver more speed than adjustables and probably cost you less energy, but the downside comes when you walk barefoot on docks and decks and climb boat ladders. Can you somehow have the best of both types? Is it possible to wear booties inside full-foots without losing their advantages?
We tried an experiment. Two testers wore booties inside two models of full-foots and made several speed runs. They had to use slightly larger sizes to accommodate the booties, but the fins seemed to be otherwise identical to the smaller sizes they had worn without booties earlier. In particular, the blade sizes looked the same.
The result? The speeds were virtually the same with booties and without, for both testers and both pairs of fins. Wearing booties inside the fins seemed to make no difference.
This suggests that eliminating the mushy booties is not the real reason for the full-foot advantage. Their light weight and the fact that they cup the heel are probably more important.
It also suggests that you could have the best of both types by sizing your full-foots to fit over a pair of booties. Use thin booties with minimal soles and high ankles so it's easier to remove the fin and leave the bootie in place.
We think the bootie-in-the-full-foot trick might be worth trying. If you try it, let us know what you think. --John Francis
