UPDATED September 3rd, 2010

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Finding good fins can be tricky for divers, especially for those who are new to diving. But with a bit of shopping around and research, you should find yourself a pair you can be happy with for many dives to come.

I will admit that when I started out, I bought a pair of fins that I thought was a great bargain and would give me years of good use.  After a couple of snorkelling trips, I hated them so much that I ended up giving them away to a grateful child on a South Pacific island (and I really hope he got much better use out of them than I did).

Finding a really good pair of fins can be a chore – made more complicated by ever eager dive shop sales assistants and countless reviews in magazines and online diving forums.  And don’t go out and buy a particular make just because your friend thinks it’s the best thing ever invented.  Scuba diving is an equipment-intensive activity and like any other piece of equipment, what may suit one user may not suit another.

Full-foot fins or Strap/open heel fins with booties?

If you are only going to dive warmer waters and will be happy walking around the dive sites bare-footed, full-foot fins will be fine. You’ll  have less to pack with you.

However, if you’re going to dive in cooler waters or in a drysuit, I would recommend a pair of strap fins and neoprene booties.  The strap and boot option will be more versatile and provide greater comfort and safety out of the water (it can be really uncomfortable walking barefoot on rocky beaches or dirty boat piers). More importantly, the strap and boot arrangement allows you to give more power to your finning.

Fit and comfort

Try more than one pair of booties.  Different makes will have different types of fit (you wouldn’t buy the first pair of running shoes or hiking boots you find in the shop and the same rule should apply to dive booties).

A poorly fitted boot or fin can be uncomfortable.  Foot and leg cramps, blisters and fatigue are often blamed on bad fins or on bad finning techniques that result from a poor fit.

Wear your booties when trying on the fins.  Put the fins on both feet and adjust the straps for a snug but NOT TOO TIGHT fit.  Sit down, put your feet out in front of you and shake your ankles about.  The fins should not move round on your feet.  If the fit is too large, they will move about on the dive and lose efficiency on the dive.  If they are too tight, you will be uncomfortable.

Stand with the fins on and put one foot ahead.  Keep the back foot flat on the floor.  Step on the tip of the back foot fin (or get the shop assistant to step on your fin tip).  Try to move the foot around while it’s weighted down.  The fin should not come loose or move round.

With a good fit, the fin/boot should not blister, chafe or irritate.  I have lost toenails to extended use of poorly fitted fin/booties – a lesson well-learned (and I did look a bit odd walking around in flip flops with three brightly-painted toenails on each foot).   The rule is, if it doesn’t feel right on land, it will give you problems underwater.

Functionality and performance – how will they work for you ON THE DIVE?

It’s crucial to remind yourself that fins are meant to be dived.  No matter what the sales assistant or brochure says (“state of the art”, “brand new technology”, “our best selling” etc) or how nice it looks, the purpose of fins is to work for you underwater.

Fins are designed to propel the user in the water – or work as extension of the feet.  Human beings need that little bit of help as we don’t have big flippers.

Durability

Don’t buy a cheap snorkelling set. Your fins have to withstand force underwater and a lot of banging and being thrown about on land.  Buy fins made of strong materials (usually rubber or a combination of rubber and plastic).  It’s a good idea to purchase from a scuba shop or online retailer specialising in diving equipment and not at the five-and-dime or the One Dollar Store.

Paddle or split fins?

An entire chapter could be devoted to this topic alone.  Try both types of fins and decide.  Manufacturers of split fins claim they are the more hydrodynamic and efficient fins – designed to work like a propeller.  Some prefer the splits because less power is required to kick (greater number of kicks but less fatigue on the legs).  For this reason, divers with hip and knee problems may prefer split fins.  Consider what type of diving you’ll be doing, whether or not you’ll be experiencing a lot of heavy-current diving (as many divers claim split fins don’t provide the power required against strong currents), your physical strength, the style of finning you like and whether or not you’ll be diving overhead and narrow environments.

Try before you buy

If you have the opportunity to try out the different styles and makes of fins, take note of which ones work well.  You can do with rental equipment on a few holidays although eventually, you’ll want to travel with your own your equipment.  Some dive schools/clubs/shops run “pool nights” where for a small fee, you can spend some time diving at a local pool with students doing courses, certified divers refreshing their skills before a holiday and those trying out equipment.  The shops often use these events as opportunities to sell equipment so call up your local dive shop and see what they offer.

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