Dive Fins - Open Heel

Stainless Steel Spring Fin Straps
You'll notice here that we recommend open heel fins with spring fin straps. Spring fin straps are popular with experienced recreational and technical divers because they are extremely reliable and easy to use. Because there is nothing to clip, snap or adjust, spring fin straps make putting on and removing your fins easy and fast, especially if you have to do it in the water! They automatically adjust to the divers feet during the dive, compensating for depth and compression of boot material. Some fins are available with string fin straps, while others will require you to buy the string fin straps as a fin accessory.

Beware of Fin Hyperbole
Fin designs are an aspect of dive equipment that seem more like fashion trends, and there seems to always be someone promoting "a better mousetrap". Most of these elaborate fin designs work fine when used to move forward at a modest speed using a flutter scissor kick, and the split fin design tests especially well in this regard. However, many designs are poor if you wish to frog kick or use almost any of the swimming techniques preferred by experienced divers in tight spaces. Full foot pockets and elaborate heel strap systems are also more likely to cause the loss of a fin in forceful swimming. Be sceptical of those "fin performance reviews" that favour the casual recreational diver. Many knowledgeable divers choose a versatile no-frills open-heel fin design with a stiff blade and a strong, reliable spring strap at an affordable price.

For more information about choosing the right scuba fins for you, please see our Scuba Fins Buying Guide.