Fins are an essential piece of diving kit, with every diver having a personal preference to the style which suits them best. Some divers opt for the traditional 'jet fin' style, which are large and fairly rigid, where as some divers like the more modern style 'split fins' which offer less water restriction whilst improving the power ratio.
A jellyfish is faster and more graceful than you are without fins underwater. Fins transform you from a slow moving, limbs flailing, underwater creature into a true denizen of the deep. They enable you to dart about with speed, mobility and efficiency.
How do you choose the right scuba diving fin for you?
When you walk into your local dive shop, or look online, the sheer variety of diving fins can seem overwhelming.
Flex fins, split fins, force fins, closed heel, open heel, the list goes on and on.
When it comes down to it there are really only 2 basic types of scuba diving fins. All fins are just variations on either one of these themes.
The most common type of fin used in diving. Paddle fins can be cheap or expensive depending on the style, make and model. Different features, like flex points, can add significantly to the price.
A paddle scuba fin offers good mobility and agility. Overall it's a great choice for any diver.
A downside to the paddle style fin it that it has the most resistance and requires big strong leg kicks, which can tire a diver out and result in more air consumption.
Features like flex or pivot points can alter how much effort it takes, and when it comes to buying these more expensive fins I would suggest trying before buying if possible. At lest do as much homework as possible before laying out the cash.
The split fin has a blade which is split in half down the middle. When a scuba diver kicks, the split blade acts like a propeller to push the diver forward.
Split fins require less effort to kick and are good for divers whose leg strength might not be very strong, or who prefer short flutter style kicking.
Some divers feel that split fins aren't as effective when diving in strong currents.
It's the features that manufacturers add to their specific fin design that makes the price start to rise.
Go on any scuba forum, or anywhere divers are talking, and you'll hear debate for or against any particular design feature.
It's always a matter of individual comfort and preference combined with each divers particular style whether a certain type of fin 'works' for them or not.
Are they comfortable? Comfort is paramount. Wear dive boots when trying on any fin you are considering to see how it feels.
We recently read that zappos.com, a giant online shoe retailer, has a 30% return rate for improper fit, so the size question is not limited to swim fins. The question may be even more difficult with fins because a 'shoe' size is only part of the answer. The brand and type of neoprene boots you wear, particularly heavy soled or rock boots, will have as much effect on the selection of fin foot pocket as the shoe size. Some people, especially those with high arches, prefer a loose fit in their fin and others prefer a snug fit. Our recommendation is to make your 'best guess' following our size guides and rely upon The Scuba Doctor no hassles return policy.
Any fin will get you through the water. High performance racing tires and cheap discount store tires both let a car roll.
Buy what you can afford, and upgrade when you can.
A closed heel fin is usually used for snorkeling, however if you are doing very easy dives with minimal equipment in warm water, you can definitely use them.
Otherwise an open heel used with a bootie is better for most scuba diving.
Do you travel a lot when you dive, moving from spot to spot, always swimming? If so a dive fin designed to help you cover a lot of distance easily would be best.
If you have stronger legs you should be able to use a stiffer more robust fin, If that's what you want.
The 2 biggest considerations in our opinion are comfort and price.
There's a lot of debate over fins. This is more agile than that, this is harder to kick than that, this makes me move faster than that, blah blah blah.
Yes the different features do affect performance. But if a fin isn't comfortable your dive will suck. If it's too expensive, you'll be too broke to buy air to dive with.
Think about what type of diving you mostly do and make a checklist of what you are looking for in scuba fins.
Try out a few different styles. If you rent gear, ask the dive shop if they have different style fins available, or ask other divers if you can try theirs.
For more information about Fin features please read our advice on choosing the right Fins for you in our Trusted Advice section.
Then buy the best pair you can afford from The Scuba Doctor.
Don't be Fooled!
Some dive shops promote seasonal sales. At The Scuba Doctor we have Everyday Low Prices Guaranteed! If you compare us with the others, you'll find our special prices on top quality brand name products typically match or better their temporary sales prices everyday of the year.
Our everyday low prices are across the shop on all of your scuba diving, freediving, spearfishing, snorkelling and water sports needs all year. By shopping at The Scuba Doctor you don't have to wait for sales markdowns a few times a year to purchase the best quality gear at low prices.
When you're after great brand name gear and expert advise to satisfy your diving or snorkelling addiction, we're here to help!
All year long, we offer you the lowest prices. You won't need to wait for a "fake" discount.
Is there a specific reason you believe you are entitled to a discount?
Do you think that we're intentionally overcharging and that with some negotiation, it should be possible to talk us down to the 'proper' price? In other words, you assume we have a lack of integrity. That is, we're asking too much.
Do you assume that we so desperately need the sale that we're willing to be underpaid, which, to us, seems like a lack of integrity on your part. We don't even have a special discount price for 'friends'. We have many friends and our prices are what they pay. We assume you want us to treat all of our friends equally and fairly?
So what is different about our local dive shop that you feel entitled to ask for a discount?
Yes, we know that there are dive shops that sell products at prices way above the Recommended Retail Price (RRP). Sometimes they may discount their inflated prices back down to the RRP. But we don't do that here.
75% of our sales happen online. Thus we compete 24x7 in a national and international marketplace. We're good at it. Our prices are very competitive. Compare them with our competitors for yourself and you'll see.
We can't always have the lowest prices available on everything, but we do the best we can. Sometimes other shops may have been able to negotiate a special deal with a supplier, and thus offer a better price than us. This is why we don't price match. To match prices set because of a special deal we don't have access to is a recipe for failure. If price is your only concern, buy it at the special price from the other place. Then we'll still be here to help you next time.
In order to be able to provide you with great customer service and true value for money, plus feed our families and stay in business, our prices are what they are.
So again we ask, why do you believe you are entitled to a special discount we don't provide to the rest of Australia?
Do you still want an extra discount?
Yes, it would be an 'extra' discount. Almost all of our prices are already discounted, some by as much as 70% off RRP. So, like Oliver Twist, do you still want some more?
If you do still want an extra discount, depending on the items, our store owner may offer you his standard response to people asking for a discount.
"Because you've asked for a discount, your price is now 10% off RRP." And he'll do it with a wry smile.
You're not going to like that outcome. Because you'll have to pay more than our regular, or special prices. Yes, more! When our price is already 25% off RRP, paying 10% off RRP is significantly more.
So, do you still want a discount?
We have a dilemma! We are a fully authorised dealer for all the products we sell. That means you will always get a full manufacturers warranty on all the scuba gear you buy from us, and you'll get the customer service that made our company what it is today.
However, to maintain their Authorised Scuba Dealer status there are some brands who require us to show some or all of their products at the full Recommended Retail Price (RRP). It's a policy that some brands use to up hold the retail pricing of their products. In overseas markets this is typically referred to as a Minimum Advertised Pricing (MAP) policy.
We wish to remain an authorised dealer for those brands. So, our prices from those brands on products covered by their MAP policy will be at the full RRP. It's required by those brands! If we don't comply they will simply stop supplying us with all of their products.
We don't offer "buy now, pay later" options such as Afterpay, ZipPay etc. The stark reality is that these schemes prey on the "get it now" attitude of consumers. There are no legal safeguards in place to prevent these schemes from preying on those who can't repay on time. They are not regulated by the National Credit Act, they are not required to consider income and existing debts of potential customers when they provide a loan. They profit more when people are unable to pay on time and are forced to pay late fees. They are unfairly profiting from this perverse incentive.
These "buy now, pay later" services prevent merchants from passing on the high costs of their services to customers. Thus they skew the market by hiding the true cost of using these kinds of services.
Many merchants offering "buy now, pay later" payment options are forced to increase their prices for all shoppers in order to recoup the "buy now, pay later" service costs through higher prices. These "buy now, pay later" offerings also direct customers away from lower cost payments options.
We prefer to protect our customers from "debt vultures", keep our prices to customers low, and provide customers with lower cost payment options such as direct bank transfers, credit cards, and PayPal.
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tel. +61 3 5985 1700 :: email. diveshop@scubadoctor.com.au :: Web site by it'sTechnical 2022