Beginner 7 minutes
Fins and finning techniques
Gear matters, but the frog kick matters more
A diver with expensive fins and bad technique kicks up a cloud of sediment and tires out in twenty minutes. Another diver with borrowed fins and good technique crosses the same reef without moving a single grain of sand. The difference isn't in the gear.
In this article you'll see the fin types that exist, the difference between open heel and full foot, and above all the four finning techniques that genuinely change how you move underwater.
Your finning determines your gas consumption, your effort, how much sediment you stir up, and your ability to maneuver with precision. It's the central motor skill of diving.
Fin types
The first decision is the retention system. Open-heel fins are worn with a boot and a strap or spring at the heel: more versatile, more comfortable for walking to the entry point, and practically standard in scuba diving. Full-foot fins slip directly onto the bare foot, are lighter and more compact for travel, and are used mainly in snorkeling, freediving, and tropical boat diving.
The second is blade design. Conventional-blade fins act as a continuous surface and respond well to every technique, including those that require lateral thrust. Split-blade fins are designed to reduce effort during the flutter kick and tend to feel comfortable over long distances, but perform worse in precision techniques and in strong current.
Stiffness is the other parameter. A stiff fin gives more propulsion per kick and demands more from your legs; a flexible one tires you less but pushes less. There's no universal answer: it depends on your strength, the type of diving, and whether you'll be facing current.
One accessory deserves its own mention: spring straps replace rubber straps with a buckle. They cost a bit more and eliminate two common problems at the root: the strap breaking at the worst possible moment, and the fit loosening during the dive.
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