What's the purpose for wearing fins snorkeling?

[mgm3430]

Do you have to wear the fins to snorkel? All my toes on my right foot are amputated and when I put on the fins to practice in the pool the fins were cutting into my foot and my partial foot isn't as strong as my left foot in swimming with the fins. Plus it felt weird swimming in them like my equalibrium was off.

 

We're going snorkeling in dec. on our cruise. If I have water shoes would that be good enough instead of fins? What is the purpose of the fins?

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks!

[gmcrow]

It depends on the conditions. In flat calm seas with no current or a very close the the shore beach snorkel you would be reasonably safe without fins. I wouldn't chance it without.them in any other conditions. Most people simply don't have the leg strength to swim against an ocean current without fins.

[scubadiver888]

Do you have to wear the fins to snorkel? All my toes on my right foot are amputated and when I put on the fins to practice in the pool the fins were cutting into my foot and my partial foot isn't as strong as my left foot in swimming with the fins. Plus it felt weird swimming in them like my equalibrium was off.

 

We're going snorkeling in dec. on our cruise. If I have water shoes would that be good enough instead of fins? What is the purpose of the fins?

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks!

 

I'm not a snorkeler but I scuba dive. When I get to the boat, after a dive, I take off my fins and hand them up to the boat master. I then climb the ladder to the boat. I usually take one fin off, hand it to the BM then take the other fin off and hand it to the BM. Occassionally, while taking off the second fin I'll drift away from the boat. As I try to swim back to the boat i REALLY notice how much harder it is to go just 3 to 5 feet without my fins on.

 

If you are serious about snorkeling, maybe you should look into cold water fins. They fit quite differently from warm water fins and might be a little more comfortable for you.

 

Darrell

[Grayce]

You really need the fins. My son said the fins hurt his feet so he wore a pair of water shores under them.

[satxdiver]

The fins help propel you through the water. I suggest you try it in a pool with and without the fins to see the difference. Remember that in a pool there are no currents while in the ocean/gulf there are plenty of currents. Try swimming against the current without fins. BTW shoes or coverings on the feet will slow you down in the water. Check it out.

[scubaran]

Do you have to wear the fins to snorkel? All my toes on my right foot are amputated and when I put on the fins to practice in the pool the fins were cutting into my foot and my partial foot isn't as strong as my left foot in swimming with the fins. Plus it felt weird swimming in them like my equalibrium was off.

 

We're going snorkeling in dec. on our cruise. If I have water shoes would that be good enough instead of fins? What is the purpose of the fins?

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks!

 

You might look into open heeled fins. See below:

 

 

With these fins you can use water shoes or get dive boots. So in this case, you put on your shoes/boots, slip them into the pocket and then pull on the straps to snug your foot in. I found the pair on the picture at scuba.com for around $25 and I know there are many on-line stores that sell them at a reasonable price. I'd also suggest using boots as they are neoprene that go to the ankle and will support your feet better for swimming. The boots also have a rubber front so there shouldn't be any problem with discomfort as they protect better against the fin.

 

 

3mm-6mm boots will be fine for snorkeling (some people like the thinner boots but in practice I've done both and didn't have any issues with being too hot as the boots allow water to flow into them).

 

What ever you do, I would recommend that you not go without fins. I equate it to canoeing with 1"x1" poles instead of paddles. You'll get around but you'd extend so much energy it won't be fun.

 

Hope this helped,

Randall

[3boyzmom]

I COMPLETELY agree with Scubaran...

 

I dive now, but when I snorkeled I always HATED fins- my toes would blister. It was just awful. Because we live in California, and most of our dives are cold-water dives, I bought dive booties and open-foot fins. I LOVE THEM! I NEVER have any problems with my feet! A nice thing about it is even when you take your fins off, your feet are totally protected. On recent snorkeling trips, it has been handy when the beach was rocky.

 

You won't have to work nearly as hard if you have fins on. Plus, if you run into a current, you're out of luck completely if you don't have fins on.

[simonv]

As everyone says, it's a safety issue. I won't dream of snorkeling without fins, because, though I swim reasonally well, I'm not a strong swimmer. I don't think I can swim the distance without fins I routinely cover with fins. Open-back fins with booties would be the solution for your problem.

[Capt_BJ]

I'd recommend a visit to a good dive shop - I see you are in Vegas - a quick Google search came up with 3 recommendations.

 

A good shop will spend some time and show you options...closed foot vs open....dive boots... Think of this as being on par with buying ski's....the right gear makes all the difference.