This question is one that I heard many times throughout the years that I have been in the business. The answer is 99.9% of the time it can usually be attributed to the snorkelers kick. Snorkeler’s need to learn, understand and develop proper fan kicks. The snorkeler’s legs should be as straight as possible with their kicking and should be more from the hip rather than from the knees. Kick should be slow and wide in an up and down motion which is called a flutter kick. Improper kicking with the snorkeling fins can look as if the person is riding a bicycle or trying to crawl across the floor.
If you find that you’re bending your knees during the proper flutter kick, it is a sign that you are kicking too hard and you need to slow your kick down. To make your snorkeling adventure more enjoyable, please wear your snorkeling fins.
Before I go into the differences between a full foot snorkeling fins and a strap fin, it probably would be a good thing to let you know of their aliases.
Full foot fins are known as shoe fins, closed heel fins, slip on fins or barefoot fins. Strap fins are also known as opening of fins, adjustable fins, barefoot adjustable fins and even barefoot strap fins. (I am sure we missed more aliase names)
Traditional strap snorkeling fins, for the most part, are made to be worn with additional footwear such as a water shoe, wet suit boot or booty. The reason for this is that the foot pocket usually made of a stiffer material which can cause irritation on the heel and the top of the fit due to rubbing. The exception to this is the barefoot strap fins which is why they call them snorkeling fins. The barefoot strap fins are usually softer material in both the strap and the foot pocket eliminating need for additional footwear.
The full foot snorkeling fins are in all instances designed to wear with barefoot. These fins are little less forgiving in the fit department as they are based on regular shoe sizing. They can be uncomfortable for those with high arches or wide foot sizes (which we have a solution for that also, but a different article).
Strap snorkeling fins are a bit more forgiving as each fin covers a broader range of sizing because the strap is adjustable.
This is a very good question. A person who snorkels with their own personal snorkel gear is going to be more comfortable while they’re snorkeling. I know this from personal experience. When I go on vacation I have always made sure that I have brought my own mask, snorkel and fins. I know whose face my mask is been on and I know whose mouth my snorkel has been in. As far as snorkeling fins go, I know that my fins fit me comfortably and I have gotten extremely used to how they perform for me while I am snorkeling.
When the airlines started putting restrictions on luggage which included number of pieces, size for carry-on and weight, it threw me in a dilemma. My original snorkeling fins were 24 inches long. They did take up a goodly amount of space in my luggage and they were a bit on the heavy side. My dilemma was to take them or do I rent a pair of fins while I’m on vacation? I thought long and hard about this.
Snorkeling manufacturers did come to bat by making “travel fins” such as the U.S. Divers Trek Fins and Cressi Palau SAF Fins. These fins were touted as lighter in weight and shorter than traditional snorkeling fins and from the reviews by users, people are actually preferring the travel size fins over the traditional length fins.
Now the question changed to, do I buy a pair of the new travel fins to take with or do I rent what they have there?
My answer actually came from a telephone customer who was purchasing mask, snorkel and fins for his upcoming vacation. He relayed a story of being on his last vacation where he chose to rent his snorkeling gear. His experience was having a mask that leaked because it didn’t fit. They didn’t have another selection because most of them were already rented and it was the best of what was left. It came with a snorkel but he realized that the snorkel was going in his mouth and he wasn’t sure of whose mouth it had been in before and wasn’t sure if it was sanitized. And they were out of the size snorkeling fins he needed. He was told that he could come back in an hour or two and they would probably have a lot of the previously rented gear back. If that didn’t add insult to injury, then the fact that he had already waited 45 minutes in a line to rent the equipment did.
Needless to say I bought my travel fins shortly after I finished processing his order.
We often get questions on everything about snorkeling and we would like to share with you on the answer. If you would like to ask any questions, please let me know.
Roy
How do I stop getting cramps in my legs or feet while snorkeling?
There could be more than a few reasons and I bet they have to do with your snorkeling fins. Lets discuss each possible reason.
1 – If you are wearing a full foot snorkeling fins and you have wide feet or high arches, you will usually cramp up. The solution is to wear strap fins.
2 – The blade portion of your snorkeling fins may be to stiff. All fins need to have a reasonable degree of flexibility in the blade area to help reduce stress on the calf and thigh area. The stiffer the blade, the greater chance of cramping. (Most cheap fins have a stiff blade, remember you get what you pay for.)
3 – Another reason for cramping is because you may be using improper kicks or kicking to hard. When using your fins, your legs should be kept straight and the kick should be more from the hip rather than below the knee. If your knees bend when you are kicking, then you are kicking to hard.
4 – When was the last time you checked your potassium? A banana or avocados should help, and dont forget to call for an appointment with your doctor!
We hope we have helped you with any cramping that you may have with your snorkeling fins. Here is a great article, Snorkeling Fins, Select the Right Pair, that will help you with your snorkeling fins choice. Have fun in the water!
I had someone email me and tell me that when they go snorkeling, sometimes they get a cramp in their foot while snorkeling. They wanted to know how to avoid this.
I told them there their maybe a couple of reasons may be a couple of reasons why you are cramping up while using fins.
1. You may have fins that are too small. If you are using full foot fins and you have wide feet or high arches, you will usually cramp up in the arch of the foot or the front part of the foot. If that is the case then I would suggest getting a more correct size or switching to strap fins.
2. Another answer could be that the blade portion of the fins you are using may be too stiff. Snorkelers use fins that have a reasonable degree of flexibility in the blade area to help reduce stress on the calf and thigh area of the user. The stiffer the blade, the greater the chance for cramping.
3. Or maybe you may be using improper kicking or kicking too hard.. When using fins the legs should be kept as straight as possible and the kick should be more from the hip rather than below the knee. If your knees bend when you are kicking then you are kicking too hard. Here is a video of a good example of a good snorkeling fin kick.
4. You may be low on potassium in which case bananas or avocados will help in that respect.
U.S. Divers is a reputable brand for snorkel gear and they continue to rejuvenate their snorkel gear including their snorkeling fins. This video shows the Midwest Regional Sales Manager for Aqua Lung, U.S. Divers and Deep See, Jeff Wandschneider explain the difference of their most popular snorkeling fins, U.S. Divers Travel Trek Fins and the U.S. Divers Blast II Fins. Enjoy!
We consistently talk to snorkelers who have wide feet, men specifically. I feel bad because there is not one snorkeling manufacturer who makes a snorkeling fin pocket that is generous in the width of the pocket.
What are their options? Purchase scuba fins and yes, they can be used for snorkeling also. Scuba fins can run up to $189.95 and as low as $59.95. The Oceanic strap fins, Viper, are a great fin whether you choose to use them for scuba or snorkeling and priced at only $79.95. Some features are that Oceanic does have a generous foot pocket in the width and is true to size. The Viper is ideal for all levels of snorkeling and scuba and can fit wide feet over the size of 12+. Boots are required.
The full foot fins, Oceanic V-6 Fins are a great buy at only $59.95 and have a generous foot pocket. The features and benefits with the Oceanic V-6 fins is that you do not have to purchase a boot, they are light-weight fins and they have the dynamics of the split fins. The split fins provides more speed and power than larger open heel (strap) fins with less effort.
With wide feet, you probably have problems finding neoprene boots. The Deep See Aqua Purge is also generous in width but we recommend that you purchase 1 size larger than you need. You ask, why do you need boots? Anytime you are involved in water sports it is wise to always carry neoprene boots, they are great to wear on a snorkeling boot, walk on the beach, climb over rocks on the beach, take them to the pool and even wash your car.
Wide feet are caused by numerous reasons but because I am not a doctor, I will not get into this. How do you know if you have wide feet… well that is easy, you dont fit in normal shoes. Ok, let me be more specific. When you purchase shoes, they are normally a D width. If you have narrow feet, you would purchase a C width. And for those that have wide feet, you would wear an E and it goes up to a EE and then a EEE. Now womens shoes dont go by letter sizing, they are just actually Narrow, Average, Wide & X-Wide.
