TRADITIONAL PADDLE FINS

            Up until recently, traditional SCUBA fins tended to be exceptionally rigid.  As the sport becomes increasingly more popular however paddle fins have given way to much more user friendly paddle fins made of more pliable synthetic materials.  While paddle fins vary significantly in looks the best paddle fins share many common features.  Ultimately the name of the game when it comes to fins is efficiency.  Not just efficiency from the standpoint of how the fin performs on a simulated kicking machine, but how efficient a fin will be when a real diver diving in real life conditions will be using it.  In order to maximize efficiency the best diving fins will do everything they can to maximize the surface area of the blade of the fin on the down stroke of the kicking cycle.  This is usually done by incorporating the foot pocket beneath the blade of the fin as opposed to on top of the fin.  In addition to the placement of the foot pocket good fins will also have stabilizing rods along the side of the fin which help channel the water behind the diver after each kick as opposed to a the water simply moving behind and to the sides of the fins.  You should recall from your Open Water course that paddle fins work in a similar way to an oar moving through the water.  The key difference being our present day fins have a lot of give and snap to them which facilitate a proper slow and deliberate kicking style.

            Typically most Open Water divers diving in Southern California will be best suited with paddle fins.  Since many people are not used to the slow and deliberate kicking style they find themselves fatiguing easily when trying to keep up with a more experienced buddy.  To the novice diver, paddle fins offer a very forgiving way to master the proper kicking style in that they tend to move fairly easily through the water and they can be used in a variety of different kicking styles!  One should always remember no one is racing you when you are diving so take your time.  Paddle fins can easily propel an experienced diver through the water quickly, and very easily tone muscles in the more novice diver.  On top of the ability to use several kicking styles, paddle fins also offer excellent maneuverability and are not susceptible to currents.  If you plan on taking up underwater photography or overhead environment diving such as wreck and cave diving but you are a little worried about your leg strength pick up a pair of paddle fins.

CUPPING FINS

            Cupping fins look similar to traditional paddle fins in that both have long stabilizing bars and foot pockets integrated beneath the blade of the fin.  However cupping fins tend to have at least two softer lines running down the blade of the fin.  These grooves combined with the stabilizing bars prevent the blade from bending like a traditional paddle fin and instead cause the softer blade to cup like a swimmers hand to move water behind the diver.  With cupping fins the more soft grooves running down the length of the fin the more efficient the blade will be regardless of diver experience.  Cupping fins best exemplified by the Mares Avanti Quatro tend to be some of the most maneuverable fins when in the water.  This maneuverability comes in handy when surge or drift diving off of our coast where sometimes low visibility conditions necessitate quick changes in orientation within the water column.  Cupping fins like the paddle fins are very efficient when using a slow and deliberate kick.  However the cupping action of the blade may make it more difficult for a novice diver to maintain the proper scuba kick over long periods of time.  Those who stay with this style of fin tend to increase leg strength and down the road are able to dive in any fin.

SPLIT FINS

            Split fins do not look like either paddle or cupping fins.  With their long slit right down the middle of the fin, split fins use this split combined with the stabilizing bars and angled blade to propel the diver through the water by the same principles that allow an air plane to fly.  Because the diver is not pushing the water behind him or herself, but is moved by lift divers often remark on how easy it is for them to move through the water column.  It should be noted that unlike the previous two fins, shorter flutter kicks should be used with split fins to maximize propulsion.  This is a great feature for those divers with leg conditions that prevented them from diving in the past.  However since split fins do not push you through the water but lift you through the water they tend to be less effective in currents.  Additionally for those diving in conditions where maneuverability is a necessity, most divers will find it difficult back peddling or maneuvering when using split fins.  Split fins are often toted as the most efficient fins on the market and always score highly in efficiency in magazines. 

            When buying fins it is less important to know how professionals who dive everyday move around in the fins you are going to buy, and more important to know how someone with your current ability and diving habits will respond to your fin.  Every year gear review magazines rate fins and crown one fin as most efficient.  For the next twelve months the major contenders in the industry duke it out with their own statistics proving once and for all their fin is best.  I cannot say one fin reigns supreme for all divers since the spectrum of divers varies so much.