Swim-fins, or flippers are worn on the foot and made from rubber or plastic, to aid movement through the water
Water sport activities such as swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving, body-boarding, body-surfing, knee-boarding, river-boarding, and various other types of Water sports using Fins in different forms.
Snorkelers, Scuba divers, etc. use fins to move through water efficiently, as human feet being very small provide relatively poor thrust, especially when the diver is carrying equipment that increases hydrodynamic drag. Very long and mono-fins are used by freedivers as a means of underwater propulsion that does not require high frequency leg movement.
Material used
Commercially available swimming fins are made of rubber and / or PVC. For special fins (e.g. monofins, apnea fins) other materials may be used, e.g. Glass fiber or carbon fiber reinforced plastic. Swimming fins consist of a foot part and the fin blade.
Blade Stiffness
As a beginner you don’t want to have a to stiff and long blade as it can give you cramps in the water. But they shouldn’t be too soft either otherwise you don’t have the propulsion you need to go against a strong current.
The Blade should have Thrust Channels which directs water off the tip of the blade for improved power and efficiency.
Care and cleaning
After a salt water, fresh water or swimming pool dive, you should always rinse the fins thoroughly with fresh water, you should operate all buckles and straps while rinsing so that the remaining salt water or the residual dirt is rinsed out.