Travel Gear

The Best Scuba Diving Fins Of 2017

Short, firm blade designed for maximum kicking power and generous foot pockets accommodate thick drysuit boots | Jon Whittle

By Sport Diver Editors Feb. 16, 2018

There's nothing quite like diving with a pair of powerful fins that are comfortable and fit like a glove. Our 2017 scuba diving Gear Buyers Guide will help you find the best scuba diving fins that fit your diving style.

The X1, Atomic's latest fin model, marries a solid internal monocoque frame with rigid, low-profile side rails to create maximum kick-to-thrust performance, plus vertical stabilizers on each tip to improve tracking through a variety of finning styles. The time-proven EZ-LOK Buckle System is designed to combat accidental release. And the X1 comes in six colors.

Cressi Agua — Lightweight construction helps reduce fatigue and self-adjusting foot pocket for comfort and stability | Jon Whittle

The Agua's supple, highly elastic full-foot pocket adjusts itself to your foot, providing comfortable, firm support for hours of easy kicking. The Agua is noticeably lighter than other fins in its class, but this full-foot fin also has excellent responsiveness for strong propulsion without fatiguing your legs. The fin is available in five sizes, and in blue or yellow.

Hollis F1LT — Vented blade reduces stress on your legs while accelerating water over the blade surface and spring straps come with angled mounts to increase comfort level and power transfer. | Jon Whittle

The F1LT comes with a shorter blade than the original F1. And instead of being made of rubber, the F1LT is constructed of a SEBS compound that is lighter and more buoyant than rubber. This makes it an excellent choice for finning in confined spaces and near delicate reef systems.

Indigo Industries Shift XT — Lock-Right closure system allows you to switch from blade fin to split fin in seconds, and alternate between boot diving and barefoot diving simply by replacing the foot pocket. | Jon Whittle

The new Shift XT is a modular fin that offers divers lots of choices. The unique design lets you adjust the fin blades and foot pockets to match water temperature and diving conditions. The slightly shorter blade length with bidirectional design provides agility without sacrificing thrust.

Indigo Industries Defiant XT — Design replaces blocky frame rails and stabilizers with dynamic lines that reduce drag, and a choice of stiffeners lets you fine-tune the level of thrust to suit your diving style of choice. | Jon Whittle

The sleek lines of the Defiant XT look great, and the unique blade delivers unsurpassed performance. Shorter and slightly wider, the blade provides excellent control and power to spare. The modular design lets you switch between a boot diving and barefoot diving fin in seconds.

Indigo Industries Apex XT — Engineered with a smooth blade face that eliminates the need for bulky I-beam side bars, and a curved blade tip channels water through the open seams for unparalleled propulsion. | Jon Whittle

Split fin divers will like the versatility and performance of the Apex XT. The fin is completely modular, so you can adjust the amount of stiff ness to suit dive conditions and your preferred kicking style. You can also quickly and easily switch from diving with boots to barefoot diving.

Oceanic Manta Ray — Techno-polymer blade provides the strength to maximize power and speed while being extremely lightweight, and winglets are positioned along the length of the blade to increase efficiency and maneuverability. | Jon Whittle

The Manta Ray's design was inspired by the shape and bio-mechanics of marine animals. The special Power-X system allows the fin's blade to flex during the down stroke and release stored energy prior to the upstroke to optimize propulsion, while a flexible center channel increases thrust.

SCUBAPRO Go — Lightweight design increases convenience for traveling divers and comfort and ease of use in the water, and self-adjusting bungee heel strap allows for a versatile fit and makes the fin easy to don and doff. | Jon Whittle

The Go travel fin combines the easy fitting benefits of an open-heel fin with the barefoot freedom of a full-foot fin. A fast and nimble performer in the water, it's the ideal fin for divers, snorkelers and swimmers who travel near and far. A Medium-Large pair of the ultralight fins weighs just 2.6 pounds.

SEAC F1 S — Foot pocket is built with both technopolymer and a thermoplastic elastomer for comfort as well as stability, and new Sling Strap system makes quick work of donning and doffing the fin | Jon Whittle

Offering a traditional fin design with sleek, modern features, SEAC's F1 S is lightweight, easy to use and comfortable on the foot. Best of all, it delivers one of the best performance-to-effort ratios on the market. The F1 S fin also gives you plenty of options; you can choose from its three sizes and five color combinations.

TUSA SF0104 Hyflex Switch — Fin blade is made of a top quality polyurethane that provides a quick response to movement, and multi-compound foot pocket increases the power transfer to the fin blade to improve performance. | Jon Whittle

The Hyflex Switch is TUSA's new open-heel fin powered by a modern PuRiMaX blade design. Six Vortex Generator ridges positioned behind the blade vent reduce resistance and create a more efficient kicking cycle. Disassembles for travel, and comes standard with a five-size adjustable bungee straps.

Zeagle Recon — New tech-minded, performance-oriented design, and strakes on top and bottom of blade increase thrust. | Jon Whittle

Built to optimize the alternative fin strokes favored by technical divers, the Recon is constructed with natural rubber compounds placed in strategic spots to maximize blade rebound, flexibility and abrasion resistance. The foot pocket features bottom channels to ease entry, and the spring straps are adjustable up to 2 inches thanks to a simple but innovative buckle system.