When diving, have you ever been considered a "piggyback"? The air in the cylinder (many people call it oxygen cylinder) is always consumed faster than others, and had to go ashore earlier.

Why is this? A big possibility is that you did not choose a good flipper, because the efficiency of the flipper directly affects the speed of air consumption when diving, so we must choose a suitable flipper when diving!

So how do we choose flippers?

1. What kinds of flippers are there?

There are two main types of flippers: the over-footed type and the adjustable type.

Flippers

Adjustable flippers

2. What are the types of flippers?

There are two types of flippers: split type and paddle type.

Bifurcated

Bifurcated flippers: When you swim, the blades create a vortex in the water, and even with a small amount of propulsion, the bifurcated blades open and allow the water to flow through.

Advantages:

1. strong propulsion, reduced diving intensity, high efficiency

2. Reduce the consumption of air

3. Low difficulty in use, more suitable for novice divers

Disadvantages:

1. Not suitable for use in harsh diving environments

When using the sock type, the whole foot is put on the foot like a shoe, usually with a specific sock cover.

Advantages: 1:

Inexpensive

Easy to put on and take off

Small and lightweight

Disadvantages:

Can't keep feet warm

Not suitable for shore diving

Can hurt your feet if they are not the right size

When you stand up on your toes, the flippers will stick to your heels instead of falling into the water.

If the flippers don't fit properly, they will rub and even bruise your feet, so don't buy flippers that don't fit.

Flippers

Adjustable flippers

Adjustable flippers must be put on first with a pair of dive boots and then with flippers.

Advantages:

Provides temperature protection

Adaptable to many foot sizes

Disadvantages:

Expensive

Larger and heavier

More complicated to use

Split flippers

Paddle

Paddle flippers: Paddle flippers have been around for many years and are characterized by a grunting sound.

Advantages:

1. They are the best choice for diving rescue and catching up with trainees because of their grunting sound

2. Suitable for various environments

Disadvantages:

1. Difficult to operate compared to the bifurcated some high

2. Average propulsion power

Paddle flippers

3. How to choose flippers?

If you have already decided to buy a set of flippers or adjustable flippers, and whether to buy split flippers or paddle flippers, then how to choose them? You can choose from 4 aspects: material, length, softness, and buckle.

1. Material

Flippers are mainly made of rubber, thermoplastic, fiberglass and carbon fiber.

Rubber flippers: Due to the elasticity and density of rubber, they are very suitable for beginners and dominate in scuba diving.

Thermoplastic flippers: They are the best choice for free diving beginners and fishing and hunting enthusiasts because of the way plastic products are molded which makes them versatile, colorful, lightweight, and cheap.

Fiberglass flippers: Cost-effective and durable, less resilient compared to carbon fiber.

Carbon fiber flippers: are the most expensive, better toughness as well as resilience, provide better power, low weight, basically for professional players and advanced enthusiasts. The pleasure it can bring to the user is not really comparable to the first three materials.

2. Length

The right length is the best!

Flippers that are too long need to be controlled more vigorously and are not suitable for long time use, but are more suitable for free diving; while flippers that are too short will greatly reduce the propulsion force underwater.

3. Soft and hard

Soft and hard is the best!

If the flippers are easily bent to 90 degrees, they will not provide you with enough power; if they cannot be bent to 90 degrees, they may be too hard to use.

Some people like to kick the water with a strong feeling, so a full rubber flipper with a heavy weight is certainly suitable; but some people like the soft and watery feeling, so you can choose a relatively portable and light plastic flipper.

Here's a way to test the hardness of your flippers: put the blades and foot covers on your shoulders in reverse, then hold the front of the flippers in your hands and try to bend them 90 degrees, which should be difficult under normal circumstances. (Note: Some flippers are not suitable for this test method)

4. Choice of buckle

Choosing a quick release buckle and a spring steel strap?

There is no difference which is more advanced! Usually flippers come standard with quick release buckles, which are fasten and unfasten buckles that make it easy to put on and take off the flippers.

4. How do I test my flippers?

Once you have chosen your flippers, it is best to try them on in the pool provided by the dive store to see if they really fit you:

1. Ease of donning and doffing: when entering or exiting the water, is it easy to put on?

2. Whether easy to adjust: the effectiveness and ease of use of buckles and straps

3. Comfort: the overall comfort and safety of the flippers.

4. Stability: whether the flippers have the tendency to sway and slice each other when drawing a circle

5. Power vs pressure: the ratio between the energy generated when drawing the circle and the physical strength used when drawing the circle

6. Kicking style: the ease and efficiency of the flippers when swimming underwater using flutter kicks, frog kicks and dolphin style kicks

7. Acceleration: whether the flippers allow the tester to rapidly increase speed when swimming underwater

8. Flexibility: the ease of using the flippers to move in and out of tight places, such as backing up, rotating or turning

9.Snorkeling: the usefulness of the flippers when snorkeling