Best Scuba Fins for Beginners in 2026

Your fins do almost all the work of moving you underwater, so they are one of the first pieces of gear worth owning. For most Australian beginners the answer is simple: an open-heel paddle fin of moderate stiffness, worn over dive boots. This guide explains why, then picks six well-proven fins for 2026 and says who each one suits.

If you are buying your first mask, snorkel and fins together, start with our guide to choosing your first mask, snorkel and fins. It covers the shop fit test, boots and budgets, so this page sticks to fins.

How to Choose Scuba Fins

Open-heel or full-foot?

Full-foot fins fit like a shoe over bare feet or thin neoprene socks, and come in fixed sizes. Open-heel fins have an open foot pocket and a heel strap, are worn over dive boots, and are the usual choice wherever divers walk into the water from shore and need to protect their feet.

That settles it for most Australians. A lot of our diving starts with a shore entry over rock platforms, sand or jetty steps, which means boots, and boots mean open-heel fins. Full-foot fins make sense for warm-water boat diving and travel, where they are lighter to pack. Some models, such as Oceanic's Viper 2, come in both versions.

Blade types

- Paddle fins have a plain blade of plastic, composite or rubber. Relatively stiff paddle fins are widely seen as the most versatile, and a stiff paddle is what you need for the back kick and helicopter turn taught on wreck and cave courses. - Channels, ribs and vents are added to many paddle fins to steer water along the blade, and Jet-fin-style fins have vents near the foot pocket. A 2003 University at Buffalo study that measured divers' oxygen use, speed and thrust found these features did not, on their own, make fins more economical. Its tests used only the flutter kick, though, and vented fins are mostly used with the frog kick. - Split fins are divided down the middle, and their makers say they work like a propeller. In the same study one split fin performed no differently with its split taped shut. Split fins were among the most economical fins tested, but they covered less distance per kick than a Mares Quattro paddle fin and had to be kicked faster. - Hinged blades, like Scubapro's Seawing Nova, pivot the whole blade on a joint at the foot pocket; Scubapro pitches them as combining the power of a blade fin with the comfort of a split fin.

Stiffness, size and weight

In the Buffalo study, divers kicked stiffer fins deeper and more slowly and got more thrust from each kick, while flexible fins were kicked faster with shallower strokes. Stiff paddle fins proved more economical for men, while for women a more flexible fin was more economical, most likely because of lower leg power. Larger blades have been found to turn effort into thrust more efficiently and to feel less tiring.

For a first pair, choose moderate stiffness. Go softer if your calves cramp or your ankles complain; go stiffer only if you are a strong kicker who often dives in current.

Weight matters too. Rubber fins such as the Apeks RK3 are heavy and sink, which helps drysuit divers whose feet tend to float. Light plastic fins are easier to travel with.

Sizing with boots

Buy your boots first, then try fins on with those boots. Fin size charts are based on shoe size, but a thick-soled 5 mm boot takes up far more room in a foot pocket than a bare foot. The pocket should be snug without pressure points, and your heel should not lift or slide when you kick; a loose pocket wastes energy and rubs blisters.

Straps

Adjustable buckle straps let you fine-tune the fit, but they have more parts to break and loose ends to snag. Stainless steel spring straps and bungee straps are set once, have fewer failure points and, with a pull loop, are easy to get on with cold hands or gloves. Many fins now come with bungee straps, and spring straps are widely sold as an aftermarket upgrade.

Matching fins to your diving

- New divers: a moderately stiff open-heel paddle fin, worn with boots. - Warm-water boat trips and travel: light full-foot fins, or a light open-heel fin if you also dive from shore. - Cold water and drysuits: heavier rubber open-heel fins, which also help balance floaty legs. - Wreck and cave training: a stiff paddle or vented fin that can do frog kicks, back kicks and helicopter turns. - Sore knees or ankles, or less leg power: a more flexible blade.

The Best Scuba Fins for Beginners in 2026

All six are established open-heel fins. We have reviewed the first two in full; for the rest, the details come from the manufacturers and the independent reviews listed under Sources. Whichever you choose, try it on with your boots before you pay.

1. Mares Avanti Quattro Plus: best all-rounder

- Open-heel paddle fin with Mares's four-channel blade, which arches during each kick to push more water, and "Channel Thrust" inserts. - Tecralene blade, thermoplastic rubber foot pocket, stabilising trim tabs and a bungee strap as standard. - A medium-stiff blade that works for both flutter and frog kicks, and a long track record: its predecessor, the Plana Avanti Quattro, pulled the highest thrust (23 kg) in Divernet's 2014 group tests. - Read our full Mares Avanti Quattro Plus review.

2. Cressi Pro Light: budget pick

- Open-heel fin made from two materials: a stiff polypropylene blade and a soft elastomer foot pocket. - The blade starts high on the foot pocket, which Cressi says gives about 20% more working area than a conventional blade of the same length. - Quick-release buckles and rubber straps. A simpler fin than the Quattro, and less suited to strong current. - Read our Cressi Pro Light review.

3. Oceanic Viper 2: light and versatile

- Sold in an open-heel version with quick-release buckles and a full-foot version. - Oceanic pitches it at all skill levels, with a flexible thrust channel and side rails, power vents, an oversized blade and a generous foot pocket that fits a wide range of boots. - Very light, which makes it an easy fin to travel with.

4. TUSA Solla: all-rounder with a bungee strap

- First sold as the SF-22 and now listed by TUSA as the Solla SF0114, with an adjustable bungee strap and TUSA's Anatomic Fin Strap. - Built from TUSA's ForcElast material with an angled blade, a concave blade tip, and stiffer material over the toe and under the heel to cut power loss. - TUSA lists it for all diving styles.

5. Scubapro Seawing Nova: premium comfort

- A Monprene fin whose whole wing-shaped blade pivots on an articulated joint, sold as blade-fin power with split-fin comfort. - Scubapro says it handles high- and low-speed manoeuvring, including frog and reverse kicks. - Bungee-style strap with a large pull loop; sizes S to XL. Divernet's reviewer rated them as very effective, with a foot pocket that holds the foot right up to the heel.

6. Apeks RK3: one for later, or for drysuit divers

- A thermoplastic rubber copy of a fin first made for US Navy special warfare teams nearly 50 years ago: short, wide, vented blade, stainless spring straps and oversized foot pockets for drysuit or rock boots. - It pulled 22.4 kg in Divernet's pool thrust test, but at 1.3 to 1.5 kg per fin in the largest size it is heavy and sinks. That suits a drysuit diver whose feet float; in a wetsuit the extra weight on your feet is usually a drawback. - Apeks also makes a stiffer, heavier RK3 HD.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

- Buying on looks or price. Fit and blade stiffness matter far more than colour or brand. - Full-foot fins for rocky shore entries. They leave your feet unprotected; use open-heel fins and boots. - Sizing fins without your boots. A fin that fits a bare foot may not go over 5 mm of neoprene. - Fins too stiff for your legs. Stiff blades need a strong, deep kick; without it you tire quickly and are more likely to cramp.

Looking After Your Fins

Good fins can last a decade or more. Rinse them in fresh water after every dive, flushing the buckles to stop salt building up. Let them dry out of direct sun before you pack them in a closed bag. Store them lying flat rather than hung up by the straps, with the foot-pocket inserts back in so the pockets keep their shape, and check straps and buckles for wear before each trip.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use snorkelling fins for scuba diving? Usually not well. Snorkelling fins tend to be light and flexible, while scuba divers need larger, wider blades to overcome the extra drag of a cylinder, BCD and wetsuit.

Are split fins better than paddle fins? Not for most beginners. Testing has not shown the split itself helps, split fins need a faster kick, and you need a stiff paddle fin for back kicks and helicopter turns. They can still suit divers who want a gentle flutter kick.

Should I choose heavier or lighter fins? Heavy rubber fins help balance floaty drysuit legs. In a wetsuit, and for travel, a lighter fin is usually the better choice.

Final Word

Buy boots first, then an open-heel paddle fin of moderate stiffness that fits snugly over them. Any of the first four picks above is a sensible first fin, and the right one is the one that fits your feet.

Sources

- Wikipedia: Swimfin - Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine: Pendergast DR, Mollendorf J, Logue C, Samimy S, "Evaluation of fins used in underwater swimming", 2003, 30(1):57-73 (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12841609) - Undercurrent: Scientists Debunk Fin Claims (January 2004) - House of Scuba: Mares Avanti Quattro+ Open Heel Fins - Infinity Dive: Cressi Pro Light Fins - Oceanic: Viper 2 Fins, Open Heel - Oceanic: Viper 2 Fins, Full Foot - TUSA: Solla Fin - Dive Otago: Scubapro Seawing Nova - DIR Direct: Scubapro Seawing Nova Fins - Divernet: Scubapro Seawing Nova fins review - Divernet: Apeks RK3 fins review - SDI: Caring for your Scuba Fins

Header photo: Open-heel fins worn over dive boots on the entry platform of a US Navy dive training pool, with an instructor in the water, June 2003, by PH1 Shane T. McCoy, US Navy, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.