Open heel freediving fins

[fabikp]

Hi,

Are there any freediving fins on the market, with open heel and removable blades ? I cannot find any. Thanks.

 

[Bill McIntyre]

I don't know whether there are any on the market, but I would caution against them. About 20 years ago when I got my first long free dive fins, I got the open heel version of what was considered the best fin on the market, the Escaplez Black. I thought they were a big improvement over my scuba fins, but then a friend brought the closed heel model of the same fin on my boat and I tried them out. I think I made three drops and was so impressed with the increase in performance that I ordered a pair for myself the next day, even thought I had only used the open heel fins for three trips.

 

[Kiekerjan]

Open heels fins are indeed not quite as suitable for freediving because there is a significant loss in energy efficiency. Removable blades are very common though, most brands offer them. Especially the higher end models nearly always have removable blades.

 

[fabikp]

Thanks for responds, but I often use neopren shoes for going in and out of water. My friend uses closed heels and it´s always a problem with the shoes, so I prefer some loss of efficiency.
Yes, removable blades are very common, but not with open heels.