Sam Loves.....my Atomic Aquatics Split Fins - can flippers ever be sexy?

OK, I'm a girl and at the end of the day looks DO matter.  I can't put ugly food in my mouth - hence I don't eat octopus or mussels; I can't wear Crocs for the same reason....no matter how nice they might be on your feet; and my final decision on snorkelling fins did actually come down to looks.....cos in the world of diving gear, my split fins are actually quite sexy!

Like others, I loved my Mares Planar Avanti Quattro fins (pink though they might be); they were also bought after a lot of internet research, and making sure I bought the best around according to the reviews & recommendations.  I've had these fins since a holiday in1998 and they're still in great condition and used regularly.  But when I found myself fin-less in Thailand for a long stay with my brother, I was converted to the appeal of split fins.

How They Work

The idea's quite simple; by creating a split down the length of each flipper (sorry all you diving purists out there), you create something akin to a fish tail.  Researchers & crash test dummies have demonstrated that using them in a slightly different manner to traditional fins - with shallower but more rapid leg kicks - means that you can deliver an equivalent speed through the water.  Apparently this means that you use less energy and therefore consume less oxygen from your dive tanks; but for me it simply means that I go faster with my short girly legs!

It also means I can stay a bit longer in the water before I'm starving, and it makes cleaning my hull of barnacles a little more easy!

Not All Split Fins Are the Same

Having established that Split Fins make your underwater swimming a bit more fish-like, a number of big name brands started to make them, and as you might expect there are a number of models to choose from when walking into the diving shop.  As a female of the species, I am naturally more attracted to those items which I find aesthetically pleasing, and there are a couple of brands out there whose fins literally look like shovels on the end of your legs.... so they're OUT, no matter how fast I can go in them!

Next comes reputation, and if I'm torn between two quite attractive models, I'll go back to Google and check out the reviews.  Obviously the ones that make me go fastest AND have a good reputation for reliability and excellent complimentary gear - this case masks & snorkels - get top marks.

Perhaps it was just the range they had in the dive shop in Thailand, but there was only one brand in the race by this time....the Atomic Aquatics not only looked good but had proved to be one of the fastest and better designed fins around.

Features of Atomic Aquatics Split Fins

Full Foot Fins or Bootees

Now I do tend to use the neoprene bootees - not only do they cushion my feet in the fins and prevent blisters & chafe, but I really don't like walking on weed or coral in my bare feet so my Mares bootees are an added bonus when snorkelling off a rocky beach.  The full foot fins have been designed for the warm water of the Tropics and, in theory, I shouldn't need to wear the bootees, but I still stand by my reasoning.....and besides, they didn't have the colour I liked in the full foot model!

Read reviews here.  And shop from the website here.......even the website's pretty sexy!