When to Put On and Take Off Your Fins
Hello.
I'm Koyo, a freediver from Okinawa.
Once again, I'd like to share something I keep in mind to enjoy skin diving.
This time I want to talk about when to put on and take off your fins.
I can almost hear you saying, "Come on, why bring that up now? 🤷♂️" 😂
This goes for both freediving and skin diving, but you want to take good care of your gear and not break it, right?
When do you put on your fins, and when do you take them off?
I walk out until it's deep enough, then put on my fins, and I take them off just as my feet are about to touch the bottom. I can't always do this at every spot, but I try to as much as possible.
The reasons are that I want to avoid damaging my wetsuit and fins as much as possible, I don't want to get hurt, and I might end up stepping on coral.
I sometimes see people sitting down at the water's edge or in the shallows to put on or take off their fins. That in itself isn't wrong. I think there's also a sense of security in being able to touch the bottom.
However, places where your feet touch or that are shallow enough to sit in can be affected by waves depending on the conditions. When waves hit, you end up trying to keep your balance so you don't fall over, especially if you already have a fin on one foot.
While you're trying to keep your balance, there's a risk of stepping on the coral beneath you.
If you lose your balance and fall, you might get hurt, and your wetsuit might tear.
Gear you're holding, like a camera, could also get knocked and broken.
In the worst case, the waves can take away your freedom of movement, and you may not be able to move properly without someone's help.
You came all the way to the sea to enjoy it, but if this happens, you can't enjoy it to the fullest 😔
To avoid this, I recommend learning to put on and take off your fins while floating.
My entry routine is basically like this:
- Put on my mask
- Put my snorkel in my mouth
- Walk out to where it's reasonably deep. Once the water is about crotch-deep, float on the surface and move along by pushing off the bottom.
- Once it's about 1.5–2 m deep or more, take off my Gyosan and switch to fins
At first you may feel uneasy not being able to touch the bottom, and it may take some getting used to, but you'll definitely be able to enter more safely than if you can only put on your fins sitting down, whatever the spot.
It's just a small point about when to put on and take off your fins, but a little awareness might help you enjoy the sea more than before 😌
Give it a try 🙌
By the way, UMMY fin socks have clean seams and a split toe, so you can wear sandals properly even with the fin socks on! They protect your feet right up to the moment you switch to fins. Highly recommended fin socks for anyone who can't do without socks 🧜♀️🧜♂️