We have gotten the question before, here at FinBin, many times asking:
“Am I putting my swim fins on right?”
“Which way do I put my swim fins on?”
“How do I know that I am putting on my swim fins on correctly?”
… etcetera.
So we wanted to cover the topic in full and get any question you have cleared up once and for all!
Two Types of Fins
Okay, there are two types of swim fins for any type of activity, whether it is bodyboarding, bodysurfing, swimming in the pool/ocean etc.
These two types of swim fins are:
- Left/Right foot specific fins
- Identical fins
This is important because you want to know what kind of fin you are dealing to begin with!
The first type has each foot designated for either the left or right foot. These type of fins will always say “Left” “Right” or “L” “R” to indicate which foot goes with each fin. Pretty straight forward.
These types of fins have a unique foot pocket designed for each foot and/or a unique fin blade shape, for example, Churchill fins. This is a great thing because they are custom to each foot.
The second type are identical (meaning the exact same) and so it doesn’t matter which fin goes on which foot. In this case, you will always find the fins foot pocket and fin design and blade the exact same for each pair of fin. So it is less customized for each foot.
Top or Bottom?
Now that you know which fin goes on your left and right foot, you still need to know which is the top or bottom part of the fin.
There are several indicators that will tell you this, because the last thing you would want is to put your swim fin flippers on the wrong way!
This side is the top of the fin if:
- There is writing on this side that says stuff like “left”, “right”, “Top”
- The fin company logo is on this side
This side is the bottom of the fin if:
- The drain hole is on this side
- Traction design for grip (same as a shoe)
Those indicators should be sufficient to tell you which fin side is the top and which is the bottom.
Conclusion
This should help you now know how to correctly put on your swim fins!
But you may still be wondering about other swim fin related problems you are encountering so here is a list of other helpful articles on our site related to swim fins:
