Well, there has been a contention between the need for snorkeling fins while snorkeling and snorkeling without fins.
Indeed you don’t need fins to snorkel, but it is dangerous to snorkel without fins.
Fins protect your feet and they make snorkeling easier for snorkelers, they give a better snorkeling experience and make snorkelers move better with good thrust, speed, and power underwater.
You can cover a large area with little movement within a short period with fins, but it would take a lot of leg power and more time to cover the same area in the ocean without fins.
Divers can go deeper with fins easily, and get to come back up for air faster with fins than without fins.
Fins also allow divers to make easy turns while snorkeling for better navigation.
Divers can explore more places with fins rather than without fins, like wrecks and reefs the diver won’t be bothered to watch for anything that can harm his or her feet when exploring places like those.
Snorkeling barefoot would allow the diver less time to enjoy the snorkeling activity rather he or she would waste time making sure their feet aren’t in any danger.
Another reason why you should take snorkeling with fins into consideration would be the current in the ocean which can change at any time; slow currents are usually not a big deal sure but then when the current changes it’s a whole different ball game especially if you fancy snorkeling close to reefs.
When the current changes fins would help you control it, they would probably slow you down when the current changes but the fins would supply you with more power that would provide you with a force allowing you to push against the movement of the ocean.
No matter how strong you are, you would have your limit in strength like everything else and you cannot beat every current you face just because you have on a pair of fins.
Therefore, have in mind that snorkeling under serious weather conditions should be avoided, to begin with.
It is very dangerous to snorkel during severe weather conditions, you might experience a severe weather condition while snorkeling as something you didn’t expect, and you would have better chances of survival with fins in such a scenario than you would without fins.
Are Short Snorkeling Fins Worth Getting?
There are two major types of snorkeling fins, the long snorkeling fins, and the short snorkeling fins.
Before I answer the question “are short snorkeling fins worth getting”, let’s take a look at what short and long fins are:
A short diving fin is under 25 inches while the long fins are over 25 inches, where both fins can be used for snorkeling the short fins are mostly made for snorkeling and swim training, while the long fins are mostly made and used for scuba diving.
There are very long fins that have been seen by most people, these fins are usually about 40 inches long.
These fins are mostly used by divers who engage in free diving and spearfishing.
Now after knowing this and you are still wondering what the key difference is in both fins asides from the length and because both can be used successfully in snorkeling.
Thrust is the key difference between both fins, you would get more thrust with longer fins and this leads to more speed.
The more the thrust the more the speed and the more power required to use the long fins effectively.
Long fins are stiffer, while shorter fins are easier to maneuver in requiring less power for thrust and therefore speed.
When snorkeling you do not require much speed, speed is not the top priority for snorkelers because the point is to observe sea life among other things and you cannot do that with too much speed.
Short fins are easier on your leg muscles, every stroke does not need much power as it would with longer fins.
Every stroke with short fins would be shorter than that of long fins, this is what allows for less speed.
They are the best type of fins to get for snorkeling, the long fins work well too but unlike the short fins, the long fins take a lot of practice, experience, and a variety of techniques beyond the simple flapping kicks to be able to use them to achieve a successful snorkeling experience.
Those with good positional awareness, strong kicks, and good techniques are those who can use and enjoy snorkeling with long fins effectively.
So with the explanation above, you can already get the answer to the question; yes! short fins are worth it.