Today I have been thinking about our trip to Belize (now that the Vegas trip is over) and realize I still need to acquire some gear.

On my mind at the moment are scuba diving fins. Right now I am researching them a little bit. I don’t know much about scuba diving but I have previously used fins before in my neighbors pool and during swim team practices growing up.

There seems to be four main categories of fins: adjustable strap fins, full foot fins, long blade free diving fins and force fins.

The adjustable fins are obviously good if you are looking to share the fins with friends or family members that have different sized feet. I recall using these in the pool at my neighbors and I recall them not staying on too well. I think I won’t be looking into the adjustable fins because I will be purchasing a pair that only I plan on using over the next few years.

I’ve been a fan of the full foot fins. They fit better and are pretty comfortable compared to the adjustable fins. Looking at the various full foot fins they come in a variety of shapes and cuts. I really think they all will be pretty sufficient for the activities I plan on doing with them.

I’m not sure the long blade fins apply tome at all. They are used for free diving and spearfishing. While spear fishing cool be really cool, I don’t think that is something I will be doing in Belize or the very near future. Also, I won’t be doing any free diving. I couldn’t imagine they would be very easy to walk in as well!

The Force fins look to have the adjustable strap in the back and have a toes-free pocket which helps to avoid toe cramping and leverages power from your strongest kicking muscles. They are deemed easy to pack- having a small blade yet is still efficient for fast movement in the water. I like the idea of my toes not cramping, but I also don’t recall that ever happening with the full foot fins.

I think I will lean towards the full foot fins. They are looking to cost me somewhere between $30-80. $80 is on the pricier side for me for gear. I know Courtney and I plan on snorkeling at least twice a day (morning and evening) if possible which would make the investment worthwhile. I may also embark in a full on scuba diving adventure with Courtney if I can find a dive that doesn’t require too much training and classes to take up my time in Belize. Maybe I should look into getting some sort of certification here in New England before going down there. (Although I have heard that certification is pretty pricey and that worries me.)

I’ll let you know when I narrow down my choices for scuba fins. I think that is all I need to acquire for scuba diving/snorkeling as Courtney has the rest of the stuff and offered for me to borrow it.