This article is intended to be a bit of a primer for new divers considering buying scuba diving flippers or just trying to understand what the differences are in scuba flippers.  Stating the obvious, whenever you are scuba diving you need a pair of flippers to push you around.  From movies everyone is familiar at the very least with standard paddle flippers.  They are generally a single piece, more or less rectangular in shape, and slightly angled downward from the foot.  There are in fact a wide variety of other shapes and varieties of scuba flipper available.  Some have splits down the middle to reduce drag, some have vents to channel water more strongly as you kick, and others employ various forms of flexibility and pivoting to try and maximise your propulsion.  There are A LOT to choose from.

Here's the most important thing you need to know about choosing scuba diving flippers...  It really doesn't matter that much!  Don't get me wrong.  If you get something ridiculously large or small relative to your size and leg strength it will make a difference but all the venting, etc. isn't going to change your life much until you are a diver with a lot of experience.  My personal recommendation is to go with a regular paddle flipper with some assistance from an experienced dive shop person to help you pick it out.  After you have been diving for a while, you will develop a sense of your own leg strength, kicking style, and the kind of dives you do the most.  Based on that information you can choose something more specific to take advantage of your natural strengths and circumstances.

You might wonder why you can't do that from the beginning.  Here's why.  Your kicking is going to change!  When you first start diving you kick a lot like you do when you are swimming on the surface.  As you adapt to scuba diving you start to slow your kick down and change your leg motion.  Until you get to that point, choosing a specific kind of scuba diving flipper is going to be a waste of your time.  Don't fight it even if the other flippers look really cool.  Get something basic and focus on your air consumption, bouyancy, and other skills instead of your flippers.

I do need to mention that there are two methods for holding your foot in the flipper.  The first is the same as a snorkeling flipper which is generally worn on a bare foot while the second has a strap that is tightened around the back of your foot and generally worn with a boot unless you like raw spots.  There is a bias toward the strap type for scuba diving for a few reasons.  1) Most of the world has thermoclines and at least some cold water so you need a boot to dive there. 2) The strap allows a more secure fit so in general you can have a bit larger flipper and deliver more force to it.  You'll probably want to go with this kind of scuba flipper.  However, if you know you will be diving in only warm water the slip-on style of scuba diving flipper can be really great.  Fast, comfortable, and if you don't have to wear boots where you are, who wants to just to keep flippers on?

The above information becomes important if, for example, you are happily getting certified in Belize and buy your gear at the local dive shop.  Upon your return home to San Diego you realize you need to spend money on new scuba diving flippers!  (And gloves, thicker wetsuit, hood, etc.)

A final comment here that has less to do with choosing a scuba flipper and more with diving in general.  Don't get hung up on trying to be "faster" underwater.  The truth is, slow and steady wins the race is never more true than when scuba diving.  Cruise slow, enjoy what you see, make that air last!

If you want to do some online research on prices and styles of flippers or if you know what you want to buy and are looking to price-compare before ordering, the following online scuba shops have large selections and competitive prices.

Leisure Pro - Scuba Fins Section
Divers-Supply - Scuba Fins Section