With shinfinTM fins Bjorn can snorkel with no back pain, unlike with his foot fins, and also wear them with reef shoes. So now he can walk into and out of the water with ease, and snorkel for hours in comfort. Furthermore, he very much likes their natural swimming feel, kicking from his hips, similar to good normal swimming. Most of all, he doesn’t have to give up snorkeling!
Bjorn’s review from Currumbin Valley, Australia
“I have to say that they were absolutely fantastic! I have previously felt back pain after using normal feet fins when using them for as little as 1 hour. So I was about to give up my new found love of snorkeling all together. This time, I was in the water for many hours over several days and I never once felt any back pain! Truly remarkable! Not only were the shinfinTM fins great for my back, but they allowed me to swim while wearing my flexible reef boots. Which allowed very easy getting in and out of the water and walking over the hard coral beaches, while others looked on with curious envy. Overall I am extremely satisfied and can say that I absolutely love my shinfinTM fins!”
Bjorn’s review: Snorkeling fins that give no back pain & can wear with shoes
“I tried my shinfinTM fins for the first time last month, when I went snorkeling at Lady Elliot Island and I have to say that they were absolutely fantastic!”
“I bought the shinfinTM fins primarily to reduce the strain exerted on my lower back, as I have previously felt back pain after using normal feet fins when using them for as little as 1 hour. So I was about to give up my new found love of snorkeling all together.”
“This time, I was in the water for many hours over several days and I never once felt any back pain! Truly remarkable! Not only were the shinfinTM fins great for my back, but they allowed me to swim while wearing my flexible reef boots. Which allowed very easy getting in and out of the water and walking over the hard coral beaches, while others looked on with curious envy.”
“I also combined my setup with some finger webbing gloves to increase my speed and power in the water and to make up for the slight reduction from using the shinfinTM fins.”
“Overall I am extremely satisfied and can say that I absolutely love my shinfinTM fins!”
Reply
That’s great to hear how fantastic you found the shinfinTM fins for your snorkeling. Especially how they don’t strain your back. This is because they encourage you to do a streamlined kick from your hips, with straighter knees. That lifts your knees and thighs higher in the water. So your back is straighter and there is less stress on your lower back.
Did you feel this streamlined kick from your hips? The shinfinTM kick is like a proper swimming kick. So the more you strengthen for it, the faster you get. Reef boots will cause a bit of drag but the fins tend to reduce this. Reef shoes with flexible, thinner soles and smooth heel areas tend to minimise drag and allow you to point your toes.
Like you found previously, regular foot fins often trigger back pain. That is because they make you bend your knees too much and that drops your knees and thighs too low in the water. That is what causes you to arch your back to maintain stroke balance, putting painful stress on your lower back. So the bent-knee kicking style required by regular foot fins is what hurts your back. Does this make sense?
Bjorn
“Yes, I did feel as though I was swimming with close to normal swimming kicks coming from the hips. I very much liked that natural feel to using them.”
“When I said I used reef boots I actually meant shoes. I used tight fitting thin flexible QuicksilverTM reef shoes. So I was able to point my toes like as if I wasn’t wearing any. While thin (I think 2-3 mm), they still provided enough comfort for me to be able to walk for short distances on the coral.”
Reply
Yes, a lot of people really like the natural feel of swimming with shinfinTM fins. And also that they encourage a proper streamlined kick from the hips. That is why strengthening with them for swimming and snorkeling etc. also speeds up your no-fins swimming.
Can I ask a favour please? Would you mind if I put some extracts from your emails on the website? I like the way you have written and I think it would be useful for other people to read what you have said. Especially about reducing the strain on your lower back.
Bjorn
“Sure, go ahead. Happy to help promote them. Feel free to summarise what I’ve said in fewer words if you’d like to.”
Reply
Thank you for your kind permission Bjorn. Personal recommendation is very important to help a new product like this along, so I really appreciate it. The shinfinTM word is spreading well thanks to people like you. There are many thousands of pairs out in the world now.
Happy snorkeling!
Conclusion
With shinfinTM fins you can snorkel and swim with no back pain, and you can also wear them with reef shoes. They also allow you to relax your feet and ankles. What’s more, they give you a natural swimming feel, kicking from your hips, similar to good normal swimming. In contrast, foot fins strain your feet and ankles, and also cause you to arch and hence strain your back.
So, with shinfinTM fins, you can walk into and out of the water more easily, and snorkel in comfort. Here is another review about open water swimming using shinfinTM fins with water shoes.