Churchill Makapuu Swimfins

I really have nothing to compare them too, but they worked pretty good. The top tends to dig into my foot, so I'd definitely get booties. Also, I'd get leashes, so you don't lose them. Don't trust that they'll always float. In calm water they float, but I was taking them off near shore and a wave took one under and it never came up.

I have body surfed with Churchill Makapuu for years and years. My fifth Makapuu's band was getting loose since after all it is a soft rubber with a life span of some five years. I purchased Viper Surfing Fins, yellow dot not orange, 5" not 7" and after one use, returned it immediately. It is really stiff, hard and the rubber band around the ankle very heavy and stiff. It did tear off my skin and left my feet soar. When I am in the ocean, I use the fins as an extension of my body. It needs to be flexible, light and comfortable so I can swim, dive and surf without feeling anything dragging me down or stopping me from paddling and without hurting my feet, tearing my skin or forcing me to wear a wet-suit socks... Then, I purchased and tried the Slasher Fins which were worthless and returned those as well and purchased the Churchill Makapuu Fins for the sixth time... Although it may sound funny, you can feel how comfortable a fin is by trying it at home. If you can wear it at home without hurting your feet, you will be able to enjoy it in the ocean as well. I just wanted to try different brands since after all anything that helps me to catch those waves, is a joy but the fact was that I could not find any...

Despite their claim, these don't float, and that's the only reason I bought these. Lost one the first time I went out and I'm still peeved.

Churchill Swim Fins are now, and always have been, the standard when it comes to surf/swim fins. My commentary though is more about the dwindling value of Amazon Prime Membership. When I looked this item up on the Amazon site I selected it because it was available via Amazon Prime. However when I selected my proper size, all of a sudden, my :Prime" membership shipping option was no longer available. And, this is not the first time this has happened. I'm finding more and more that in order to utilize your Amazon Prime shipping option you must purchase the more expensive purchase option for your item. And if you do some research you will often find that the price difference you end up paying is very often very close to the shipping cost associated with the less expensive option. Bottom line, it is more and more obvious that even though you may be a "Prime" member, you are paying for your shipping for most items that you buy. The shipping is just hidden in the purchase price of the item. "Prime" is becoming more and more about the "free" content streaming than about expedited shipping. And with the recent notification that Prime Membership is going up in 2014 to $99.00, makes me question the value. It was great while it lasted.

I was disappointed to read that the production had been moved to China, and a side by side comparison will reveal some differences though the fins seem to work as well as they ever did. The rubber feels a bit different and it is definitely softer, though some people may appreciate softer fins. I don't.As a bodysurfer, I went from churchills, to voit duck feet, and then on to UDTs. Now, when I strap on the churchills, I don't even feel like I'm wearing fins. They're so flexy in comparison that, to be honest, they feel kind of useless. Granted, I'm more of a kicker then a puller. So they may work well for you. Or if you're comfortable making seriously late drops, these may be fin for you.These are great lifeguarding fins, but so are the regular voit duck feet (although their status as a cheap and readily available alternative to the true duck feet, the UDT's has been diminished considerably) and those are a much more useful bodysurfing fin as well. In short, I can't imagine a reason to own these. If you're after an all around fin, go for the regular voit duck feet. If you're after a bodysurfing fin, get the UDTs.

20 years ago, when I was young, I bought a pair of Churchills to body (boogie) surf. First time out I went from catching 1 in 15 waves to catching every one that I attempted. These fins will pay for them selves in fun in two, just two outings!Now I am ancient and coaching a high school swim team (as the assistant to my son). I am the in-pool "rabbit" - I have each swimmer put a rubber band on their wrist then I swim my stately half or full mile, at each wall I check for swimmers who are there from my last visit, if any I take their rubber band and they owe me another 20 minutes at the end of practice.The Churchills I've just ordered are my secret weapon. The kick butt acceleration will allow me to push the little sh... er..uh darlings I mean, by sneaking up on them. Mid lap some of them think they are "all that" and try to blast past me, sorry Charlie with fins (especially these) I can kick their whipper snapper butts on a single lap.