Mares Avanti Tre Dive Fin

Open-heel fins have an adjustable heel strap and are worn with dive boots, which protect your feet on shore entries and add warmth. Full-foot fins slip on like a shoe against bare skin or a thin sock, and are typically lighter and easier to pack. Most scuba divers choose open-heel fins with boots, while full-foot fins suit warm water, snorkeling, and pool use.

Open-heel fins should be sized around the boots you will actually wear, snug with the strap set so your heel stays seated and your foot does not slide forward in the pocket. Full-foot fins should fit like a firm shoe, with no heel lift, no pinched toes, and no gap that lets water pump in and out. Too loose causes heel blisters and lost fins in current, and too tight causes foot cramps.

Choose your boots first and size open-heel fins around them, because sole thickness changes the foot-pocket size you need. A thin warm-water boot and a thick cold-water boot with a rugged sole can easily be a fin size apart. If you already own fins, bring them along when you buy boots so you can check the combination.

Spring straps replace the adjustable rubber strap with a stainless spring that stretches on and off, so there is nothing to buckle with cold or gloved hands and no rubber strap to perish and snap mid-dive. They hold constant tension, which many divers find more comfortable and consistent. They are sized rather than adjustable, so match the length to your foot pocket and the boots you dive.

For travel, length and weight matter most, so shorter blades and travel-specific open-heel or full-foot models pack more easily and save baggage allowance. Some fins have removable blades or compact foot pockets designed for luggage. Pack fins along the outside walls of your bag, where they also act as protection for softer gear.

Paddle fins use a solid blade that transfers power directly, which many divers prefer for precision, control in current, and non-flutter kicks such as the frog kick. Split fins have a slit down the blade that lets water pass through, which generally makes flutter kicking easier on the legs but gives up some control and works less well with other kick styles. Neither is inherently better, so let your kick style, leg strength, and conditions decide, and try both if you get the chance.

Rinse them in fresh water after each dive day, paying attention to buckles, springs, and strap channels where salt collects, and dry them out of direct sunlight. Store them flat or hanging from the foot pocket rather than standing on the blade tips, which can take a permanent bend. Check straps, buckles, and any screws before every trip, since a failed buckle is the most common fin problem.

Yes. Mares describes the Avanti Tre's medium-sized blade as suited for travelling, and the full foot design means you do not need to pack dive boots with it. Each fin weighs 0.6 kg / 1.3 lb, with a blade length between 31 cm and 37.5 cm depending on size. Mares describes the medium-sized blade as suited for travelling, and no dive boots are needed with the full foot design.

It is offered in Yellow, Blue and Black in European sizes 36, 38, 40, 42, 44 and 46. Because it is a full foot fin, size the pocket like a shoe: firm with no heel lift, no pinched toes and no gap that pumps water. Keep in mind the blade scales with the pocket, so blade length runs from 31 cm to 37.5 cm across the size range.

Yes. Mares titles this model simply Avanti Tre on its own product page, while many retailers and divers refer to it as the Plana Avanti Tre. The word Plana is not used in the manufacturer's name for the fin. Both names refer to the same full foot Channel Thrust fin, which here carries the Mares product code family 410302.

Mares states that Channel Thrust Technology is inspired by marine mammals and delivers more power and efficiency with less effort per kick. On the Avanti Tre, the blade uses three channels for maximum thrust, and stabilising fins on the blade add control and stability in currents. Blade thrust area is 680 cm2 / 105.4 in2 on size 42/43.