To jet fin or not to jet fin?

[crofrog]

Jet Fins have been around forever and are the standard. They are really quite horrible for warm water and minimal exposure gear. The foot pocket has tormented divers for decades. And yet they remain, largely unchanged. They are forever. Been around forever and last forever.

The Lindy Principle suggests that the future life expectancy of a non-perishable item is proportional to its current age. In simpler terms, if something has been around for a long time, it is likely to stick around much longer. The longer it has lasted, the more “antifragile” it tends to be—resistant to trends, changes, and even criticism.

Jet Fins are a textbook example of this. They’ve been in service since the ’60s and have endured every trend in fin design: splits, channels, vents, composite materials—you name it. Yet the original Jet Fin remains widely used, especially among technical divers.

 

[Endler's]

There is a full foot variant of the Jet Fin, originally made by Beuchat, now by a Turkish company. That fin piques my interest.

Do tell....

 

[USdiver1]

Do tell....

Read Away

J

Thread 'Jet Fins fun fact'

Aug 6, 2013

Fun fact about jet fins. They were originally a full foot design and the patent was given to George's Beuchat in 1965.

• JThompson
• Replies: 8
• Forum: Fins, Masks & Snorkels

• 

K

Thread 'Beuchat Jetfin - full foot'

Aug 1, 2012

Hi all,

I'm looking for a pair of Beuchat Jetfin (full foot)... let me know if you are keen to sell.

Thanks!

• kenloon
• Replies: 14
• Forum: Vintage Diving & Equipment

Thread 'Jet Fins A short US history'

Mar 5, 2010

Healthways, SCUBA Pro & JET FINS.

Removed 3-6 - 2010

Nemrod, Captain, & Luis if you need a copy E mail me.

Will repost on our Vintage Board

sdm

• Sam Miller III
• Replies: 43
• Forum: Vintage Diving & Equipment

Turkish Company - Free Sub [ may no longer make the full foot Jet ]

Fins – Free-Sub | Dalış Elbiseleri & Zıpkınları | Wetsuit and Spearguns

Dalış Elbiseleri, Zıpkın ve Neopren ürünler imalat ve satışı

free-sub.com

 

[SelfDiver]

The Lindy Principle suggests that the future life expectancy of a non-perishable item is proportional to its current age. In simpler terms, if something has been around for a long time, it is likely to stick around much longer. The longer it has lasted, the more “antifragile” it tends to be—resistant to trends, changes, and even criticism.

Jet Fins are a textbook example of this. They’ve been in service since the ’60s and have endured every trend in fin design: splits, channels, vents, composite materials—you name it. Yet the original Jet Fin remains widely used, especially among technical divers.

This is so funny because freediving has gone for the super long full foot fins. (Or monofins)
Technical divers are stuck on the short stiff open heel jetfins (and clones)
There was a time when commercial divers were all in on the "force fins"
The recreational divers are open-minded to all kinds of shapes, sizes and colors.

But I am looking at pictures of some pretty hard core cave and technical divers like Rick Stanton, Edd Sorenson, Craig Challen, Patrick Widman, Natalie Gibb...etc and they are not in jetfins.
So maybe there is a gear natural distribution curve where new divers and waterninjas go with whatever they feel like and then the "middle" want to be perceived as experts so they must have all black gear with jetfins, two shearwater computers, stainless steel boltsnaps and canister lights.
We saw the adoption of manifolds in the early 90's, so technical divers do adopt different styles. Technical classes ran on independent doubles untill manifolds became all the rage.
But jetfins have staying power.

Other trends to watch?
if the tacticool "rock boots" will replace the booties.
if air integration (AI) will replace the brass and glass SPG.
if Avelo will catch on and replace BCD and AL80

Again: The only reason I use my fake jetfin clones is that they fit in carryon. I have a mutitude of other fins (Proof: my markefplace posts) that I have used over the years.

 

[Still Kicking]

This is so funny because freediving has gone for the super long full foot fins. (Or monofins)
Technical divers are stuck on the short stiff open heel jetfins (and clones)
There was a time when commercial divers were all in on the "force fins"
The recreational divers are open-minded to all kinds of shapes, sizes and colors.

But I am looking at pictures of some pretty hard core cave and technical divers like Rick Stanton, Edd Sorenson, Craig Challen, Patrick Widman, Natalie Gibb...etc and they are not in jetfins.
So maybe there is a gear natural distribution curve where new divers and waterninjas go with whatever they feel like and then the "middle" want to be perceived as experts so they must have all black gear with jetfins, two shearwater computers, stainless steel boltsnaps and canister lights.
We saw the adoption of manifolds in the early 90's, so technical divers do adopt different styles. Technical classes ran on independent doubles untill manifolds became all the rage.
But jetfins have staying power.

Other trends to watch?
if the tacticool "rock boots" will replace the booties.
if air integration (AI) will replace the brass and glass SPG.
if Avelo will catch on and replace BCD and AL80

Again: The only reason I use my fake jetfin clones is that they fit in carryon. I have a mutitude of other fins (Proof: my markefplace posts) that I have used over the years.

Are you saying there's a herd mentality in diving? Where's your evidence???? Lol

The secret I have come to realize about fins is that you can make almost any fin work for you if you give it enough practice.

At first, a new fin feels ineffective and awkward and we discount it for not being as good as what we are used to. But in reality the fin is not working because our muscle memory has evolved with the old fins.

Given time with the new fins, we learn how to make the right motion with our kicks to acheive the propulsion we want and we perceive an increase in efficiency.

Sure there are some inherent qualities that affect efficiency (weight, stiffness, surface area etc.) but our kick style is infinitely and subtly adaptable and we can unconsiously compensate for a lot of variability in fin designs.

 

[njl]

If you haven't tried the Mares Power Plana, I think that's a good Jet Fin alternative to try. The foot pocketr is more "foot-shaped" and can fit certain feet better. It also has a longer/larger blade size relative to the foot pocket vs. Jet Fins (esp good for smaller feet). They're a good weight and maneuverable too.

 

[justinthedeeps]

Oceanic Accel is the lightest/stiffest/most compact fin that I have used in a 'tec' context, including back-kicking in a drysuit. 1.4kg for the pair. They won't win a race, but you can dolphin kick/monofin with them to cover distance in a bind.

 

[ToneNQ]

I own Jet Fins, but the foot pocket shape won't fit my high arches. I can get the ball of my foot into the foot pocket but no deeper. The design is superb, there must be five or six very similar fins the market, but each has differences that make or break them as a personal choice. There is also the Deep Six Eddy and OMS Slipstream that I have never tried, cannot get them here. The Hollis F1 is good though very heavy. I have Fourth Element Tech fins that are a similar design but fit me better. I love these especially when diving dry, but good for wet diving too unless I have a lot of open water hang time. They guy I bought them off didn't like them and went to RK3s, which he also doesn't like. Horses for courses.

I just bought some Go Sport Gorilla fins for travel. Partly because they're insanely light and I'm always in trouble for weight when flying. Partly because they're positive and my CCR is ass heavy when diving wet, so I need some extra lift to trim out properly.

I have big Cressi Master Frog blade fins that my first Tech instructor raved about, still going at 15yrs. Awesome in a current but they are best as a flutter-kick fin. I struggle to back-fin wearing them and they're too long for deep wreck penetration. The Mares Plana and the Oceanic Manta are much better choices these days, they're nice fins to wear. They have good power, good foot pocket, and are far more suited as a jack-of-all-trades fin. I've never owned either but have worn them on dives and did order some Mantas at one point.

 

[ginti]

Only reason I use my fake jetfins is that they are short enough to fit in the carryon bag.
I wonder how they became the de-facto for "serious" divers.

They are not the defacto for serious divers. They are the defacto for tech diving:
- heavy, which is an advantage with dry-suits as they help maintaining trim in case of sole air in your legs
- stiff, which means PRECISION (tech divers often do stuff like helicopter turn or modified kicks, and precision in certain environments is far more important than comfort or efficiency/power)
- large side blade (or whatever the correct wording is in English), which is awesome for back kicking

Hard to improve the above.

But I know several very serious tech divers who uses different fins as long as they drop the dry-suit.

So they are not the defacto, they just tick all the boxes for tech diving (with a dry-suit).

Hope it helps

EDIT: I also know several serious tech divers who uses different fins when tech diving. As long as you have the right weight (which, btw, is subjective!), stiffness (again, subjective!) and shape, it's fine. Jetfins are just among the oldest and on average quite good, so it's hard to go wrong with them - but I am rather sure that if you take your time to try several fins you may prefer something else

 

[USdiver1]

I think that jet fins [and other vented, hard rubber fins] have developed such a following and staying power is because of their use by military divers. Who among us doesn't prefer a "Navy Approved" advertising pitch when selecting dive gear? Especially in the 1960s and 1970s, use of gear by the military was akin to making an item a best seller in the recreational and commercial markets.