Splits vs. paddles. Back to back comparison.

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

elmer fudd

Contributor
Messages
1,094
Reaction score
125
Location
Puget Sound
# of dives
200 - 499
I did two dives today. I was planning on hunting lingcod under the Fox Island bridge in lower Puget Sound, but I mistimed the slack and I ended up diving in shallow water hunting perch and flounder instead. Fox Island bridge develops some whipping currents underneath and while I was trying to avoid getting caught up in them, the fish were largely hanging out near the current, so i did plenty of finning against it. These were both long dives, about 70 minutes each.

First dive I was using Apollo Bio Fins and they worked fine. They work best with a short fast flutter kick, and while you can frog kick with them, well, they suck for it. I tried a few other kicks as well. I did helicopter turns right and left. They're not quite as good as paddles for that, but I could still do them easily, the fins just feel sloppier and provide less resistance while sculling sideways. Back kicks were a no go, but then again, I can hardly do a back kick with paddles. As I mentioned earlier, they just aren't efficient for frog kicks, but I decided to try a flutter kick with my knees bent 90 degrees like you might use to avoid stirring up silt and they worked great.

Swimming into current? They worked just fine and these were some strong currents. My mask got flooded once while I was holding onto a rock and I turned my head sideways. To be honest, neither fin was much good in that stuff. I did most of my movement in those areas hand over hand, but I also found myself getting sucked into places I didn't want to go more than once and had to fin against moderate currents, (1-2 knots), and the Bio Fins worked just fine for that. In fact I think they might work better for that.

One thing I do notice about them though is that they don't seem to have any sudden acceleration. You just flutter kick and eventually they start moving you along at a decent clip, but if you want that sudden burst of speed they don't quite deliver.

The next dive I switched to Hollis F1's. Right away you notice a lot more resistance to your kicks. Honestly, they don't flutter kick as well as the Bio Fins. Sure you can do it, but it's a lot harder on the legs and they really don't move you any faster, at least not for any distance. Now if you just want to haul ass for 30 feet or so, for that they beat the split fins. There were times in the stiff currents where I was moving a few feet from rock to rock and I think the F1's were able provide more thrust for those short distances, but there's no way I could have sustained that effort for long. There's no doubt that they bring you up to speed faster though.

The F1's also excel at frog kicks. Really, the only time I'd bother using a flutter kick with them is for a burst of speed. They were better than the Bio Fins at helicopter turns and back kicks too.

I also think the Bio Fins were better lying on my back on the surface. They're just a better fin for a sustained flutter kick, which is what works best on the surface on your back.



Overall, for what I was doing today, I preferred the F1's. The sudden acceleration was nice for trying to get into position to shoot a fish. I'd also choose them for diving in silty conditions where I didn't want to stir up the bottom. For that, having the option of a good frog kick is important.

Where I would probably favor the Bio Fins would be for any dive involving a long surface swim.

For fighting current, I'd say it's a wash. In the really strong currents the F1's were probably better, but you can't really swim against those kinds of currents for more than a few seconds. For the more moderate currents I'd probably give the edge to the Bio Fins. They're just easier to keep up a sustained flutter kick with, so you can go at those moderate to high speeds longer without getting tired.

As far as maneuverability goes, the F1's were hands down superior, but the Bio Fins would be more than adequate for any diving I've ever done. I had no problem turning side to side with either fin. The F1's just did it faster and easier.

Air consumption? I don't have a clue. The conditions were different enough between dives and as I was hunting I got separated from my buddies on both dives so I can't really compare against them either.
 
Thanks for a fair comparison. I really nice to hear this without the split fin bashing by those who just don't know how to dive with them. Obviously there is a place for both types.
 
I agree....practical uses for both and OP has done a great job of demonstrating/explaining. I use my hollis fins for drysuit dives and split fins for wetsuit. Honestly, the split fins have never given me a problem for casual maneuvering and certainly are easy. But with the bulkier drysuit, I like the added oomph of the hollis fins.
 
My own research has clearly shown that the gross margin for a pair of $200 split fins is much higher than for a pair of $90 paddle fins.
 
What about the 200-dollars paddle fins from Mares and Scubapro?

Those are also overpriced. My sources tell me fins are on average marked up 400% at retail.

(And naturally fins with smaller production runs cost most to make)
 
I haven't done a lot of research but I've found at least 4 pairs of splits in the 120-160 dollar range. Online I found Tusa Extreme Zoom X3 splits for $70.
 
Well, just to make the comparison complete, let's look at price. For fairness, we'll look at prices from the same vendor (ScubaToys) ...

Apollo Biofins ... $164.25

Hollis F1's ... $134.95

... Bob (Grateful Diver)
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

Back
Top Bottom