What are the best fins and why

[David Sutton]

Great replys, learned alot thank you, my son 13, is in training right now for his open water cert,my son-in-law also, so i gave up both my sets to them. mares quattros, i have a old set of jet fins been sittin for yrs, think i will dig-em out for a retry

 

[SkuaSeptember]

I can recall at least two presentations in which one well known NE diver insisted that there have been NO substantial improvements in fins since the good ol'days when they used to screw plywood to the bottoms of old tennis shoes.

 

[mfalco]

Great replys, learned alot thank you, my son 13, is in training right now for his open water cert,my son-in-law also, so i gave up both my sets to them. mares quattros, i have a old set of jet fins been sittin for yrs, think i will dig-em out for a retry

You might want him to try split fins. They require a lot less effort and muscle strength to use. You lose out on the power and control you have with a stiff fin, like the jet fin, but they make it easy. They also don't tent to stir up much silt. I have both, but prefer my split fins for most dives around here. If I'm getting into tight spaces i prefer a solid fin because i can fin backwards somewhat. (I have the worlds worst reverse frog kick)

 

[Wolfie]

what is the best type of bike?
what is the best type of down hill skis
What is the best boot
etc....

Gary Fisher
Volkl
Dalbello

Now to the fins.
Jet. Hands down.

maybe not for free dive. IMHO anything other than Jet is compromizing for something else. Yes, they are heavy and bulky, don't travel well. etc. underwater, I have tried others and nothing compares.

 

[danvolker]

Gary Fisher
Volkl
Dalbello

Now to the fins.
Jet. Hands down.

maybe not for free dive. IMHO anything other than Jet is compromizing for something else. Yes, they are heavy and bulky, don't travel well. etc. underwater, I have tried others and nothing compares.

PINARELLO DOGMA ( BEST ROAD BIKE)
I WONT CHALLENGE Volkl, I have not raced since the 90's, and am not current....Volkl was hot **** in the 80's & 90's, and so were Atomic and K2....the beauty with skiing is you get to DEMO any ski you want, so best gets easy.
Always was fit best by Nordica boots. This really was largely fit based, though I always wanted highest and stiffest ( with good forward lean), with best big area along shin to "lever" the skis with.

Jets, for the best divers. As with skis, the best race skiis may require some instruction for use to optimize when tried by non-racers( skiers without optimal coordination for pure performance).
For freediving, the objective is different than the objective for most scuba diving. Freedivers do NOT typically make exploration level ultra slow penetrations--instead, they maintain an optimal higher speed cruising pace, that requires almost no muscle work or heart rate, using up very little oxygen in the blood, per second.

 

[NAM001]

I too have and like my quatros. Been uning them since 2005 and wont get rid of them. I am going to try a pair of jet fins but i dont think they will fit ike the quatros. Lots of propulsion. I second supergaijin opinion on them. i recently bought a second pair of them to use with my drysuit rock boots.

i love diving with freediving longfins. I have some beuchat carbon fibres that i picked up for 60% off retail. I was using them as a resort-diving videographer because you need speed to get in front of divers and whatever they're looking at. If i could i'd dive them all the time but they're not suited for guiding or teaching or photography. It takes a bit of time to get used to them and their dimensions and how to reverse-kick and all that.

Best all-round fins for me were and still are avanti quattros. The price is good, they don't weigh too much, they're effective. I bought my first pair in 2000- now one of them is going the way of a split-fin but that's not bad after 12 years of use.

When i finally get around to it, i'll buy another pair of quattros without hesitation

 

[flippa]

Scubapro Jetfins hands down. I've tried many different fins over the years, but have never found one I like better. I have been diving them for 22 years, so I might be a little biased.

 

[caymaniac]

I have a pair of jet fins, they definitely are stiff. They are very heavy, I think they would add 5- 10 lbs to your suitcase. I have a pair of Dacor turboflex and I have a pair of Mares Avanti's which are my favorite pair. I like the Mares because they are not too heavy, they have enough length, the foot pocket is a nice size for booties, the downside is they are really hard to get off when boarding a boat ladder...but then maybe it's a boot problem.

 

[mathauck0814]

I WONT CHALLENGE Volkl, I have not raced since the 90's, and am not current....Volkl was hot **** in the 80's & 90's

Not much has changed since then. I mean in Volkl's technology anyway If you want to ski like they did in the 80's & 90's, they're your board. If you want to win races, you might look elsewhere. Volkl is - sadly - now owned by K2 and manufactured for old, rich, fat guys that ski slow on groomers. In fact, I can't think of anyone winning the world cup on Volkl in over a decade...

Anyway, back to your original thread.

 

[meierdierck]

I have heard alot about Force fins, and would enjoy trying them out. I use a split fin, but find it difficult to do anything beyond moving forward no matter how I kick. I've seen others use them to good affect though.

I have 3 or 4 pairs of force fins (different styles) gathering dust, would be happy to sell cheap, PM me