Advice for buying fins

[ScubaScubaScubaYAY]

Hello, I am looking for a new pair of fins and I am having a difficult time figuring out which ones are right for me.

I've been looking through the forum and it seems that I should probably give you a few facts about me and my type of diving for you to make any recommendations, so here is a bit of info...

I am a newly certified divemaster and I am looking to become an underwater videographer (hopefully as a profession for the next few years). I would be using my fins in primarily warm water and since I will probably be traveling and moving around in the future, I need them to be relatively light for packing. I am a bit on the heavy side, but I would also say that I have powerful legs. I also have big feet (about a 9 or 10 in women's shoes). For the most part I use the frog kick and sometimes alternate in the standard freestyle kick.

I need new fins because my last pair were purchased in 2002 and are basically a solid, heavy piece of flat plastic and I really think I need to update.

I used a pair of mares this past summer and enjoyed them, but I am not sure what style they were. I have tried the Scubapro seawing nova and I did not really like it.

The only other big consideration is my budget. I probably can't spend more than $130 and if I could find a quality pair for under $100 that would be even better.

Thanks ahead of time for any recommendations!

 

[Damselfish]

what are your current fins (other than "a solid, heavy piece of flat plastic" )

if you go here and click on Fins and select Mares maybe you can figure out which ones you liked. Or directly on Mares site.

If you're trying to save money, fins can be a good thing to buy used. Especially simple ones that don't have hinges or whatever to break.

 

[rongoodman]

If you're going to be doing videography/photography under water, the ability to position yourself precisely and make small adjustments would be valuable, so a fin that can handle the little frog kicks, helicopter turns, and back kicks should help. The OMS Slipstreams are light, and stiff enough to do all of the above. They're only about $70, but you might want to look into some instruction on the kicks, such as the GUE Primer.

 

[DevonDiver]

OMS Slipstreams
Scubapro Jetfins
Force Fins Pro (you'd need to look second-hand to get them for under $100)

Another option are Mares Avanti Quattro. Not as good for fine control though.

 

[David Wilson]

Fins are very personal items of gear and the best fins in the world for one person can be the worst fins in the world for somebody else. Whatever fins you end up choosing, however, won't necessarily cost a fortune. Read what this Australian underwater photographer has to say about what he describes as the best fins he has ever used:

My favourite kit - Pete Atkinson - Divernet

His fins not only match his budget and his expectations, but also come in sizes up to US 17.

 

[DevonDiver]

Pete Atkin's fins are fine... if you can get them. LOL

The Jetstreams and Slipstreams are a 'modern' equivalent - with the same emphasis on rigidity and fine control. The main difference is that they take a bootie, rather than full-foot.

 

[David Wilson]

Pete Atkin's fins are fine... if you can get them. LOL

The Jetstreams and Slipstreams are a 'modern' equivalent - with the same emphasis on rigidity and fine control. The main difference is that they take a bootie, rather than full-foot.

Pete Atkinson's Eyeline fins are still in production and on sale. You can order them in the USA here:

Eyeline, Training Long Fins, Swimming Pool, Diving, Swim Racing Workout

and in Australia here:

eyeline - quality swimming goggles and equipment

They've just been reduced to under $20 at the online American retailer AllSwim, and I was wrong about the maximum size, they go up to size 19 Plenty of room to accommodate neoprene socks in their spacious foot pockets. I purchased a pair from All Swim a few years ago and they arrived very quickly here in the UK. They're very comfortable and efficient for the gentle snorkelling I do in the North Sea off the North East coast of England. These are the kind of fins I used when I started in the 1960s and they work now in the new millennium just as well as those of a similar design did sixty years ago.

Incidentally, I just want to emphasise that I'm not recommending my own, and Pete Atkinson's, choice of fins as the only viable option in ScubaScubaScubaYAY's case. There are many different kinds of fins out there and finding the pair that suits each of us - and we're all different - is something of an odyssey. A modicum of experimentation is in order, borrow several different types and try them out in the water to see which appeal to you. Only focus on brands and models after going through this evaluation process. Don't just buy whatever is "flavour of the month" according to the fin review in the latest issue of your favourite diving magazine.

 

[Dave616]

Is the rest of the clown suit included with those fins?

 

[David Wilson]

Is the rest of the clown suit included with those fins?

I guess the dive store owner reserves that particular suit as a reward for the only purchaser prepared to pay the most inflated price for the most gimmicky pair of plastic fins he happens to have in stock.

 

[redacted]

His fins not only match his budget and his expectations, but also come in sizes up to US 17.

If you have a size 17 foot, do you really need fins??