Apollo Bio Pro- talk about controversy!

[Jarrett]

I was a competitive swimmer for nearly 15 years, thus my kicks are so natural and automatic that the idea of modifying them to make a pair of fins "work" doesn't hold any appeal for me. I have an extremely strong flutter kick, as well as prefer to frog kick as much as possible while diving. I can't even begin to tell you how horrible the splits felt when I tried to frog kick in them!! It was much easier to find a fin that fit my style of kicking, which is what I did.

I swam competitively for 8 years and had the opposite effect. I prefered the shorter kick stroke with splits because it was closer to the way I raced freestyle. I didn't do large, wide, extended kicks while doing that stroke like the ones you need to dive blade fins, but rather quick short strokes similar to the flutter kick needed for the splits. Due to that, I turn on the freestyle kick in the Apollos and I'm gone. Feels natural to me.

And I wanted to disagree on the acquired taste statment mentioned earlier in the thread about split fins. My assertion is if you took people who have not previously formulated an opinion on fins and put them in a pool with a set of Mares Volo Power and a set of Apollo Bio-fins; that the Apollos would be chosen at a very high percentage point. The people who have to acquire the split taste are those who have spent years diving blades, imo.

But I agree with the previous poster, fins seem to be about as subjective as you can get in diving. People just like what they like, and that's perfectly cool.

 

[CompuDude]

BioFin XTs. Far too many complaints seem to generate from the original BioFins. For the type of dives the original poster indicated, they'd do wonderfully well with either BioFin, but I still prefer the XTs.

FWIW, I own XT-Cs for all of my current diving, just bought a pair of Jets for my upcoming DIR-F class (back to the stoneage for tech diving), and intend to buy another pair of BioFin XTs (yellow) for my Jamaica vacation early next year.

 

[aznlmpulse]

are xt-c's the same as xt's? why yellow? just wondering.

 

[susan6868]

Oh Compudude, bad news- the XT's don't come in yellow!
I know, I spoke with a few folks at Apollo and tried to get them. I wound up just buying the regular Bio's in yellow for two reasons:
1. They explained that by using the color additive in the rubber, it gives it a slightly stiffer consistancey than that of the original black bio's and I thought, oh, that's a good thing....(see, I still can't wrap my mind around the "floppy" thing)
2. I liked the yellow becuase IMO nicer looking and I'll be easier to recognize UW, I'm new we stay with the DM and travel in a "school"

My husband also bought a pair in blue. Not because of the color, he could care less, but because the Apollo people (three different reps we spoke with) said that the XT's were pretty much created to capture the part of the diving community who needed to "feel" themselves kicking in order to feel like the fins were working. They explained that although it changes the "feel" it doesn't increase performance of the fins at all. In fact, my husband bought them solely to try to decrease his air consumption and Apollo said using the XT's would do less to conserve air than the original Bio's.

Funny thing is, I started this post completely in the dark, and now I feel like I know more than I ever hoped to, both pro and con! In the end, I went ahead and bought them based on the fact that although there are so many opinions regarding speed and maneuverability, everyone seems to agree on comfort and convenience in packing for travel. My better half got them out of curiousity hoping to stay down with me a little longer. I'm not "Joe Diver", still learning and diving every chance I get. I'm sure just like shoes, there are different fins that would be called the "best" based on what you want to do. Right now, I'm haivng fun, just pretty much sightseeing. (And spending more money than I have!)

I may love these, I may put them up on ebay after my trip to Cayman in November, either way, I promise to post a follow up review after I've used them. Thank you guys so much for weighing in.

 

[CompuDude]

Whoops, you're right, I forgot that. I was thinking of the C Series.

Yellow (non-XT) fins should be just fine for the easy reef dives I would be doing in the tropics. And yes, yellow for high-vis reasons.

The -C series Bio-Fins have factory-installed spring straps (i.e., XT vs. XT-C, the only difference is the strap). And Apollo's spring straps really ARE the best thing since sliced bread!

I will note one thing: regardless of what Apollo says, the fastest speed clocked in any Scuba Diving mag test were the XT's, not the regular BioFins. A small difference to be sure, but it was a measurable one.

 

[pescador775]

The XT fin clocked a tiny 0.1 mph advantage over the Pro. The one diver out of five who achieved this was a professional athlete. I have used the Apollo Bio Fin Pro since 1999; in currents or calm, it makes no difference, this brand of fin will propel the diver faster than any other with 1/3 less energy expended as measured by air consumption. The fins are comfortable in my estimation. Sizing is tricky so some caution is needed when picking out a set. The fins are large and heavy so travel might be more problematical than with a feather light fin like the Oceanic Caribe, another top performer. In fact, the Caribe FF fin, which costs about 1/4 as much as a Bio Fin, is very close in performance and energy efficiency. In general, the improvements in swim fin performance are simply amazing. Any of these new fins will outperform the former benchmark, the Jet Fin. I never thought I would live to see it. Many attempts have been made over the years to improve fin performance. with Farallons ankle brace and that weird Force Fin, long fins, plastic fins, composite fins, etc. However, the discovery of the flex center panel (whether split or not) combined with resilient materials, be they solid gum rubber, or a combination of materials, set the stage for a whole new family of high performance fins.

Some divers make the mistake of using broad strokes to propel oneself with the split fin or the sister fins which use a flexible center panel. The broad stroke has always been inefficient due to the extra water resistance posed by the wide scissor posture. This problem is aggravated by attempting this style of kicking with the new type fins regardless of brand.

 

[wettek]

The Xt was only 0.1 mph faster than the standard Bio? That's an interesting figure, where did it come from? According to the Rodales fin test November 2004, it was 0.3 mph faster, which is quite substantial.

 

[pescador775]

Thanks, I stand corrected. Was that speed averaged over the entire team or limited to a single tester?

OK, I see the test. This was the 2004 test in Curacao which featured the yellow Bio Fin and the XT. I seem to remember another test in which the XT was run against the black Bio Fin Pro with different results. In any case, the XT is a top performer albeit with a stiff blade.

I cannot find the original Scubalab test of the XT and I've given up for now. However, below one may find the results of a scientifically conducted test of several models of Bio Fin. Dr Grier did not find a speed advantage for the XT:

http://dive.scubadiving.com/members/gearreviews.php?s=535

Also, it is interesting that Apollo Sports does not claim any special speed advantage for the XT; rather, they have stated that the XT was developed for those who "prefer" a stiffer fin.

The Xt was only 0.1 mph faster than the standard Bio? That's an interesting figure, where did it come from? According to the Rodales fin test November 2004, it was 0.3 mph faster, which is quite substantial.

 

[CompuDude]

pescador77, I've never worn the original bio-fins, although I plan to pick up the yellow ones at some point, but I've been diving paddle fins since I was certified in '87 (and before, while snorkeling), and I immediately liked the XTs from the first time I tried them.

Apollo may not claim an advantage for them, but I think the stiffer material is far less likely to "fold up" under hard kicking (a frequent criticism from those who have chosen not to learn to kick them properly), and there seems to be at least some speed advantage over the regular bio fins, as well. I think if more paddle fin users tried the XTs before the Pros they would be more inclined to give them a chance long enough to learn how to get the most out of them, part because they have a more familiar feel to them.

For me, the real test will be once I move to drysuit and doubles. If I can keep up with the paddle fin crowd under those conditions, I'll have erased my last inklings of doubt. (Note there are still situations where paddle fins are better, i.e. tech diving, wreck and cave penetrations with reels and lines, etc., but for the easy reef diving that makes up the majority of my dives, I think my XT splits are the best.)

 

[wettek]

Hey guys.

I am currently using a set of Atomic splits, but am seriously thinking about a set of the Bios. Question though, do the XTs, have the same effect on air consumption as the standard Bios? I am concerned that being stiffer, they may use more air than the standards, and after shelling out $380 AUS, I will not notice any difference from my Atomics. Anybody reckon I'll notice a difference anyway? I do love my Atomics, but figure if I can drop my air consumption a bit more it's gotta be a good thing. Thanks.