? Best Fins for injured hip?

[Aquaviolator]

A friend had a hip replacement and used Church Hills, normally used for Body Boarding. Said the short blades were great requiring little force with good propulsion. Bonus is there not to expensive.

 

[rab1412000]

aps mantrays

when i use them i feel like im not even wearing fins
highly recommended

 

[David Wilson]

Duplicate file deleted.

 

[David Wilson]

A friend had a hip replacement and used Church Hills, normally used for Body Boarding. Said the short blades were great requiring little force with good propulsion. Bonus is there not to expensive.

Although they're probably associated with bodyboarding nowadays, they're the modern incarnation of the oldest American commercial swim fin design, devised and patented by Californian yachtsman and inventor Owen Churchill. During World War II the fins were exported to Europe to equip Allied combat swimmers. Here are a couple of pictures of lifeguards trialling the fins in the early 1940s:

Almost three-quarters of a century of continuous production isn't bad for a design that launched today's vast range of swim fins for use by bodyboarders, scuba divers, snorkellers, freedivers, lifeguards and competitive swimmers in training.

 

[cdreamer]

I sold a pair of Scubapro Twin Jets to a young woman with 2 hip replacements. She did very
well with them. They were the black ones not the colored ones.

 

[Guy Alcala]

I sold a pair of Scubapro Twin Jets to a young woman with 2 hip replacements. She did very
well with them. They were the black ones not the colored ones.

I've got an old groin muscle tear that no longer heals, and a hip (same side) with essentially no cartilage left. When I bought my first pair of fins (Tri-Ex blades) I quickly found that they hurt in the pool, so went back to the LDS and exchanged them for a pair of Oceanic Vortex V-12s (splits). Problem solved. Nowadays I normally use a pair of Apollo Bio-Fins (black rubber), because the blade is shorter than the V-12s (IIRR they're different sizes so that isn't necessarily a head-to-head comparison), they are easier to maneuver in kelp without getting tangled, and I prefer the open toe. They're great when I'm doing long shore dives (ca. 3/4 - 1 mile), if probably slightly slower than the V-12s (see caveat above). You can do a frog kick with either, but it won't be as efficient as a paddle fin.

I also have two pair of Scubapro Jet Fins, one size L and one XL. The Ls only work for me with a 3mm or thinner boot, but don't seem to give me any problems, as the paddle blade is a reasonable size. I use the XLs for boat diving in my drysuit, when I won't be swimming very far but want maximum maneuverability and kick flexibility, but they definitely strain my groin muscle as well as tend to give me cramps if I have to swim any significant distance in them, because the blades are huge and very stiff. Definitely, you want to frog kick in these things whenever you can, but I can't for any length of time without pain.

I once tried a pair of Manta Rays while testing a new drysuit, but unfortunately they screwed up my trim so much, being so much lighter than the natural rubber fins I normally use, that I spent the whole dive 45 degrees head down and can't make any useful comparisons. Haven't tried the Force Fins. We have one local guy who's leg was a mass of pins etc. following an accident, who was using the Slingshots. Indeed, he was a finalist in the contest to win a free trip because they allowed him to rehabilitate so well. Don't know if he won the trip or not. But see this review here:

http://divertodiver.scubadiving.com/printable.aspx?m=153871

Bottom line, lots of us like Bio-Fins, and they always seem to test at or near the top of every category no matter who does the testing. Other fins tend to vary a lot more based on personal preference. I know on the surface, when my trim was irrelevant, I seemed to be doing an awful lot of work for very little result with the Manta-Rays compared to my Bio-fins, and the Scuba Lab tests I've seen were pretty mediocre. But some people love them.

HTH,

Guy

 

[rab1412000]

I've got an old groin muscle tear that no longer heals, and a hip (same side) with essentially no cartilage left. When I bought my first pair of fins (Tri-Ex blades) I quickly found that they hurt in the pool, so went back to the LDS and exchanged them for a pair of Oceanic Vortex V-12s (splits). Problem solved. Nowadays I normally use a pair of Apollo Bio-Fins (black rubber), because the blade is shorter than the V-12s (IIRR they're different sizes so that isn't necessarily a head-to-head comparison), they are easier to maneuver in kelp without getting tangled, and I prefer the open toe. They're great when I'm doing long shore dives (ca. 3/4 - 1 mile), if probably slightly slower than the V-12s (see caveat above). You can do a frog kick with either, but it won't be as efficient as a paddle fin.

I also have two pair of Scubapro Jet Fins, one size L and one XL. The Ls only work for me with a 3mm or thinner boot, but don't seem to give me any problems, as the paddle blade is a reasonable size. I use the XLs for boat diving in my drysuit, when I won't be swimming very far but want maximum maneuverability and kick flexibility, but they definitely strain my groin muscle as well as tend to give me cramps if I have to swim any significant distance in them, because the blades are huge and very stiff. Definitely, you want to frog kick in these things whenever you can, but I can't for any length of time without pain.

I once tried a pair of Manta Rays while testing a new drysuit, but unfortunately they screwed up my trim so much, being so much lighter than the natural rubber fins I normally use, that I spent the whole dive 45 degrees head down and can't make any useful comparisons. Haven't tried the Force Fins. We have one local guy who's leg was a mass of pins etc. following an accident, who was using the Slingshots. Indeed, he was a finalist in the contest to win a free trip because they allowed him to rehabilitate so well. Don't know if he won the trip or not. But see this review here:

My tests of 3 recent ScubaPro and AquaLung fins

Bottom line, lots of us like Bio-Fins, and they always seem to test at or near the top of every category no matter who does the testing. Other fins tend to vary a lot more based on personal preference. I know on the surface, when my trim was irrelevant, I seemed to be doing an awful lot of work for very little result with the Manta-Rays compared to my Bio-fins, and the Scuba Lab tests I've seen were pretty mediocre. But some people love them.

HTH,

Guy

the thing with scubalabs tests is that they rated the deep outdoors 6-gill fins as a testers choice and the aps mantarays as a midlevel performer- they are essentially the same fin!
i owned a pair of white aps mantarays which i just sold to get the bigger size. when i used them they really felt like a i was wearing no fins at all. they did provide a little less power than my full size tusa liberator x(cramp machine). however it was very easy to kick more with the mantarays for added power so this kinda offset that.
i heard though that the black model is a bit stiffer and could provide a little more power.

 

[rab1412000]

oh btw also have an operated knee and ankle problems due to my gout so i have difficulty too using heavy/long fins

 

[Guy Alcala]

the thing with scubalabs tests is that they rated the deep outdoors 6-gill fins as a testers choice and the aps mantarays as a midlevel performer- they are essentially the same fin!
i owned a pair of white aps mantarays which i just sold to get the bigger size. when i used them they really felt like a i was wearing no fins at all. they did provide a little less power than my full size tusa liberator x(cramp machine). however it was very easy to kick more with the mantarays for added power so this kinda offset that.
i heard though that the black model is a bit stiffer and could provide a little more power.

I imagine the difference in test ratings is due to the fact that other fins have improved in the meantime, and/or different/improved test protocols. Here's the most recent test they listed under fins, (which also has the Bio-Fin Pro):

18 New Fins | Scuba Diving Magazine

Guy

 

[rab1412000]

I imagine the difference in test ratings is due to the fact that other fins have improved in the meantime, and/or different/improved test protocols. Here's the most recent test they listed under fins, (which also has the Bio-Fin Pro):

18 New Fins | Scuba Diving Magazine

Guy

yes, that was the test i was referring to and they rated the six gills much much hogher in 2005.
your logic has its merits, but im also thinking that in 2005 they tested the black version and in 2007 they tested the colored version. as i previously mentioned, the black version uses a modified rubber compound which makes it stiffer, and negatively bouyant. this is in itself would make the black fin a much more powerful kicker and could offset the bouyancy issues of the colored fins.
being a tropical rec diver, i myself prefer positively bouyant fins since it helps keep me and my bcd horizontal.
because of the stiffer material, im more keen on getting the black aps mantarays instead.