Dee once bubbled...
Partly true. No, you don't get the initial thrust of power that blade fins will give you, but the only time I miss that is when I divemastering a class. In that case I use the Atomic splits which are stiffer and don't have that proble. I haven't had any trouble maneuvering at all except for backing up using fins only and that just takes a few more strokes to do, but I don't feel like that is a reason to dismiss the fins altogether...I still have my hands! 
If you like the Atomics better when you are divemastering, why don't you like them better at other times?
You wrote re: the Volo's:
The felt 'broken' to me and I never did find that in between kicking style that I was told was needed, they never did feel comfortable to me.
Interesting. I have never seen any direct comparison of the Volo's vs. any of the splits -- in particular, the Biofins. I'd love to know how they compare in a formal test like Rodale's does for speed and efficiency and air consumption.
All I can say is I prefer them in any kind of current to speak of, as a photographer I can pivot and maneuver into any position I need to be in AND get out of it. A modified frog kick and a short flutter kick are my normal kicks. The only time I do not wear the Bio fins is when I DM a class and I need to be ready to surge after a student if I have to.
In this paragraph, are you talking about the BioFins as the ones you prefer? I'd love to know all your reasons about why you prefer them.
I own 4 pairs of fins (OK, I'm a compulsive fin buyer) -- a pair of Cressi Frogs, which I bought when I was first certified in '92, a pair of ScubaPro TwinJets, which I bought a year ago, a pair of Apollo Biofins, which I bought last October, and a pair of full foot Aeris velocities, which a bought a few weeks ago mainly for doing flipper laps in the pool.
I really can't decide which ones I like best -- the Apollos or the Scubapro Twinjets. In the pool, I tried timing myself doing one lap (forward and back) with each of the fins in a 25 meter pool going as fast as I possibly could. I did 3 runs with each pair of fins in random order. The Cressi Frogs were consistently the slowest, even if I used the large full-leg kick like you are supposed to use with paddle fins -- around 61 seconds over and back. The Apollos and the BioFins on my feet, anyway, were about the same -- 53 seconds. In the pool, the ScubaPro's feel like they connect better with my feet. But after going back and forth between the 2 spit fins when I was in Coz for a week recently, I found myself returning to the Apollos more often, for reasons that I am unsure of.
Another question to Dee -- I noticed that the Apollo Biofin use and care instuctions on the package recommended that you soak them for 24 hours in fresh water every time you use them in salt water. That sounded a bit excessive to me. In Coz, the usual practice was to dip things once or twice in the rinse tank and then store your gear in your locker until the next day of diving. Never noticed any particular problem with the fins under this treatment. Have you noticed any problems with them not holding up if you don't rinse them for 24 hours after having them in salt water??
Thanks.
