Best travel fins?

[buddhasummer]

I just bought some SP Seawing Gorillas, was bored, and was very surprised to find that they are in fact lighter than the Hollis F2s, at their widest they are the same but of course the Gorillas are longer.

 

[kaaralex]

check this thread: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/fi...385-anybody-used-carbon-fins-dive-system.html

 

[Nemrod]

My travel go-to fins have been Mares Avanti, about two pounds lighter than my Jets. I need that nearly two pounds also. But, while they do fine in normal use, several times I have had them fold on me under heavy use. Most recently, out of Pompano, they put me on a wreck there and the current was ripping, I mean really going. I had my camera which not big is sizable once the strobes are attached and in any case takes a hand to hold. So, the idea was to grab the tag line and hand over hand down the anchor rode. Well, always in the past with my Jets in similar conditions I have been able to one arm it by kicking hard and then pulling. Well, not this time, I pulled with my one arm but when I kicked the fins folded and I went backward right off the line--ooops. I think I can count on one hand, perhaps one finger, the number of times I have failed to make a dive. The other three made it down the line, hand over hand.

I really would like a Jet fin made of polymer or something similar that will not fold under heavy loading. AL seems to be addressing some travel needs but I do not like that articulated design. The ideal travel fin would be about three pounds per set, nearly as large or as large as current ScubaPro Jet but maybe with a removable foot pocket to reduce pack length and would be available in a stiffness suitable for any use the current classic Jet could handle.

N

 

[buddhasummer]

Must say the more I dive the Gorillas the more I like them, I think they will become my favorite fin, just hope they don't break at the hinge. Very light, good power and I can do all my kicks in them, way more power than my F2s and way easier on my legs than my Jets, yes I like them a lot. In fairness to the F2s I haven't used them much as the small is too big and I'm in the process of trying to locate some shorter springs.

 

[buddhasummer]

It's official the Seawing Gorillas are now my favourite fin.

 

[buddhasummer]

Might as well use hand fins. They are made too look cool, but have no thrust potential at all...


If you were going on a dream cycling vacation in Italy, would you rent a junk 10 speed when you got there, or bring your $8000 race bike you have trained on for years, and that works as an extension if you?
Fins are the same. If the destination has any challenge and fun, then I would want my best fins on. If you can't figure out a way to bring decent fins, you don't deserve a good dive destination

Respectfully disagree I have been using the Gorillas for a couple of weeks now and they are plenty powerful, I was pleasantly suprised. Have you used them?

 

[Nemrod]

On my recent trip down through Florida all the way to Key West I saw a bunch of people diving the Sea Wings. I am open minded on them but have always been suspicious of articulated designs. I do not know how heavy they are having never held a pair. However, I do know this, in the situation I described above, as I recall, two of the other three divers had the Sea Wings and they were not the Gorilla version I do not think, the other had those long free diving fins which seem very popular along the southeast coast of Florida for scuba divers. They seem to make plenty of thrust.

As to bikes, if I went to Italy for a cycling vacation, I would bring my 30 year old craftsman built Italian Pinarello Treviso, Columbus SL/SP, titanium freewheel, "holy" chain, other enhancements over the years, all classic Campy.

N

 

[danvolker]

Respectfully disagree I have been using the Gorillas for a couple of weeks now and they are plenty powerful, I was pleasantly suprised. Have you used them?

I have tried them....I enjoy trying new fins whenever I can. I'll back up a second....Gorillas, and even splits can be fine for most dives. What I demand in my fins, is that WHEN an issue arises, that I need to double or quadruple my speed for some reason--emergency/huge video opportunity, whatever...I want fins that will do this optimally..even if this is only once in 4 dives... For me, the gorillas would be fine if I am just taking it easy along the reef....But if I had a great Goliath Grouper shot with him cruising cross current at 3mph + and wearing a cloud of baitfish --- I want the shot, and I want fins that would make this easy for me...the Gorillas in this instance, would become spaghetti noodles at this level of torque....so for me, no way. When using my big DiveR freedive fins, most of the time I am swimming slow....however, whether I want slow, fast, reverse, frogkick--whatever I need, these ar ethe fins that will get the job done ( with the single exception of exploration level tight shipwreck penetrations..and I am not doing any cave dives) . For exploration level shipwreck penetrations I have jet fins.

If you ever get to Palm Beach, I have an extra pair of the big DiveR fins you should try

 

[tracydr]

Has anybody tried the Aeris Velocity X3? They come with spring straps and, unlike the "Jet" type fins, they come in a variety of smaller sizes.
i was looking at them at our LDS'S and considering trying them. They are lighter than Jets but not nearly as light as a plastic fin.

 

[Shftrdog]

The Hollis F2 are great for travel, so are the Oceanic V-16 split fins. I was in Cozumel a week ago with them and had no problem going into the current.