DiveMaven:
I have to admit that I chuckle when I read comments like this....what is the hurry when diving?? I have Jets because I want a fin that would help me dive with more precision. Being able to do a variety of kicks was far more important than speed, though I have to say the short, broad paddles on the Jets sure can move me through water when needed.
At that time, the AOW instructor did say after we cover the instruction portion, he wanted to bring me to a second wreck that if we hurry, we should have time to get to and come back in time. Well, I couldn't keep up, and we didn't make it to that wreck.
DiveMaven:
I'm beginning to really think that it's important to match kicking styles with fin types to decide which is best. As a former competitive swimmer, I kick with my whole leg, from the hip. The power coming from my thighs, glutes, and abs, not much from the calves. This type of kick doesn't work with splits and they wind up hitting eachother and feel very floppy on the ends of my legs. I'm also very comfortable doing a frog kick or modified frog kick to conserve energy and for more precision.
On the other hand, I have a friend who is an average swimmer who kicks from the knees, with most of the power coming from her calves and thighs. She's prone to leg cramps and finds that the split fins help prevent those. She cannot get power from a paddle fin due to her kicking style and the splits fit the bill. She also can't really do an efficient or comfortable frog kick, thus prefers a flutter kick.
The bottom line for me is that everyone should try a variety of fins in the water and decide which one is best for them. Which one matches your kicking style, which one is comfortable, and which one will enhance YOUR diving the most.
I'm not a good swimmer. In fact the toughest part of my very first scuba lesson was passing the swim test. One guy with us said his wife is a good swimmer and was in the state championship, but she doesn't want (dare) to try scuba. At another outing, one girl (who her husband said is an excellent swimmer) got in the water and got water into her nose, got scared, and decided against scuba. So I feel fortunate that as not very good swimmer I learned to scuba and am enjoying it whenever I can on warm water vacations.
So I'm probably like the friend you described. But when you say she is an average swimmer, I'm probably worse than that. I also cannot do frog kick well. So while I can move easily in the short scubapro jets, I couldn't get a lot of power from it.
If it makes any difference, I'm 5'9", 180lbs, slender build. Most people are surprised tht I weigh 180lbs because I have narrow shoulder. But I play badminton and softball, so do have muscle rather than fat (and a slight belly that my wife points to
).
Thanks for all the suggestions. In Toronto, there are not many dive shops around. The one that is close to my work locations, says sometimes they go to Lake Ontario, requires AOW, goes to 60'. Even in mid-summer, it gets cold at 30' down. Need to wear 6mm inside and 6mm outside, 30lb of weight. It's murky/muddy, dark, nothing grows, very little fish. Anyway, I can't really borrow and try out different fins locally. So your comments are all very helpful.
