Equipment question

[verybaddiver]

as a semi-new diver, im logging quite a few dives now a days, and have purchased most the necessery equipment, one thing that i have not yet purchased is fins. Mainly because they are a semi-investment which i hope with have a long life, unlike things like computers/regs/bcd that i will be prepared too improve if i ever fancy more technical diving.
what i wondering is which fins do people think would suit my diving conditions the best:-

dry suit in water as cold as 8 celsius , english coastline with surge and waves.
the people that dive at my local dive shop seem to be wearing TUSA X-Pert Zoom , MARES Volo Power Fins or SCUBAPRO twin jets. These are all offered at my dive center, but for some reason i think these people are using these fins because they are the ones sold at the dive shop, and the fact they work there might get them a discount? i know they are good fins, im just wondering if better ones exist. i've heard of Force Fins etc, but are under the opinion these are mainly tropical fins? and when i was recently in the Dominican Republic i was told the Twin-Jets were nice steady fins, especially useful for photography, (although im' not interested in photography, so this wouldn't interest me).

thanks for any advice :/

 

[Vie]

You can’t go wrong with Scubapro Jetfins (NOT to be confused with the Twin Jets)—especially with the kind of diving that you described.

The Jetfins foot pockets can be rather small for some people though.

 

[verybaddiver]

hmm the razor fin is another one in the uwatec guide book from last year. they didn't advertise the so said jet fin, but was easy to find online. :/

ps. when it comes to the likes of fins i am sparing no expense. Price doesn't bother me for these essential items that i hope will last quite a while. i don't see any reason not to spend an extra $100 not to get better fins

 

[markfm]

You might want to be careful about the size (width) of the fins you get. I initially bought a pair, ended up needing a second pair when I bought a drysuit, because the DS boots were significantly wider than my normal wet boots.

 

[verybaddiver]

You might want to be careful about the size (width) of the fins you get. I initially bought a pair, ended up needing a second pair when I bought a drysuit, because the DS boots were significantly wider than my normal wet boots.

i forgot to mention i already have a dry suit, so would indeed try them with one on :>

 

[Diversauras]

Verybaddiver, I like your style, I have a couple of pairs of Mares Plana Avanti , one pair for my wet suit boots, one pair for my dry suit boots. Over ther years I have had a few pairs of fins but these are very comfortable to me and they aren't particularly expensive, $65 a pair I think, and one was bought recently. If you do a lot of beach diving, or in your case, on rocky bottom with some current, you will probably chew them up a bit, but I will attest that even thought they get ugly after a while they work just fine, and an advantage of them looking all knackered is that nobody wants to "borrow" them.

 

[kidspot]

I'll second the Jet Fin recommendation - they are a sturdy fin, that frequently last decades (as attested to by many divers on SB still using their first pair) They are not expensive, but they work well (why spend lots when you don't need to...) You may want to consider spring straps as well, thought that will nearly double the cost of the fins (bringing it up to $100-$150)

Aloha, Tim

 

[jonnythan]

I agree with the Jet Fins. If a fin design has survived unchanged for around 40 years, you know they did something right

Over 90% of the people I've been diving with in the past two years dive them. Invest in spring straps for them as well.

 

[mossym]

i have both jet fins and mares volos. they're both good fins for different reasons, i dive the jet fins in my drysuit, volo's with my wetsuit cause of different size boots. I find i don't move as fast with the jets, the same kick in the jets doesn't move me half as much, but for slow finning the jets are better...

 

[bgi]

If you choose to go with split fins I can offer some experience.

I tried several varieties of split fins. The Tusa Zooms moved me quicker with less effort than the others. They offer less kicking resistance than the others, therefore requiring less work to move around. To say that I was moving faster with less effort is saying quite a lot - I don't get as tired or use as much air as I would with other fins on. The other major plus: the foot pocket is the most comfortable of the bunch, as well.

Your mileage may vary.