Exploring the idea of new fins?

[Eric Sedletzky]

What is your most used and/or favorite kick? Is size and weight an issue for traveling? Do you care if they are positively or negatively buoyant?

I don’t know that I have a favorite kick. I don’t do modified frog kicks, feet up, flipping the feet around at the ankles. I used to but not any more. Now I do either the good old classic standard flutter, or a slow dolphin with both feet together, or feet straight back and do a toe kick similar to a calf raise except your just pushing water back with the tips of the fins. Those work great for a slow even cruising speed and very efficient because your body is lined up straight like a torpedo. I can say that Jetfins excel at those types of kicks. I don't go backwards or do heli turns anymore, I have no reason to where I dive. The water is way too active and turbid here to worry about pinpoint accuracy. Sometimes we pop up in and around washes around the rocks and we have to kick our asses off to get out of it and away from those types of hazards. I don’t care about negative or neutral. Positive could be counter productive in a 7mil wetsuit. I do not travel right now but that could change someday. I mainly dive locally from the beach. Our coast is rocky so I’m down in the rocks quite a bit gathering scallops, and I hunt so I need to cover a lot of ground. We also do a lot of surface swimming here to get out to our drop zones.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

@tridacna to clip them to a chest dring. see any number of pictures with military divers.

@Eric Sedletzky do you need negative fins for a drysuit? if not, the deep 6 and dive rite fins should be considered.

I only dive wet.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I am going to order and try these new fins from Scubapro as soon as I can. I have heard excellent reviews from people who have tried them:

Scubapro Seawing Supernova Fin

I can rent those at my LDS.

 

[johndiver999]

I’m romancing the idea to look into getting new fins.
I started with Mares Quattros many years ago when I started diving. I thought they were good because I had no experience with anything else. But then I grew weary of the “dead spot” that they have when the loose flap of rubber flips flops on the end if the fin as you change direction. I gifted them away to a friend who is getting into diving.
Since then I’ve adopted Jet fins, Turtle fins, and Picasso Freediving fins.
I’m not really a fin junky, I’ve managed to keep the fin collecting under control.
However, a few recent threads have sparked my interest in re-exploring fins to see what is out there.
I saw comments about how Jet fins are poor copies of some historic beauchat fins that were much better. Jets are currently my go to fin, but as mentioned they suck for long surface swims but seem to be good for frog kicking and some other techniques that I’ve played with. I just want to see if there is anything out there recently developed that might be better. I’m not into splits, in fact they are quite minimized at dive shops and seem to have run their course. I’ve tested them and they don’t cut it in my world. I’ve also tried Sea Wing Nova’s and they are strange to me. I dodn’t care for them. I tried Hollis F1’s and they sucked worse than almost anything I’ve ever used.
I have used freediving fins for scuba which give oodles of power if you need to get from point A to point B quickly. The problem is mine are full foot and trying to shore dive with them in neoprene socks is not realistic.
I guess I’m looking for a solid fin that is fairly long but not as long as freediving fins, that has an open heel, nice foot pocket for a mens size 13 (46 Eu),
Something produced now, not a vintage fin that is no longer made. Non vented perhaps. Lighter weight might be a good option, and something that channels water well.
Price I don’t care about as long as they work, but obviously not crazy expensive.
I thought of even buying a pair of open heel freediving fins and trimming them back, has anyone ever done this?
Some of the basic historical designs seemed perfect but nobody makes anything like that anymore.
I don’t want anything gimmicky either with weird hinges, bands, etc. just solid basic well designed fins that work well for flutter kicks and long surface swims.

why do you think you need to chop off the blades of an open heel freedive fin? Why not just use them as is? I have used some open heel freedive fins and they are probably not as efficient as a full foot, but if you have to accommodate a large neoprene boot, then you need an open heel foot pocket.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I was in my LDS today getting an air fill (they filled my tank to four grand! Yippee!!)
Anyway, I was looking at fins and they had SP Jets (of course), then SP “go” fins - they look like a lightweight travel fin. SP Nova’s that they also rent. There were some econo Xcell fins that looked really cheapo - not interested.
Then there was new ones from Aqualung that look like monsters. The foot pocket is bigger than Scubapro’s XXXL Jet fin!
That is their XL.
The Lg looked like it would fit a 13.
I can’t remember the name of them but they just came out. They look like they might work pretty good.
Not one pair of split fins to be found! They are gone with the flood.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

why do you think you need to chop off the blades of an open heel freedive fin? Why not just use them as is? I have used some open heel freedive fins and they are probably not as efficient as a full foot, but if you have to accommodate a large neoprene boot, then you need an open heel foot pocket.

Because the gearing of long freediving fins works great for the slick profile of a bare bodied freediver with no BC,tank,hoses etc. as soon as you add that stuff it creates drag and then you’re fighting trying to push all that drag with high geared fins. The amount of effort to overcome that drag with high gearing is like lugging it with a heavy load. You need to shift down to make a heavy haul more efficient. Just like picking the right gear going up a hill on a bicycle.

 

[BoltSnap]

I can rent those at my LDS.

I am talking about the "new" "Supernova Fin" not the regular seawing fins. The "supernova" just came out. Does your store rent these "supernova" fins or just the regular "seawings"?

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I am talking about the "new" "Supernova Fin" not the regular seawing fins. The "supernova" just came out. Does your store rent these "supernova" fins or just the regular "seawings"?

Oh, probably just the regular Sea wings.
Whats different about the super nova?
They might be worth a look.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

The new Aqualung fin is called the “Phazer”
Anybody try it yet?

 

[BoltSnap]

Oh, probably just the regular Sea wings.
Whats different about the super nova?
They might be worth a look.

They do everything for you except scratch your back or kick for you

Check out the link and also go to Scubapro's channel on YT, they just published lots of videos about this fin:

Supernova Fin