Exploring the idea of new fins?

[tridacna]

I love mine.

Did you get them with any blades other than the standard ones?

 

[johndiver999]

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.

That sounds like it makes sense, but my experience is otherwise. Generally scuba spearfisherman prefer a somewhat stiff freedive fin, while freedivers who are pushing less drag often are happier with a softer blade.

Also, and this is relevant, some freedivers are swimming long distances on the surface or holding position over a wreck or reef while fighting a surface current for extended periods of time. they also might be in the water 4-5 or more hours per day and swimming a good bit of it. This kind of diving requires a softer blade or it is too tiring.

It is not that often that a scuba diver will be maintaining a steady swimming pace for 3 hours (or more)
per day. It is often kick a little, glide, and then maybe float around for 30 seconds here and there looking at stuff. So in this kind of relatively gentle and intermittent swimming, a stiffer blade can be used - all other things being equal. The stiffer blade will provide power when needed.

These are are generalizations and the most overwhelmingly important factor is the diver's strength and endurance.

 

[Jcp2]

Maybe a more advanced force fin is a good choice, although new is pricy.

 

[Kupu]

I dive wet with single tanks using 5 & 7 mil wetsuits. Mostly frog and modified frog type kicks, and falling back to flutter when aiming to rapidly cover distance. In the past I regularly used (at least 50-100 dives each) quattros, slipstreams, regular force fins, eddys and also tried out a number of other fins.

My current favorites are Scubapro Go Sport, DiveRite XT, and Gull Super Mew XX. All are very good all around performers for me, both swimming on the surface while kitted up and while diving. The Go Sports are slightly positive and the XTs and Super Mews are a little bit heavier. The Go Sports trim me out nicely when using aluminum tanks and would be my travel fins due to weight, but I prefer the XT or Mew for steel tanks.

 

[lexvil]

What size jets do you use Eric?

 

[GameChanger]

For many years I dove with SP Gorillas and had no complaints. Lately, however, I am experiencing really bad cramping in my hamstrings when I frog kick. No other kicks cause me to cramp, which is weird. On a recommendation, I bought ScubaPro Go Sports, and I tried them out last week, and NO CRAMPING! I guess the super stiff Gorilla fins are just too much for my old legs now.

Now, if I can just figure out what those skegs are supposed to do???

 

[rob.mwpropane]

Pretty interesting that you (@Eric Sedletzky) disliked the Hollis F1's. I'd say they're pretty close to my D6 Eddys but negative. Maybe a little longer and not quite as stiff... I'm not sure, I use XL (Eddy) diving wet and XXL (Hollis) diving dry..

I like both fins a lot, maybe D6 slightly better but they're too buoyant for a drysuit.

 

[Pearlman]

Always wondered why SP introduced the hole at the end of the Jet fin? Continued it with their old and new Novas. I actually asked Rhys Couzyn (designer of the Seawing Nova) about it at DEMA a few years ago. He fudged an unsatisfying BS answer. I reckon that it’s just a hole to hook them on the wall.

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

While I narrowed down my choice to Scubapro Go Sport as THE One fin to own (if you were to buy just one fin for travelling light) I couldn’t help feeling a tinge of wry cynicism at the sight of 2-3mm extrusions in googly fonts in the name of branding (that magically don’t give rise to eddy currents and drag) on the fin while the marketing blurb extolled virtues of streamlined grooved channels barely 2mm in height “scientifically designed” to channel water and “maximise thrust”… makes me really wonder if those fins would perform a wee better without the twisty “Scubapro” branding on them!

 

[Still Kicking]

The thing I really look for in a fin is control. If I move my foot this way, my body does this etc. I have tried lots of fins over the years but nothing gives me as much control as Jetfins. The short stiff blade, sharp edges and deep pockets give a lot of torque on the water.

I know they are not the most efficient fins but that's a secondary concern for me -- scuba isn't a race (most of the time). I tried the Seawing Novas and I had great thrust but little control. I felt my ankle rolling and loss of power when I tried to adjust my attitude in the water. Not a good feeling for me.

Different strokes....

 

[dmaziuk]

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@Eric Sedletzky unfortunately these guys improved their website since the last time I looked and now you can't figure out what you're looking at; back when I was looking, it was the open-heel foot pocket with replaceable blades -- 2 foot pocket sizes and 3 blade choices. Even more unfortunately, shipping to US makes it so that if they don't fit and you want to swap for the other size, it's cheaper to buy Force Fins.

(I ended up buying a pair of ARAs on closeout: Cressi conveniently decided to stop making them just as I was fin-shopping.)