Fin buying help...

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Hey everyone,

I was wondering if a few people would comment on some help buying fins. I am a new diver, and getting ready to buy gear. I am reading alot about technique on different types of fins and have seen some stuff that worried me regarding types of fins. I thought I was sold on split fins till another thread that I was reading said they were useless. The dive shop that I shop at raves about them.

A little on me.... I used to swim as a year round competiton level swimmer. I am not looking to break any speed records diving it is for the fun of the sport. However given that my kick technique is that of a swimmer, what would someone suggest for types of fins? I am guessing force fins are out from what I have read, split fins? jet fins? I used to train using the cheap pair of solid seaquest fins (read bottom of the line for a diver). I wanted to get a few opinions before I went and dropped a few bills on a good pair.

thanks,

CR
 
This topic is more personal than factual. If you like a fin and it is comfortable, then it is good.

That having been said, if you prefer to follow the majority opinion rather than try fins and form your own opinion, you will probably find the following:

Scubapro Jet fins/Aqualung Rocket fins are most often most highly recommended.
Avanti Quattros are also extremely popular.
CressiSub Rondines are right up there.
Split fins, especially Scubapro TwinJets, are quite popular with recreational divers who mainly flutter kick rather than frog kick, although they are also good fins with frog kicks.
Force Fins are universally hated and ridiculed, but they do have a small band of ardent followers.

A great many divers have 2 or 3 sets of fins, and like different styles for different types of diving, so you won't lose by buying a good set to begin with that turn out not to be your very favorite. The only mistake is to buy the cheapest pair of entry-level type fins, which will be uncomfortable or provide inadequate propulsion or both, and be worthless for resale.

theskull
 
Jets are my personal favorites for my type diving. Quatros are probably the best all around fin IMO. They offer good speed without much loss in control. Based on your description they will probably work good for you. I've tried spits and dont like them but there are people who do. The best thing to do is go to an LDS with a pool and try as many types fins as you can.
 
theskull:
Split fins, especially Scubapro TwinJets, are quite popular with recreational divers who mainly flutter kick rather than frog kick, although they are also good fins with frog kicks.

theskull


Yes it will certainly be a flutter kick that I use.... my knees are to shot from years of swimming and paintball to frog kick like you use in breaststroke.
 
Second vote for ScubaPro Jets (Aqualung Rockets are not the same.) I also own a pair of Mares Quattros. And if you have anything larger than a size 11 foot and a big boot (as in, a dry suit boot) you'll want an IDI Turtle, or the new XXL Scubapro Jet... the old Jet's had ridiculously small foot pockets.

Split fins are a tax on the gullible... they may give you OK straight line thrust, but you can't maneuver in them and scores of divers have reported they're useless in a current. Your dive shop is pushing them on you because they're also expensive as heck.
 
IMHO the jets will give you much more fin regardless of your technique.

By all means put comfort 1st.

Safe diving
 
Boogie711:
Split fins are a tax on the gullible... they may give you OK straight line thrust, but you can't maneuver in them and scores of divers have reported they're useless in a current. Your dive shop is pushing them on you because they're also expensive as heck.

The above is the sort of information no one should take seriously.

FWIW - I just sold my Apollo Biofins after putting more than 650 dives on them. I dive in the Pacific Northwest, where tidal exchanges can exceed 15 feet and current is the norm. These fins are far from useless in current ... in fact, current is the one area where they outperform the IDI Turtles I am now using as my primary fin.

It's also a false statement that you can't maneuver in them ... I can hover six inches off the bottom, frog kick without silting (in very silty locations), and helicopter just fine in them. The true answer is that a good blade fin will give you better maneuverability and a better "feel" for subtle movements than a good split fin ... but it's simply not true that you cannot do these same things in a split fin.

Splits are a better choice for someone who has bad knees or poor lower body strength because they require a LOT less effort to propel through the water. What you give up in the process is some ability to maneuver (although with practice you can certainly dive proficiently in them). Because of the way they're built you will have more difficult learning how to do a reverse kick ... if that's important to you I'd recommend a good blade fin.

Ultimately it boils down to what you like ... and how much effort you're willing to put into mastering the fin you decide to purchase. Going from the splits to the Turtles it took me about 40 dives to feel I'd reached a comparable level of proficiency ... you use different kick styles and it takes a while to develop the muscle memory to utilize the subtle movements that are required for fine control. After about 100 dives I decided I liked my Turtles better overall, and didn't need to keep my Biofins anymore.

That choice had nothing to do with the quality of the fin ... it had to do with the type of diving I wanted to do. If you are a diver who enjoys "touring" ... or dive in an area where you're required to do a lot of surface swimming ... a split fin may be a better choice for you. If you're a diver who likes to poke about, and maneuverability is more important to you than covering territory, then a good blade fin is probably a better choice.

FWIW - most LDS recommend splits to their new divers for the simple reason that they're more forgiving and overall easier to use for people who haven't yet developed a good kicking technique.

As to the Jets, make sure they fit the boots (wetsuit or drysuit) you're planning to use. I know lots of divers who had to retire their Jets when they switched from wetsuit to drysuit ... because drysuit boots are generally wider and the Jet foot pocket is reasonably narrow. I understand Jets recently came out with an XXL size ... but I've also been told by people who have tried them that the foot pocket in those is HUGE. You really don't want to purchase a fin that has such a large foot pocket that leaves a lot of space between your foot and the fin ... that will allow the fin to move around in ways you don't want and will affect your ability to use it to it's fullest capacity.

My advice ... try different styles of fin. If you can manage it, try hooking up with a diver or two who uses the style of fins you're interested in purchasing and see if they will let you use them for a dive ... that's the best way to find out for yourself how the fin fits your diving style.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)
 
CelticRavenVA:
Yes it will certainly be a flutter kick that I use.... my knees are to shot from years of swimming and paintball to frog kick like you use in breaststroke.

Regardless of whether you choose a split fin or a blade fin, the frog kick technique you use for diving is nothing like what you use in a breast stroke. For splits, you use very little knee motion ... the kick is done by moving your lower leg side-to-side to "scull" the fin. For blade fins (at least for my Turtles), the best technique requires little use of your legs at all ... it's mostly done using ankle movements.

In either case, a lot of knee bending will cause you to "overkick" the fin ... which will not give you the "glide" after the stroke that you will get if you use good technique.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)
 
Wow... thanks for the awesome info on this.... It is extreamly helpful. Bob, Thank you very much for your long post on the details of your experience. I feel alot better now about making a decision on these. I know alot of it has to do with personal choice... and I am sure I will get a second pair or another pair in the future, I just want to make the best decision I can to start.

Thanks everyone,
CR
 

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