Fin stiffness

[DivingSD]

I’ve been using the ScubaPro Go Sport fins for the last 80 or so dives, and in general they have been great. Most of my dives are pretty lazy and I frog kick 90% of the time. I tend to be feet heavy and travel a lot so the light weight is great. I even swap spring straps on them for rock boots when dry. They work great for this!

What I’ve noticed is that when I’m carrying more gear, in my drysuit, working against a current, or want to get somewhere fast, they feel like they flex a lot and don’t give enough power. Someone took the picture below of me recently against a current, trying to catch up with an eagle ray, while carrying a pony and GoPro. I’m flutter kicking hard and felt like I was going nowhere. In the picture you can see how flexed the fin is, I can’t imagine that’s effective at that point? Should I consider a stiffer fin like the Gorilla or a different style?

 

[BoltSnap]

Did you try switching to flutter kicks?

Gorilla is better in this respect.

 

[NothingClever]

DiveRite XT fin for the win.

Lightweight but nice and stiff.

Might be on the long side for some travel bags (but not for me - must pack item).

 

[MB NZ]

It's a very personal thing. I like short, stiff heavy fins. Every time I tried Mares Quattros which are apparently the best thing since sliced bread, I get calf cramps.

 

[crofrog]

Jet fins

 

[DivingSD]

I find the Go Sports to be awesome for the vast majority of my diving. It’s when I push them harder that it feels like they give up, especially with a flutter kick. At some point it’s like any further energy I put in doesn’t return additional movement through the water. When I saw the picture it made me think that once they flex to that point they probably aren’t doing much. To be fair, I’m 220# with some extra gear really trying to scoot into a decent current in the picture.

 

[lexvil]

Super nova

 

[Brett Hatch]

I’m flutter kicking hard and felt like I was going nowhere. In the picture you can see how flexed the fin is, I can’t imagine that’s effective at that point? Should I consider a stiffer fin like the Gorilla or a different style?

View attachment 887022

Are you certain that you are flutter kicking when this photo was taken? To my eye, it looks like you are in the middle of a frog kick. If you are definitely flutter kicking here, then the issue might be your flutter kicking technique

More to the point in the OP... if you are looking for stiff, lightweight fins, one popular answer on ScubaBoard is Deep6 Eddy Flippers. I love mine. They're lightweight topside, neutral underwater, and they are made of plastic rather than rubber, so they are very stiff. Best of all is the ergonomic foot pocket shape, which many JetFin-style fins are distinctly lacking in. Use the size chart to determine your preferred size. As a point of reference, I use an XL fin which works for both my size 12 drysuit booties and my size 10 wetsuit booties

 

[DivingSD]

It’s possible the picture could be frog kicking too, that is by far my natural kick. The physics don’t seem great for any stroke once a fin flexes to this point. It’s probably a trade off for easier finning when you actually want a little snap?

I’ve never tried a fin style like the Eddy, but I’ve heard good things. Not sure how they would compare for me?

 

[old frogman]

"Smoke on the water" by Atomic Aquatics.