ya one of the dive shops here has a couple different pairs of rental fins. and i asked if i could just try a pair if they dont rent them. they said that i have to buy them, try them, bring them back without a scratch on them and then i can get my money back. i might try this, and hope to God they dont get a scratch on them. lol.
Fins Choice
- Thread starter skimphish
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That my friend is as good as it is going to get. If you're seeking a definitive answer, you'd be better off posting this in the decostop forum. They're much more receptive and easier there.
See if you LDS will let you try them in the pool (assuming they have a pool attached to the dive shop). Mine will let me try stuff in the pool (never really took advantage of the offer as I knew what I wanted out of the gate). You may have to buy it first, but there is very little chance of scratching them on one trip to the pool that's 25 steps away.
Crush
Contributor
1. I have bought two computers, a BC, and three regs at LP - NEVER a problem. I recommend them highly;
2. I am not a fan of split fins as then can make more advanced moves like the helicopter pivot more difficult. Personally, my Mares fins are fine; and
3. If you haven't tried spring straps with fins, you really should - you will never go back.
2. I am not a fan of split fins as then can make more advanced moves like the helicopter pivot more difficult. Personally, my Mares fins are fine; and
3. If you haven't tried spring straps with fins, you really should - you will never go back.
There is a reason he gave them to you. The "Navy" doesn't sponsor any fins, all of the fins that they Navy uses are 100% by the choice of the diver wearing them. They don't even issue fins anymore, at the dive school they use a combination of fins, mostly Jets and Rockets that are all many many years old. Seals commonly use Force Fins, MDSU divers use everything under sun.
then how is it splits in nearly every test done have been the fastest fins. can't be done unless they produce thrust. The reason that splits end up failing in the long run is the extremely high cadence they require to attain that speed.
Probably the best recommendation that you are going to find, learn to use a proper fin before those "other" fins teach you bad habits. BTW- I have ForceFins that are 12+ years old and have 1000+ dives and 2.5 years of setting in the Hawaiian sun, They are still as good today as the day I got them. I haven't found anything more comfortable or efficient.
vinegarbiscuit
Contributor
The blade vs split fin debate will continue to rage, and it's unlikely a resolution will ever be forthcoming. The choice is personal and depends on multiple factors, from the type of diving you practice (and see yourself doing in the future, as your diving education progresses) to your budget. Truly, the only way to make a decision is to try, try, try. I've found that folk I encounter while diving absolutely love talking about their gear, and (if size permits) are often happy to let you try items like fins and so on.
The Aqualung Rockets are terrific fins, but like all "old school" paddle fins like Jets, Turtles, Slipstreams, and the like, they perform best when utilizing alternative kicking styles like the frog kick, back kick, and helicopter kick. Even for someone in decent shape, it takes a fair bit of leg power to flutter kick using old school fins, so I'm not surprised to hear you're feeling a bit of pain! Old school fins are also great for pushing a drysuit-clad diver laden with heavy lanks and other equipment through the water.
Trialing equipment and seeing what works best for you is one of the funner aspects of diving. Cast your net wide, and enjoy.
The Aqualung Rockets are terrific fins, but like all "old school" paddle fins like Jets, Turtles, Slipstreams, and the like, they perform best when utilizing alternative kicking styles like the frog kick, back kick, and helicopter kick. Even for someone in decent shape, it takes a fair bit of leg power to flutter kick using old school fins, so I'm not surprised to hear you're feeling a bit of pain! Old school fins are also great for pushing a drysuit-clad diver laden with heavy lanks and other equipment through the water.
Trialing equipment and seeing what works best for you is one of the funner aspects of diving. Cast your net wide, and enjoy.
ya, i have been doing 500 meters of just flutter kicking and am working my way to a 1500 (i want to prove to a guy that i could do a 1500 meter in under 32 minutes) so far im down to a 6:45 500m kick.
i was a state swimmer in high school, so im in decent shape now, 2 years later. lol.im going to go talk to the dive shops after i get off work and see what they say about me just trying them out. thanks for the input vinegar and others!
David Wilson
Contributor
Yes, there's been plenty of discussion here and elsewhere about what the fastest fin is. Interesting, therefore, that the type of fin preferred by those who compete in finswimming races is a monofin, which nobody has yet suggested.
I'm very wary of "scientific tests" to determine the "best" fin. Not because I'm against scientific experimentation, far from it, but because the testers would have a really hard job controlling all the variables, and if you can't control all the variables, you won't get a credible result and people will be sceptical about whatever hypotheses you are trying to prove.
From my viewpoint, fins are worn for extra power, manoeuvrability or endurance, or a combination of the three. In my fifty years' experience as a snorkeller, very few fins satisfy all three criteria, which have a degree of subjectivity and undefinability about them anyway.
What's needed in fins is the ability of said fins to sit comfortably on your feet and to match your swimming style. This is a highly personal problem-solving process and it can't be rushed by following other people's recommendations about brands and models. Finding the perfect pair whose foot pockets fit your feet precisely - not just lengthwise, but widthwise and heightwise too, is something of an odyssey in itself, even before you begin selecting fins for blade stiffness.
For what it's worth, I prefer snorkelling with old-fashioned rubber full-foot fins. They suited me perfectly when I started snorkelling half a century ago and they still suit me perfectly now. Contrary to popular belief, I wear my full-foots with booties, never barefoot, and they still fit. Would I recommend them to you or to anybody else? No, because I'm me and you're you. Your priorities, physique, swimming style etc are likely to be different. We live in a diverse world and the world is better for it. Dare to be different!
Do try a variety of fins before you select a pair. Resist any sales pitch pushing you in the direction of one manufacturer or even one fin type. Just because a majority of people around you have opted for one brand and kind of fins doesn't mean that they are also right for you. You wouldn't let anybody else pick out your clothing for you, so try out several different designs and only settle on your purchase when you're happy, even if your choice makes somebody else unhappy because you've haven't made the same choice as them.
I'm very wary of "scientific tests" to determine the "best" fin. Not because I'm against scientific experimentation, far from it, but because the testers would have a really hard job controlling all the variables, and if you can't control all the variables, you won't get a credible result and people will be sceptical about whatever hypotheses you are trying to prove.
From my viewpoint, fins are worn for extra power, manoeuvrability or endurance, or a combination of the three. In my fifty years' experience as a snorkeller, very few fins satisfy all three criteria, which have a degree of subjectivity and undefinability about them anyway.
What's needed in fins is the ability of said fins to sit comfortably on your feet and to match your swimming style. This is a highly personal problem-solving process and it can't be rushed by following other people's recommendations about brands and models. Finding the perfect pair whose foot pockets fit your feet precisely - not just lengthwise, but widthwise and heightwise too, is something of an odyssey in itself, even before you begin selecting fins for blade stiffness.
For what it's worth, I prefer snorkelling with old-fashioned rubber full-foot fins. They suited me perfectly when I started snorkelling half a century ago and they still suit me perfectly now. Contrary to popular belief, I wear my full-foots with booties, never barefoot, and they still fit. Would I recommend them to you or to anybody else? No, because I'm me and you're you. Your priorities, physique, swimming style etc are likely to be different. We live in a diverse world and the world is better for it. Dare to be different!
Do try a variety of fins before you select a pair. Resist any sales pitch pushing you in the direction of one manufacturer or even one fin type. Just because a majority of people around you have opted for one brand and kind of fins doesn't mean that they are also right for you. You wouldn't let anybody else pick out your clothing for you, so try out several different designs and only settle on your purchase when you're happy, even if your choice makes somebody else unhappy because you've haven't made the same choice as them.
Keep in mind, that the best fin for the endeavor you cite above is quite possibly (probably?) not the best fin for scuba diving, where flat-out speed over distance is unimportant.
actually, a fin that can produce the large amount of thrust for that endurance is probably a reasonably good fin for scuba. maybe not the best, but reasonably good.
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