Fins, Fins and more fins!

[Princess Chris]

RK3s are fantastic fins, they are a little weightier than the quattros but in my opinion they outperform them especially when it comes to maneuverability and longevity. The colour of the RK3s can only really be appreciated at the surface however (speaking of my orange HDs) the colour is washed out pretty quickly and anything after 10m they just look brown, the white and yellow seem to hold up better though. Still not a comparison to the bright Mares colours but diving isnt just about looking good right?

 

[avfcmichael]

RK3s are fantastic fins, they are a little weightier than the quattros but in my opinion they outperform them especially when it comes to maneuverability and longevity. The colour of the RK3s can only really be appreciated at the surface however (speaking of my orange HDs) the colour is washed out pretty quickly and anything after 10m they just look brown, the white and yellow seem to hold up better though. Still not a comparison to the bright Mares colours but diving isnt just about looking good right?

I think you have helped me settle! I am looking at the Grey HD's to be honest - and only going for Grey as I like the colour and to tell them apart as I know loads of people with them in black!!!

How do you adapt wearing these from warm to cold water then?

 

[Graeme Fraser]

How do you adapt wearing these from warm to cold water then?

No specific adaptation required as you'll need booties in both environments. If you intend to dive drysuit, make sure the fin pockets are big enough to fit the drysuit boot as these tend to be larger.

 

[Sbiriguda]

RK3s are fantastic fins, they are a little weightier than the quattros but in my opinion they outperform them especially when it comes to maneuverability and longevity

I have no specific experience of the RK3s but they look like one of the several clones of the Scubapro jet fins. It's a completely different type of fin. Weightier and much more difficult to use in a strong current, there's a higher risk of cramps. They require more physical strength and training. The advantage is probably in frog kicking and being heavier they can be easier to use with a drysuit, which might be important for the thread opener who dives in the UK
Well, try to rent or borrow the jet fins in a test dive before you buy them, just to see if you like them and feel comfortable. You can also just ask your instructor, they can both lend you the fins and give you some advice based on your experience and the way you dive

As for colors, they don't really matter. Yellow and bright colors are maybe easier to see and help your buddy recognize you in a group of divers. On the other hand, they attract sharks and are forbidden in South Africa when diving with them...boring black, blue or grey colors should not be underestimated

 

[Princess Chris]

I think you have helped me settle! I am looking at the Grey HD's to be honest

I have no specific experience of the RK3s but they look like one of the several clones of the Scubapro jet fins. It's a completely different type of fin. Weightier and much more difficult to use in a strong current, there's a higher risk of cramps. They require more physical strength and training. The advantage is probably in frog kicking and being heavier they can be easier to use with a drysuit, which might be important for the thread opener who dives in the UK

Do be warned the HDs are significantly heavier and stiffer than regular RK3s so do require a good bit more leg strength they are also negatively bouyant so suit dry suit a little better. If you are wanting a fin for both warm and cold water i'd recommend the standard RK3. Just get yourself a decent pair of boots and you are good to go for regardless of water temp.I'm on the larger side so needed the extra bit of stiffness to get my fat ass through the water.

 

[Princess Chris]

they attract sharks and are forbidden in South Africa when diving with them...boring black, blue or grey colors should not be underestimated

Spent 6 months diving in cape town and dove a few times here in the south pacific with sharks, had bright orange fins for every single dive and have yet to be eaten

 

[MikkelBC]

I need ones that are going to be ok for me in cold UK water and also good for me to take on holiday with me into the warm water.

Don't do that. That's what I tried at first but ended up with fins that were good for neither.
Get one pair that is good for cold water and one pair that is good for traveling to warm places.
For cold water and a drysuit you will prefer some nice, heavy fins.
For warm water and travelling you will prefer lighter fins.
Probably the sizes you will need will be different too - I know that the fins that fit my wetsuit boots will not fit my drysuit boots.
In my case, I have Scubapro jet fins for cold water and OMS Slipstreams for warm water. They have almost the same shape, but the OMS fins are made of a much lighter material and nearly neutral in the water.

 

[Neilwood]

One thing to bear in mind is that Jet fins (whichever manufacturers version you go for) tend to be heavier (which is great for trim when drysuit diving as it helps with floaty feet) but this is a disadvantage when flying & diving in a light wetsuit (your feet will sink continually). Some come in two versions as you have found - a heavy high density version and a lighter version.

Personally I would always opt to have 2 different sets - even if they are the same basic shape and different densities. There is no point lugging a heavy fin on holiday when a lighter weight fin will do the job just as well (packing dive gear is always a struggle to get under the checked luggage weight limit in my experience).

 

[Sbiriguda]

Spent 6 months diving in cape town and dove a few times here in the south pacific with sharks, had bright orange fins for every single dive and have yet to be eaten

Indeed these rules vary from place to place. In Egypt as far as I know nobody cares about the color of the fins, and of course they have plenty of sharks there. Still, I didn't do the sardines run in South Africa in Port St. Johns area, I asked around to organize the trip, and several diving centers warned me about bringing light yellow or light green equipment, especially fins, because they are forbidden they don't allow you to dive with those where there are the sharks

 

[jlcnuke]

I dive deep6 eddy fins locally and on vacation. Great fins that work anywhere I dive (drysuit or 7mm and 40's F water temps locally or swimsuit and t-shirt with 82F water in the Caribbean) in my opinion. Though if I were to dive against strong currents regularly I wouldn't probably pick jet fins, but for