fins, fins, God I need some good fins

[sdexcalibur]

Hello everyone please lend a helping hand I now own a pair of dacor pursuit fins. Now a long time diver comes by and says their junk, and swears by the rocket fins I belive by US Diver. SO I look around and don't see the best reviews about the rockets.
Has anyone tried the TUSA PLATINA FINS. I'm on a budget so I need something reasonable. Hopefully under 100.00. I start my class in two week and need some major input.

 

[Zept]

If you're doing the Open Water course, you don't need fancy fins. You won't be swimming long distances or kicking into a strong current. Stick with the fins you have and save your money until you know what you want.

Zept

 

[jbd]

I'm certainly not the most experienced diver you will ever meet but I have stayed at a Holiday Inn Express. I have dove with several divers of various levels and years experience. What I have noticed is its whats between the divers ears that counts; not whats strapped to his or her feet. Keep the fins you have as long as they are in good serviceable condition and spend the $100 on additional equipment. There's plenty to spend money on in scuba diving without duplicating gear at the beginning.

 

[Walter]

I'm not familar with Dacor pursuit fins, but I have used Rockets.

If you are happy with your Dacors you should stay with them. If you are interested in trying something different, by all means borrow some different fins and try them out.

There are several threads dealing with Rockets. Basically, they are inefficient imitations of Jet Fins.

 

[Dee]

sdexcalibur ...

Since you had duplicate posts with responses to both, I merged the two.

 

[scubabunny]

The first fins I bought after becoming certified were the Platinas. For the money, they were pretty good in my opinion. For quick bursts of speeds, the dual blades worked really well with a small flutter kick, but my dive buddy was using jet fins (very similar to the Rocket fins) and I was always doing the flutter kick to try to keep up with him. The problem with jet or rocket fins is that they can cause major leg cramps if your legs are not strong enough to deal with them (ankles have to be really strong). Yeah, after a few weeks of constant diving you can build your legs up, but you might be hating life for a while (tried them...hated life!!)

You may want to look at some of the split fins. I have the Scubapro Twin Jets, but they pretty much work on the same principle. Some people prefer the stiffer Atomics to the twin jets...I haven't tried them so I can't say. After I tried the Twin Jets (ok...took me a few dives to get used to them..but since I was used to the flutter kick, I didn't take long) my Platinas stayed in the trunk of my car until our shop did a equipment charity drive for the local high school.

The split fins cost a little more..but if you find a pair you are happy with (at it may take a few dives) you will probably never need to upgrade again. TwinJets are guarenteed for life..if the blades ever rip or tear, they will be replaced if you bought them from an authorized dealer. Its well worth the money.

Hope this helps.

 

[dc4bs]

If you are interested in non-split fins, I use the Cressi "Space Frog" and they are great for lots of power. They can be rough on the legs at first if you are used to a smaller fin though.

As to the strong ankle part, I don't know about that. I just let my calf and ankle relax completely and all power comes from the upper leg. I only tense the ankle for small movements and frog kicking to avoid silting up the joint...

 

[scuba_freek2000]

If you really want fins for a cood price, try www.diveinn.com, they have got some really good deals.

 

[DiveTub]

The only way to find fins YOU like is to take them for a dive, any LDS worth its salt should have try out fins, so grab em all and find the ones that YOU like best !!

I would advise getting the best you can afford, the splits are excellent take a look at the Mares Rolo


Cheers
Chris

 

[sdexcalibur]

Well thanks to all for their input. I had my first class yesterday. The instructor went over the epuipment. He grabbed my fins and used the word basic, and said they are ok for snorkling. They might not be enough with scuba gear,
I tried my buddies jet fins. and wow what a difference. The instructor had the twin jets. I'm thinking about getting them. I know their a lot but I need something else. NOW. Why get something in between just to later get them.
Has anyone tried the tusa expert. Maybe I got the name wrong but they are a splint fin too. Look the same. Well thanks I'll keep everyone informed