drl
Contributor
I’m 5’2”, and I have really liked my oceanic accel fins. They are small and light, maneuverable, and give me a lot of power when I need it.
Fins that are suited for small female?
- Thread starter +boxfish+
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drl
Contributor
I meant light to pack, mostly. I have never noticed that they are positively buoyant (they don’t feel floaty) but they aren’t heavy and hard to keep in trim either.
I don't understand how that works. You do regular leg workouts, and you go slow and don't kick that often. Yet, your legs feel heavy and tired towards the end of a dive.
That sounds more like a nutrition issue than an issue with your fins.
But I digress...
If you have good leg strength, then I think several of the fins mentioned are going to be too soft/flexible for you. I tried the ScubaPro Go Sport fins on a long dive in Utila. I did not like them at all. I have them a solid 45 minutes or so and then my buddy and I swapped, 'cause I wanted my Deep6 Eddy fins back. We traded while still on the bottom and continued on with our dive. I like the Deep6 fins a LOT better than those Go Sports. They are noticeably stiffer, but also short and light.
I used some Oceanic Accel fins in the pool once. I traded with a student for a dive. I like those even less than the Go Sports. They're just way too bendy for me. If I kick at all hard, those fins bend to almost 90 degrees and just don't do anything.
From everything you said, I would suggest to have a look at the Deep6 Eddy fins or the Dive Rite XT fins.
The Dive Rites are longer and very stiff. They are too stiff for me. I started getting calf cramps just using them in the pool. But, I don't workout and my legs are definitely not in shape. If you are working out your legs and have the strength, you can get really good power out of the Dive Rites. Enough that you should be able to kick less and/or not kick as hard, to do the same dives you're doing now.
The Deep6 fins are favorite all-around fin. Short and light, so they're pretty easy to travel with. Super comfortable foot pocket. Stiff enough to get more than adequate power, but without giving me cramps. Also, in the smaller sizes, I think they either have 2 options for how stiff they are, or they just have a less stiff rubber than they use in those.
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Hi @+boxfish+
I dive large XTs. I agree with @stuartv, these are aggressive, larger, stiffer fins with a lot of power.
One thing I have always noticed is that the smaller size fins are of overall smaller dimensions, not just a smaller foot pocket
The small fits women up to size 7. I hadn't thought of these fins as matching your criteria, but they might.
I dive large XTs. I agree with @stuartv, these are aggressive, larger, stiffer fins with a lot of power.
One thing I have always noticed is that the smaller size fins are of overall smaller dimensions, not just a smaller foot pocket
The small fits women up to size 7. I hadn't thought of these fins as matching your criteria, but they might.
I love my scubapro go sport fins. I am 4'11 and wear xs size fin with a 3ml bootie. I was always finning and tired but with these fins, it was so easy, and more importantly, my finning was effective.
myshadeofred
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My cousin is petite and I have other friends that swear by the ScubaPro Nova.
Diamondeve21
Registered
Suggesting proper fins for someone is very hard. Fins are one of the most personal parts of the equipment, they need to match well to:
- the anatomy of your body
- the kicking technique you use
- the amount of drag you have to win (which depends on your remaining equipment, and also on your trim)
The first demands for a certain ratio between length, stiffness, and angle between the blade and the sole (which is depending on how much your ankles can extend during rotation).
The second dictates the choice among different types of fin: for frog kicking, the usage of long and flexible freediving fins is not recommended.
The third dictates the "gear ratio" of the fins to be used. It is like on a bicycle, climbing a steep hill is better done with a short gear ratio, while for running fast in the chronometer one-hour race in plan you need a much longer ratio...
What explained above can be the starting point for orienting you, but in the end only testing them in real usage scenario will confirm that the fins are good for you.
My wife was always remaining behind from me, and she did buy at least 10 pairs of fins, until she did find those that allowed her to not only keeping my pace, but surpassing me easily, and end the dive having used much less air than me.
It turned out that here legs are strong, but she cannot sustain an high rhythm, so she needs fins which are long and stiff, to be operated very slowly: full-pocket free-diving fins, choosing the hardest of the three available blades. Not very fast, but very efficient.
But, as said, this is a very personal choice, what is good for her is probably wrong for you. All the advice based on other people having found what is optimal for them, is of little value for you, as every body is different (and the kicking style is also very important).
So I can only suggest you to find the way of testing at least 10-12 pairs of different fins, then you choose.
Last point: have you considered taking a class with a finned swim instructor? Both I and my wife are finned swim instructors, and, as said, the kicking technique is also a very important factor for proceeding in water with minimal effort and proper speed. Also breathing is involved, as with improper breathing you accumulate CO2 and this causes cramps...
Most diving instructors have no previous experience as finned swimming athletes, or as deep free divers, so they do not give a lot of importance to optimising the various kicking styles. I do not know if in your area there are clubs practising finned swimming. This is where usually you find these instructors...
And where you will be allowed to test dozens of different types of fins... Possibly all of small sizes, as usually finned swimming is an activity practised by children and youngsters, so they all have little-size, very powerful fins.
- the anatomy of your body
- the kicking technique you use
- the amount of drag you have to win (which depends on your remaining equipment, and also on your trim)
The first demands for a certain ratio between length, stiffness, and angle between the blade and the sole (which is depending on how much your ankles can extend during rotation).
The second dictates the choice among different types of fin: for frog kicking, the usage of long and flexible freediving fins is not recommended.
The third dictates the "gear ratio" of the fins to be used. It is like on a bicycle, climbing a steep hill is better done with a short gear ratio, while for running fast in the chronometer one-hour race in plan you need a much longer ratio...
What explained above can be the starting point for orienting you, but in the end only testing them in real usage scenario will confirm that the fins are good for you.
My wife was always remaining behind from me, and she did buy at least 10 pairs of fins, until she did find those that allowed her to not only keeping my pace, but surpassing me easily, and end the dive having used much less air than me.
It turned out that here legs are strong, but she cannot sustain an high rhythm, so she needs fins which are long and stiff, to be operated very slowly: full-pocket free-diving fins, choosing the hardest of the three available blades. Not very fast, but very efficient.
But, as said, this is a very personal choice, what is good for her is probably wrong for you. All the advice based on other people having found what is optimal for them, is of little value for you, as every body is different (and the kicking style is also very important).
So I can only suggest you to find the way of testing at least 10-12 pairs of different fins, then you choose.
Last point: have you considered taking a class with a finned swim instructor? Both I and my wife are finned swim instructors, and, as said, the kicking technique is also a very important factor for proceeding in water with minimal effort and proper speed. Also breathing is involved, as with improper breathing you accumulate CO2 and this causes cramps...
Most diving instructors have no previous experience as finned swimming athletes, or as deep free divers, so they do not give a lot of importance to optimising the various kicking styles. I do not know if in your area there are clubs practising finned swimming. This is where usually you find these instructors...
And where you will be allowed to test dozens of different types of fins... Possibly all of small sizes, as usually finned swimming is an activity practised by children and youngsters, so they all have little-size, very powerful fins.
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