Fins - what can you tell me?

[SeaHound]

Yes

And at $70 Jets are a bargain

You know I cant agree with this more.SP jets arethe best fins I have ever put on.But it is a very heavy fin so people either love it or they would hate it.

 

[scubafanatic]

scubadiving.com and divernet.com have both done MANY big fin tests over the years, I'd suggest you start there and do a bit of reading.

 

[Nemrod]

My wife and I are pretty new divers. We're only on dive number 20.


We bought our own masks last year (Mares X Vision) and love them. The difference over the cheap ones we used to borrow from the dive centres is amazing.

Is the same true of fins?

I haven't ever had a problem with the borrowed fins. My wife finds them quite uncomfortable though.

Is there a noticable difference when you spend a little money on them?

There seem to be soooo many different kinds at each price point that I don't even know where to start looking.

Thanks a lot


Mike

Look for some Mares Avanti X3 on closeout. Not expensive, very good scuba fin. You will need medium weight boots, they run a little large. Or, the Avanti comes in a full foot version also. Google is your friend, should be under 50 dollars. Just got some for myself, my wife loves hers and has had them three years now I think. Me, the jury is out until I get them in the ocean.

http://www.leisurepro.com/prod/MRSFAX.html?ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=MRSFAX

or

http://www.leisurepro.com/Prod/MRSF...eld=Relevance&DescSort=0&Description=on&Hit=1

N

 

[FireInMyBones]

I love my Jets. A lot of people think that the split fins are the way to go. I have both split fins and a pair of Jets and the Jets are my favorite.

 

[TSandM]

What you want for a fin depends in part on what you do when you dive. And fins vary, as you already know, from quite cheap to ridiculously expensive. Sometimes, you are dealing with small increments of improvement in some quality for relatively large jumps in price.

For example, for pool use, I have Deep See Pulse fins. They are plastic blade fins, and very inexpensive. They are stiff enough to do all the "alternative" kicks with. I have used them on one warm water dive trip, and I doubt I will use them again, because for ocean diving, I prefer the stronger "bite" of the water that my ScubaPro Jet fins can take. But I was able to dive perfectly well with the less expensive fins -- I'm just spoiled by having something I like better.

I have tried more expensive fins, like the ScubaPro TwinJets and the Seawing Novas. Both are good fins for swimming straight forward, but are less useful for precise maneuvering. If you are an underwater photographer, for example, precise maneuvering is often far more important than covering a lot of ground.

In the grand universe of scuba gear, fins are at the inexpensive end of the spectrum, and I suspect a lot of people try various makes over time, and it probably isn't all that unusual for someone to have several types that they use in different settings.

 

[David Wilson]

>If you are an underwater photographer, for example, precise maneuvering is often far more important than covering a lot of ground.<

The Australian professional underwater photographer below, Pete Atkinson, has posted an interesting piece online about his choice of diving equipment.

Here's what he says about the simple Eyeline full-foot fins he uses:

I currently use the best fins I have ever used, but no dive store in Cairns will stock them, as they aren't profitable enough. They are orange and blue, Malaysian rubber fins by Eyeline, available from a local sports shop for £20. From new, I could snorkel for a couple of hours without any hint of blisters. They are stiff enough that I can push a Seacam housing around all day. For the diving I do, such full-foot fins are by far the best. Manufacturers continue to dream up fancy expensive gimmicks to extract more money from us. I'll concede that a few of these might actually be useful but, offhand, I can't think of any.
My favourite kit - Pete Atkinson - Divernet

Keeping things simple and knowing what you want from your gear can pay dividends when it comes to fins.

 

[scubafanatic]

>If you are an underwater photographer, for example, precise maneuvering is often far more important than covering a lot of ground.<

The Australian professional underwater photographer below, Pete Atkinson, has posted an interesting piece online about his choice of diving equipment.

Here's what he says about the simple Eyeline full-foot fins he uses:

I currently use the best fins I have ever used, but no dive store in Cairns will stock them, as they aren't profitable enough. They are orange and blue, Malaysian rubber fins by Eyeline, available from a local sports shop for £20. From new, I could snorkel for a couple of hours without any hint of blisters. They are stiff enough that I can push a Seacam housing around all day. For the diving I do, such full-foot fins are by far the best. Manufacturers continue to dream up fancy expensive gimmicks to extract more money from us. I'll concede that a few of these might actually be useful but, offhand, I can't think of any.
My favourite kit - Pete Atkinson - Divernet

Keeping things simple and knowing what you want from your gear can pay dividends when it comes to fins.

based on this photo, I'm not 100% sure I want gear tips from a dude who dives a 'butt mounted tank'......that's the mark of an ultra-newbie diver.

 

[Nemrod]

Yeah, and try to find those or anything like them. The Otarie, Voit Super Vikings and so many simple, rubber, full foot fins have disappeared under the onslaught of technology that largely does nothing but justify a higher price (read as more profitable for dive retailers).

People are sold a line of BS and they gobble it up hook, line and sinker.

Scuba fins today are too big and too complicated and too expensive.

Your average, usual, overweight, obese, out of shape, jelly butt, big gut scuba diver, take it however one likes, simply has no muscle power or aerobic capacity to push the gigantic sling shots, turbo vented, super duper triple stiff split finned super scooper wonder flipper they just bought for 250 dollars US and would be better off with a simple, smaller bladed fin of moderate stiffness and then spending the leftover towards a treadmill.

N

 

[Jorgy]

I think the butt mounted tank is his pony....and an artifact of using a wide angle lens......

I will say that my wife really likes her expensive split fins......

I have been know to grab my son's SP twin jets and jump in the water.....feels like not having a fin at all......

But I do prefer a stiffer fin (SP Jets) when I am trying to take pictures or diving in and around a wreck.....

M

 

[FireInMyBones]

If you wanted a full foot fin like the one in the above picture, you can go to any swim store and buy a pair for about $20. These are great for swimming laps and practicing strokes. I like the stiffer open heal (that can be used with boots) for diving with gear.

See what you can find used. No use paying gobs of money for something too fancy. Best of luck.