Floaty feet

[smorneau]

My new drysuit arrived yesterday and I now need new fins. This is my first drysuit and I am a little concerned with a few of the fins on my short list. My concern is that some are positive buoyant. Being a new drysuit diver I am already concerned with floaty feet because of air that may get trapped in the attached boots and legs. Add to that buoyant fins and I could be swimming feet up. I really do not want to add ankle weights it just adds unnecessary strain on the legs and if that is the case I might as well go with a Jet type paddle fin.

Am I being overly cautious or is my concerns real?

 

[tkdgodess]

The nice thing about "floaty feet" is your toes stay warm and fins are up. I dive attached boots with jet fins, and I've used tusa "floaty fins" in the past without ankle weights. You learn to adjust. as long as you can get your feet as the lowest point to vent air you are fine, and no frozen toes!

 

[smorneau]

The nice thing about "floaty feet" is your toes stay warm and fins are up. I dive attached boots with jet fins, and I've used tusa "floaty fins" in the past without ankle weights. You learn to adjust. as long as you can get your feet as the lowest point to vent air you are fine, and no frozen toes!

Good point, I never even considered the cold toes part of it!

 

[elan]

Consider getting heavy fins like SP Jets or Turtles. You will get another tool for adjusting your trim.

 

[TSandM]

I have dived both positive and negative fins with my drysuit. You may have to adjust some of your other weighting, and with positive fins, as said, you may not be able to run as much gas in your feet -- which actually isn't a bad thing for a new drysuit diver, because air in the feet can really reach up and bite you, if you aren't accustomed to managing it.

 

[smorneau]

The top of my short list is the Hollis F1 or the ScubaPro Seawing Nova. Of course my LDS is pushing the Nova's he is a SP dealer and they are $190.

 

[Jax]

My new drysuit arrived yesterday and I now need new fins. This is my first drysuit and I am a little concerned with a few of the fins on my short list. My concern is that some are positive buoyant. Being a new drysuit diver I am already concerned with floaty feet because of air that may get trapped in the attached boots and legs. Add to that buoyant fins and I could be swimming feet up. I really do not want to add ankle weights it just adds unnecessary strain on the legs and if that is the case I might as well go with a Jet type paddle fin.

Am I being overly cautious or is my concerns real?

Do you have friends with fins that you can borrow?

The best advice I received with my new drysuit was to get 25 dives under my belt before buying new equipment . . . I think I just got there.

I got to borrow various fins from some quite lovely people, and found that I could either change equipment with rig (SM doubles vs single) or I could use one pair and distribute weight and trim appropriately. I ended up with floaty fins that when in a single, I could put weight in a cam-band pocket and around my waist.

YMMV. Just one newb's experience.

PS - do you fly to dive? Those heavy jets are a serious weight issue when flying. My .02psi.

 

[smorneau]

Do you have friends with fins that you can borrow?

The best advice I received with my new drysuit was to get 25 dives under my belt before buying new equipment . . . I think I just got there.

I got to borrow various fins from some quite lovely people, and found that I could either change equipment with rig (SM doubles vs single) or I could use one pair and distribute weight and trim appropriately. I ended up with floaty fins that when in a single, I could put weight in a cam-band pocket and around my waist.

YMMV. Just one newb's experience.

PS - do you fly to dive? Those heavy jets are a serious weight issue when flying. My .02psi.

I am taking a SSI drysuit class in a few weeks. They told me I will need my new fins before the class starts, so borrowing for a while is not really an option.

 

[EastTNDiver]

Do you have friends with fins that you can borrow?

The best advice I received with my new drysuit was to get 25 dives under my belt before buying new equipment . . . I think I just got there.

I got to borrow various fins from some quite lovely people, and found that I could either change equipment with rig (SM doubles vs single) or I could use one pair and distribute weight and trim appropriately. I ended up with floaty fins that when in a single, I could put weight in a cam-band pocket and around my waist.

YMMV. Just one newb's experience.

PS - do you fly to dive? Those heavy jets are a serious weight issue when flying. My .02psi.

I wouldn't say they're a serious issue, but then I'm a guy and probably take way less stuff when I travel. Uh oh...running and ducking now.

 

[Jax]

EastTNDiver --> :chairfight: