Help Me Choose A Fin Poll

[elinox]

I'm new to diving and am in the beginning stages of purchasing my own gear. I currently have a pair of Aqualung Caravelle full-foot fins, which I love, but with booties, those obviously won't work. They also won't work with the 5mm booties I just bought for colder water diving.

I've already tried a pair of Mares Quattro and I feel they're simply too heavy and require more leg strength than I possess to use properly. I've also gotten a chance to try the Aqualung Hot Shot, which was nice and would travel well, but I'm worried it won't give me enough power. The power bands were a nice idea too.

I've been searching and doing research here and at my local dive shops but am still unsure which is the 'right' fin for me. I'm looking for fins which don't require giant leg muscles to create power and speed which are comfortable and which will allow me to swim with various kicking motions, particularly with the dolphin kick. I mostly plan on diving in the Caribbean, with the occasional quarry dive once or twice a year.

I'm also petite and therefore my shoe size is a 5/6 women so I'm worried about the sizing.

I think I've narrowed it down to these 7 choices but obviously there can be only one winner. I'm also a fan of Aqua Lung since I currently own a pair already, hence the abundance of their fins. I know that to each diver their own, but I'm curious what your favorite fin is (with considerations to what I've listed above) and why. Thanks!

1. Aqua Lung Express ADJ
2. Aqua Lung Stratos
3. Aqua Lung FX Shot
4. Aqua Lung Hot Shot
5. Aeris Mako
6. Aeris Velocity X3
7. Oceanic Viper

 

[PeterNBiddle]

Whatever you get, if they don't come with spring straps, replace them with a pair.

I like these because they are super simple and effective. I'm not fond of the ones with the rubber handles, the rubber adds nothing but weight and actually makes them harder to use.

http://www.diverightinscuba.com/catalog/finsaccessories-xsscuba-universalspringstraps-p-2139.html

 

[JohnN]

1. Aqua Lung Express ADJ
2. Aqua Lung Stratos
3. Aqua Lung FX Shot
4. Aqua Lung Hot Shot
5. Aeris Mako
6. Aeris Velocity X3
7. Oceanic Viper

How about "none of the above". . .

H1's for cold water, Apollo Splits (I know, I'm going to die ) for warm

 

[elinox]

How about "none of the above". . .

Because I liked the ones I listed. :tongue2:

Apollo Splits (I know, I'm going to die ) for warm

I should have mentioned it, but I did also get to try the Raptor split fins. Didn't like those so no splits for me.

 

[PeterNBiddle]

no splits for me

That plus a meter or two of bungie and you're a cave diver!

 

[Damselfish]

While I haven't tried any of these I'm a fan of simple, without gimmicky stuff to break, so I'd personally shy away from the Hot Shots. I'm thinking any of them might be fine, and the key would be to try them on with your boots for best fit/comfort. Actually, if you know you like the Caravelles, why not the open heel version of those?

Springs are great, or bungie straps, but I find handles on them very helpful and wouldn't want a pair without. (I've had them both ways.) And the ones with heel pads are nicer the thinner your booties are.

 

[Diver0001]

Elinox,

I can't really recommend for or against any of those fins because I haven't tried any of them, and that brings me to why I'm responding to you.

As a general rule any question about gear will often be met with two main reactions from people online.

1) people recommend what they own themselves.
2) they recommend against things they don't own and/or haven't tried.

In rare cases you get an outstanding reply that rises above the question being asked (such as Peter's post above) so those are the posts to pay attention to. Spring straps are a good idea because many fins (and again I don't know the details of the ones you posted) use buckles that are made of plastic and could be somewhat more vulnerable to breaking.

All of the fins you posted are paddle types and all of those manufacturers generally have good gear so I would expect them to "feel" similar under water. The differences you may notice will be with nuances like swimming backwards (a skill that is easier to learn with some fins than with others) and with speed while swimming "flat out", which is something you may never have to do as a diver.

One thing that is universally important is that the fit for your foot size is right. When you try them on, try them with the shoes you're going to use while diving and make sure that the foot pocket isn't too tight (will cause cramping) or allows for any significant movement, especially side-to-side of your foot (will make the fin feel "sloppy" while diving)

Do you have a chance to try any of those fins before you buy them?

R..

I'm new to diving and am in the beginning stages of purchasing my own gear. I currently have a pair of Aqualung Caravelle full-foot fins, which I love, but with booties, those obviously won't work. They also won't work with the 5mm booties I just bought for colder water diving.

I've already tried a pair of Mares Quattro and I feel they're simply too heavy and require more leg strength than I possess to use properly. I've also gotten a chance to try the Aqualung Hot Shot, which was nice and would travel well, but I'm worried it won't give me enough power. The power bands were a nice idea too.

I've been searching and doing research here and at my local dive shops but am still unsure which is the 'right' fin for me. I'm looking for fins which don't require giant leg muscles to create power and speed which are comfortable and which will allow me to swim with various kicking motions, particularly with the dolphin kick. I mostly plan on diving in the Caribbean, with the occasional quarry dive once or twice a year.

I'm also petite and therefore my shoe size is a 5/6 women so I'm worried about the sizing.

I think I've narrowed it down to these 7 choices but obviously there can be only one winner. I'm also a fan of Aqua Lung since I currently own a pair already, hence the abundance of their fins. I know that to each diver their own, but I'm curious what your favorite fin is (with considerations to what I've listed above) and why. Thanks!

1. Aqua Lung Express ADJ
2. Aqua Lung Stratos
3. Aqua Lung FX Shot
4. Aqua Lung Hot Shot
5. Aeris Mako
6. Aeris Velocity X3
7. Oceanic Viper

 

[elinox]

As a general rule any question about gear will often be met with two main reactions from people online.

1) people recommend what they own themselves.
2) they recommend against things they don't own and/or haven't tried.

Which is exactly why I asked which type of the fins mentioned people prefer. If people haven't tried them, it would be silly to reply. I've searched here already for reviews on each fin mentioned and haven't had much luck in people commenting on them; particularly the Stratos and Express, which I think is weird since Aqua Lung is popular and dependable. I had hoped to get answers by directly mentioning them. Figured it was worth a shot anyway.

Do you have a chance to try any of those fins before you buy them?

The only ones on the list I've gotten to try in water were the Hot Shots. I liked them, but wasn't sure if I was missing out on the others if I buy the Hot Shots without trying them in water too. I tried the Mako and Viper on in a shop, but not in water. Fit is important, I agree, but also how they feel and perform in water too.

 

[Diver0001]

The older generation of the Stratos fin was called the "Blade" maybe search for that.

I do feel for you because manufacturers often submit their own reviews for magazine articles and the "rating" received has (at least in the past) often been influenced by how much the manufacturer spent on advertising.....

Online you're not much better off because most divers don't buy 8 pairs of fins in their life time and few have much experience upon with any kind of objective comparison can be based.

R..

 

[elinox]

The older generation of the Stratos fin was called the "Blade" maybe search for that.

That's very helpful, thanks!

I do feel for you because manufacturers often submit their own reviews for magazine articles and the "rating" received has (at least in the past) often been influenced by how much the manufacturer spent on advertising.....

I couldn't even find manufacturers' reviews for the Express or Stratos though. Like I said, it just seems weird! (Maybe a lack of any sort of review should be an immediate red flag that it is not a fin I want?)