I'm new to diving and request assistance in finding fins.

[marcushallett]

Backstory (partial):
I'm a student at UAH. This semester I'm taking a Basic Scuba class (NAUI Skin Diver and NAUI Scuba Diver curriculum). I enrolled in it because I couldn't bear any more academic classes during the semester, and hadn't hit the full number of hours covered under the full scholarship I received. I've always enjoyed snorkeling while growing up, and the [idea of the] class as a whole intrigued me. While it is of course generally frowned upon to just go and do things on a whim, I felt that I may as well go ahead and find something that would bring me some other sense of personal achievement or fulfillment.

I presently have an acceptable 3-window pair of ScubaMax goggles (used rather sparingly over the years), a few snorkels (dry snorkels and a semi-dry snorkel), and old pair of US Diver Hydrosplit (original, not mkII, I believe) fins.

For the course I need to provide my own mask, snorkel, and either a pair of closed heel fins or both boots and open heel fins. The fins I have are open heel, but designed in such a way that they aren't conducive to wearing boots (in fact, they are designed so that one does not need boots). This, coupled with the fact that these fins are probably not well-suited for diving (from what I've read), has caused me to believe that I should probably consider acquiring another pair of fins (and boots, if needed).

Inquiry:
What fins should I purchase?

Supplemental:
A few other items I should mention include the fact that I don't foresee many opportunities to dive outside of this course over the next few years. Though I do certainly have an interest in the sport (I believe that is a correct term), I doubt I'll ever dive enough to merit purchasing a reg, or a BCD. I am also rather restricted when it comes to a budget. I don't have firm dollar figures in mind as far as a spending cap, but frugality is a must. I recognize that this is an expensive endeavor, and were not for many costs being covered by the University I would not undertake it. I would like to support my local dive shops, but I don't think that is currently economically feasible, and will likely turn to online vendors.

 

[RJP]

Inquiry:
What fins should I purchase?

 

[DogDiver]

If you ask 10 divers what kind of equipment to buy. You'll get 11 different answers. [emoji41]


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[CuracaoJ]

They should fit. They should be comfortable, and maybe in your situation they should be not expensive.

Just dive.

Good luck!

 

[marcushallett]

If you ask 10 divers what kind of equipment to buy. You'll get 11 different answers. [emoji41]


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Perhaps I'm asking for what other divers started with. I would expect a wide range of responses. A more specific series of questions would be 1.)What fins did YOU (in the collective sense) start out with when diving? and 2.) Any specific recommendations for decent pairs of inexpensive fins?

 

[dmaziuk]

For the course I need to provide my own mask, snorkel, and either a pair of closed heel fins or both boots and open heel fins. The fins I have are open heel, but designed in such a way that they aren't conducive to wearing boots (in fact, they are designed so that one does not need boots). This, coupled with the fact that these fins are probably not well-suited for diving (from what I've read), has caused me to believe that I should probably consider acquiring another pair of fins (and boots, if needed). Inquiry: What fins should I purchase?

Depends on where you're going to do your certification dives. Specifically, on water temperature where you're going to do your certification dives -- ask your instructor. In the pool you'll be fine in your US Divers without booties. Outside the water may be too cold so you'll need booties and, consequently, new fins.

 

[Damselfish]

Going for less expensive fins will help prevent you from getting sucked into buying gimicky/complicated fins which you don't need and don't generally work any better. Simple plastic or rubber paddles will do the job. (Which one is better depends partly on what you'll be wearing and the general floatiness of your legs - heavier fins are good if you need the weight there, and vice versa. If you go to one of the major net dealers such as Leisure Pro and look for scuba fins in the $50ish range you should find a number that will work just fine. Check out some reviews and off you go.

Fins are also a good thing to buy used on eBay or whereever. You can get some really good fins, some of which aren't made anymore, for very little money. It's also pretty easy for even a newbie to judge the condition of used fins from a picture, and probably worst case maybe you need some new straps. In my case I've used US Divers Blades (original not II) for ages. They weren't even very expensive fins when I bought my first pair new. They are great fins and I haven't found anything I like better. So when I needed more I've gotten them for 10-25 used. (Lost one once and needed a larger size for heavier booties another time - not because anything was wrong with the fins, which will probably outlast me.) Plana Avanti Quattros and other varieties of Plana Avantis can also be good ones to look for used. Jets and similar are popular if looking for a heavier fin.

If you don't think you'll be diving other than the class anytime soon you could also see if you can borrow from someone who's already done the class. That way easy to try on and make sure they fit with whatever booties you get.

 

[tursiops]

I'd start with Craig's List. No reason to spend more than $20. Nearly anything that fits and is not too floppy will work for your needs.

 

[boulderjohn]

If you buy a decent set of fins from a reputable company, they will last a very, very, very long time. Good scuba equipment is not something that is as disposable and short lived as most gear is. That means the question of what more experienced divers started with really doesn't matter. Some of us made decisions then that we later regretted and had to go out and make different choices later. In my case, I bought a pair of fins that I thought were OK when I got them, then grew dissatisfied and bought a different pair when I got more experience, and then when I got even more experience I realized the first pair was actually pretty good. In fact, I would still be wearing that first pair today if my feet had not grown in my old age.

We can give advice for someone who is planning to do a lot of diving in the future, basing the advice on the kind of diving that is intended. IN your case, you do not see yourself doing a lot of diving in the near future. In that case, I agree with those who say to get a decent scuba fin at a good price, and used is certainly one way to do it. Your current fins are designed for snorkeling and will not give you the power you want for scuba. Just make sure the fins you get are intended for scuba.

 

[drrich2]

From what I've learned from others, split fins are said to be forgiving of bad technique, good for flutter kicking, not so good for frog kicking (but it's said it can be done), and not good for back kicking. People have argued over to what extent they're suboptimal in current. They appear to have fallen out of favor over time, judging from what I've seen in postings, on this forum.

So, I happen to like my Atomic Aquatics Smoke on the Water splits, but I recently did 3 dives with Scuba Pro Jet fins, and had no complaints about those. All things considered, I would probably not buy split fins if I were doing it now. I can't tell you what to buy, but if you have your eye on split fins, at least read some of the threads hotly debating them on the forum.

People like spring straps as they're considered less prone to break than a regular rubber fin strap.

Richard.