Jet Fins A short US history

[Sam Miller III]

Healthways, SCUBA Pro & JET FINS.

Removed 3-6 - 2010

Nemrod, Captain, & Luis if you need a copy E mail me.

Will repost on our Vintage Board

sdm

 

[Nemrod]

And the story continues because there is now a new Jet. The Jet L, XL remain the same, the Jet XXL is now XXXL and there is a "New" XXL with a different foot pocket, yes, I think it is true at long last.

N

 

[mdb]

Sam:

I worked @ Healthways in 1972-74. The company was owned by Eldon Industries. I have a copy of the first Scuba-Pro catalog. It was a Healthways catalog that stated_-"Scuba-Pro a division of Healthways."

Dick Bonin and Gustav had imported Cressi and then started SP-you already know this I'm sure. Gustav used to come over to Healthways a couple times a month to have lunch with Claude O'Haver-my boss.

The warehouse/factory was close to LAX. Claude and Gustav would go out and Gus would have his lunch time bottle of wine. A big man with a big taste for life.

Later when Dick and Gus hooked up with John Gaffney and formed a nice symbiotic relationship SP Dealers were, almost always, NASDS dealers and they all sold at the same price. In the meantime John Cronin at US Divers was busy selling to Honest Archie, New England Divers, and all that. You know the history. It was a lot of fun with some great characters.

 

[Sam Miller III]

I knew Gus socially --Never once dove with him...Last time I saw him was in Napa at his winery..Yes he loved his wine -- and women!

You were at Healthways with Bob Grey, Sonia Winset (s) maybe Bill Mc Donald??


About that time I recall that Scuba Master was formed by Dick Klien's Cousin Don Breslow. I was a consulant to Scuba Master as long as they were in business..They paid me $100.00 a month retainer for about 2 -3 years..At the end I had so much Scubamaster equpment I could have opened a dive shop.
sdm

 

[Sam Miller III]

And the story continues because there is now a new Jet. The Jet L, XL remain the same, the Jet XXL is now XXXL and there is a "New" XXL with a different foot pocket, yes, I think it is true at long last.

N

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks Nemrod,

I only documented to 1980-- and that was enough work for this ole fellow.

How about the part numbers and prices of the XXL & XXXLs?

sdm

 

[burna]

Interesting. What were "duck feet"?

 

[burna]

Never mind, I found them.

There's no way Id give up my OMS Slippys for those!!

 

[Nemrod]

Never mind, I found them.

There's no way Id give up my OMS Slippys for those!!

Three minutes ago you did not know what they are and now you dismiss them out of hand. The UDT Super Duckfeet are every bit as powerful as the Jet. They also frog kick better. In fact, they do everything as well as the Jet except they are meant to be worn with a fin slipper instead of a boot and the stiffness makes them tiring on the calves when I swim them over a distance which is why in my swim tests with them, they come in behind the Jets. A person has to have some strong legs to push them over a distance, I assume like the men in the underwater demolition teams they were named for.

An early full foot with strap version of the Jet:

N

 

[burna]

Three minutes ago you did not know what they are and now you dismiss them out of hand...

Ummm, yep!? Once I found out what they were I was unimpressed. I'm sure they were cutting edge at the time. They are different from my Slipstreams 'cause I use rockboots they don't look like they'll fit over boots.
I expressed a personal preference for my fins, what's wrong with that? I don't get it?
If you like them then use them.

 

[Nemrod]

Ummm, yep!? Once I found out what they were I was unimpressed. I'm sure they were cutting edge at the time. They are different from my Slipstreams 'cause I use rockboots they don't look like they'll fit over boots.
I expressed a personal preference for my fins, what's wrong with that? I don't get it?
If you like them then use them.

You are in the vintage forum. You are expressing an opinion, true enough, which is not based on any comparative experience, just an old ad copy. Unlike an opinion that is not based on actual experience, I have used the Slipstreams and prefer Jets to them but the lower travel weight of the Slipstreams is nice feature. I prefer Mares Quattros to Slipstreams BTW, in my opinion, after having used both, they are a much better fin than the Slipstream.

N