New and looking at Split Fins

[dolesorchard]

I am a fan of split fins. I have tree sets, on for barefoot snorkelling, a set of Tusa Expert Zooms are my favorites, and I just switched fron old Jet fins to Twin Jets because they are the only split I could find that fit with my drysuit.

 

[coralcruiser]

I've been diving over 40 years starting with Rocket and Jetfins and moving to larger paddle fins. About 10 years ago I noticed more pain in my knees and had difficulty climbing back up on the boat after a long swim. I started trying various split fins in a pool and found I could swim longer and faster with the split fins. I tried Trax, Apollo, Atomic, and Scuba Pro. The Apollo were the easiest and faster fins but not good in current. The Trax were too stiff and felt like paddle fins. The Scuba Pros were just too wide and I couldn't get used to having my legs so far apart to make them work for me. The Atomics seemed to be a good middle ground fin allowing some power in current without the knee pain. Now I'm looking for some fins that may travel better. The Atomics are long and weight is a factor in travel today. I no longer work at a dive shop so trying all the fins in the pool and ocean is more difficult.

All my diving is outside the US so weight factors into all my gear decisions (when looking at new gear). I love my atomics and have used the exclusively starting the year after they came out. This summer I started diving with the apollos and like them almost as much but still think the atomics give me more power in all situations.

My apollos have the spring strap and weigh the same as my atomics.... but are a few inches shorter. The weight difference between these and some of the other split fins is, IMHO, not a factor when I pack as I have no problems keeping my 1 checked bag under the 50lb limit. I always bring my reg in my carryon going and pack it on the return leg.

If you have relatively light luggage and watch what you pack you shouldn't have a problem checking your bag.... my longest dive trip was just under 2 weeks to Lembeh and I managed without going over the weight limit for 1 checked bag and my carryon even with my camera gear (of course I did wear cargo pants with deep pockets).

Main reason for the fins switch is that I love shooting supermacro and find that the negative apollo fins got rid my "floaty" feet.

 

[Bogie]

I love my Apollo Bio-Fin Pro C series. They are easy on the legs and propel nicely. They are not great for frog or backward kicks.

If you want to do frog kicks (forward and backwards) splits are not the right fins. ScubaPro Jet Fins, Hollis F1, OMS Slipstreams,XS Turtle Fins are the fins used for tech and cave diving. They are the best for frog kicks, helicopter turns, sculling, and backward kicks. I find them superior for fine turning but are harder on my legs.

Always get spring straps for any fin you choose.

 

[Paladin]

If you dive with split fins, you're gonna die!

 

[jbb]

If you dive with split fins, you're gonna die!

Aren't they an entanglement hazzard????

 

[Paladin]

Aren't they an entanglement hazzard????

Yeah, and if you happen to kick one fin with the other, they'll interlock and you'll sink to the bottom and DIE!

 

[Garth]

If you are diving aluminum singles or even steel singles you may be fine with splits.....

If you are diving steel doubles it would behoove you to dive thick blades like solid jets or slipstreams.

It matters which direction you heading for the necessity of blades. IMO I would use blades either way but as you can see someone has already mentioned that divers swear by what they use....

 

[Bob DBF]

As for split fins, I shudder to see them on reef most of the time. If you watch divers swimming closely to a reef you will see that there is almost always a silt trail following split fin wearing divers kicked up by the way those fins vector water.

The reason the silt trail comes up is that the fins are not used properly. The diver is kicking too hard (amplitude of the kick too long and forceful) and all the wasted energy is vectored down and can boil up a silt trail from 3' off the bottom. I'm trying to break a buddy of the habit. I haven't tried splits yet but will someday, just for grins.

With the 20 year old Scubapro jets I use you don't have to kick hard if you don't want to. Muscle fatigue, I believe, is because diving kicks use muscles differently than other activities and divers have a tendency to try to see everything and overexert themselves, especially when they are occasional or new divers.


Bob
--------------------------
I may be old, but I’m not dead yet.

 

[Bogie]

Apollo Bio-Fin Pro Series are great fins.

Easy on the legs, fast cruising, comfortable foot pockets, 6 color choice, great spring straps.

 

[drbill]

Years ago I debated long and hard about buying split fins. I was concerned about their reported lack of power. I finally decided to try a pair of Apollo Biofins... and found them quite adequate for diving conditions here on the leeward side of Catalina. I use them all the time locally.

However, when I travel to places where strong currents are a possibility I take my Blades. Not only are they much lighter to backpack with, they deliver the power I occasionally need under those circumstances.

I'll never forget the day I was diving inside the reef off Belize. We were hit with a really strong current. The French dive instructors and the other divers were clawing their way along the bottom while I kicked hard and swam on my side to film them. When we got back to the boat, the French instructors asked how I could do that. I told them it was because of my good German legs! Good thing they had a sense of humor and invited me back to their place for a beer and to look at the video.