Question New Fins- recommendations?

[nanches]

Hi everyone! I’m a new diver. I bought my 1st pair of fins last year: Scubapro GoSports. I am very positively buoyant, and find that with the GoSports my legs are too floaty. They put me head down when descending (from shore or boat) and sometimes at safety stop. I’m looking for fins that would be less positive.
My LDS recommended Hollis F2s but, researching them, I found that many folks said that they lack power in current. This concerns me because we dive in Cozumel a lot. I always just drift with the current, but want something that would be strong enough to fight a current, if necessary.
I dive wet- 3mm full in Cozumel (w/16-18 lbs lead), and 7mm full (w/23 lbs, including stainless plate) on local Massachusetts shore dives. I may want to switch to drysuit diving in the next couple of years, in order to be able to do more local cold water diving.
Does anyone have any recommendations for me? F2s good enough? Better options?
Thanks so much for any advice you can give me!

 

[lexvil]

Better to work on trim but if you want heavier fins, Zeagle Recon, scubapro Jets or Hollis F1 are good choices, I like the recons more than the others.

 

[nanches]

Better to work on trim but if you want heavier fins, Zeagle Recon, scubapro Jets or Hollis F1 are good choices, I like the recons more than the others.

Thanks. I’m not looking for heavier fins but fins that are more negatively buoyant

 

[Boarderguy]

Mares Quattro+ are the way to go. Neutral or ever so slightly negative and very powerful for fining against current.

 

[lowwall]

Go Sports are slightly negative. You can pick up around a pound of negative buoyancy by going to Jets.

But frankly that's unlikely to solve the underlying trim problem. What kind of BCD are you using and where are you putting all that weight?

 

[nanches]

Go Sports are slightly negative. You can pick up around a pound of negative buoyancy by going to Jets.

But frankly that's unlikely to solve the underlying trim problem. What kind of BCD are you using and where are you putting all that weight?

Really? Wow, I thought that the Gosports were slightly positive?
Re: BC and weight:
I’m still renting: jacket or back inflate BCD on Cozumel, BP and wing here in Massachusetts. The integrated weight pockets make it worse bc the BC and BPW tend to ride up on me in the water, moving the weight higher. I’ve had better luck with a weight belt. But I’ve also noticed the difference with switching fins (and boots). Last summer my dive guide in Cozumel switched fins with me and it made a world of difference. Later, switching to a weight belt to keep the weight lower on my body helped even more.
Yesterday, on my 1st shore dive of the season, my legs were just too floaty to get comfortable. I ended up using 1lb weights on my ankles. They helped, but I’m still thinking that I might need more negatively buoyant fins?

 

[MarkA]

Ankle weights are one option. Along with what others have said about weight placement and trim.

 

[Ontwreckdiver]

Mares Avanti Quattro + fins, they are the best all around fins and have been around for a long time with no gimmicks, just a straight forward good fin. I have been diving mine for about 20 years.

 

[LFMarm]

No need for ankle weights, you can get negatively buoyant fins.

ScubaPro Jet Fins and Tecline Power Jet fins hard are both about 270g negative in salt water (per foot). XDeep EX1 Hard are 220g negative. Tecline LightJet are neutral. All for size XL.

 

[Nemrod]

I am willing to bet that you are not going head down and that you may be in good trim. The human body in the water, kitted out is dynamic, always moving. I do not think you need new fins, you want to be horizontal, your legs bent and feet up slightly, like this for your neutral trim position:



Both my wife and I had (and still do) Mares Quattro fins and both of us now have Go-Sports. The Go-Sports are by far the better fin, comfort, maneuverability, backing, frog kicks. The Mares fins are collecting dust.

If you are truly being pulled head down by your Go-Sports then Quattros are not gong to be a solution for that. For a dry suit or heavy neoprene, there is one and one only, the Scubapro Jet Fin. Solid chunks of negative rubber, double purpose serve as chocks for airliners and 18 wheelers.

Okay, I will play for selfish reasons, I have a set of very nice yellow Mares Avanti Quattro, size small, for sale with spring straps, $40 plus shipping. Very good shape, belonged to my wife. Dived in Cozumel so they will be right at home. And a set of black size Regular with a little more wear and tear but many dives to go before done, $40 plus shipping or both sets for $60 plus shipping. Such a deal!