New to diving...looking for advice

[super fly]

Hello, my wife and I have just started our certification. After the first pool session we h e realized that our snorkel fins aren't going to cut it. I think I may have narrowed it down a bit.
These look like a Jet Fin clone:
IST Rocket Fin

Aeris Mako

Oceanic Viper

For me I was considering the IST find or the Vipers. I was leaning towards the IST because of all the good I've read about the Jet Fins and these look almost identical. The only thing I was worried about is I have read the Jet Fins( and these IST would be the same I assume) don't travel well. I will be trying to dive locally but will also be travel to dive as well. For the wife i was leaning toward the Mako or the Viper, they look nearly the same and if they arent that different i rather get the less expensive Mako and have more money for other gear. The only thing is I read that the Mako aren't very durable. The only thing she really cares about is that they are pink lol.
I guess I'm really just looking for a moderately priced good all around fin for us. Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[lmorin]

IMHO, you should pick by appearance, weight, flexibility and durability, if you can find the info. There is constant argument over what fin is "best," but no good answer short of opinion. Pick what you like. My wife uses light weight very flexible fins that looks as if they will wear out in 100 dives. They have not and they are going on 350 dives. I use a much stiffer, heavier pair and am wondering why?

 

[g1138]

Stiff fins that have little flex are good for minute fin control, such as maneuver around a small square patch of reef with your hands occupying a camera. With the right finning technique you can also take advantage of their great acceleration properties and glide along side most divers using loose flexible fins (they'll be kicking like mad, but you'll be finning once for every 3 kicks they do).
Frog kicks are the best way to take advantage of this property.
These types of fins also excel at doing specialty kicks such as back kicks and helicopter kicks.

Flexible fins are really good at getting you long distances without tiring your legs or ankles. However they require lots of finning to make movement.
What they lack in is acceleration, so you cannot make one giant kick and glide as far as with stiff fins.
These fins are best used for flutter kicks. They can be sub-par to downright terrible when doing specialty kicks.

A little secret I'll let you in on is that there are around 4 main world manufacturers that make all the scuba gear in the world. The only difference is the materials and name brand they slap on the end product, depending on which brand name specified the order.

Between the Oceanic Viper and Aeris Mako fins, I don't really think there will be a big difference between the two, performance wise.
Your IST Rocket fins are in the same boat when comparing the Jet fins. They might be stiffer, or the foot pocket might be more ergonomic etc etc. I don't know enough of them to tell you specifically.

The main difference is that Rocket fins tend to have a longer fin blade compared to Jet fins, unless you wear an XL Jetfin in which case they're about the same. This might make travel a little troublesome when packing your luggage. The weight issue doesn't really help either. But hey, if you're going on a dive trip it's not like you need tons of clothes.

You should try on each pair of fins to make sure they fit over your booties and feel comfortable.

 

[super fly]

Thanks for the replies! Does anyone have the IST fins that can comment on them or anyone that has used them? Are they even worth getting? I haven't found a ton of info on them but the little I have found seems positive. I also found someone near me on Craigslist selling two sets of rubber fins. One set looks like aqualung rocket fins, not sure what kind the other set is. Asking 20$ for both. I read though that rocket find are a lot stiffer and no where comparable to jet fins. Would I be better off getting a set of Makos and getting some jet fins later? I just don't have the money right now for an actual set of jet fins. Thanks again!

 

[scubasam1212]

rocket fins and jet fins are heavy and might be to much work on the legs for you or your wife if you are just doing open water type stuff. We used to sell the Vipers and had very little problems with them but they are a little stiffer. The scubapro jet sports are a real nice flexible fin with a good vent. Try to find something with a vent in it because it will make your kicks much easier and less work on your legs.
Good luck

 

[g1138]

Any Jet-type fins (rocket, jet, slipstreams, turtles) have vents in them. Scubalab actually debunked that the vents have any advantage. They covered up the vents and found no noticeable change in water flow over the fin blade.

If you remember to do long kicks followed by a glide period then it shouldn't take too long to get use to stiff jet fins. If you've never kicked in fins before or have not been doing so as a daily exercise routine then any fin type will make your legs sore after a pool session.
Remember to kick in your hips, not in your knees. Keep your knees relatively straight and fluidly locked when kicking.

For $20, I would just buy a pair and see how they work for you, even if they're not Scubapro Jets per say.
Rocket fins may be stiffer, but their foot pocket is more modern. If you keep an eye open you can find Jet fins for cheap as well. Thrift stores may have them on a rare occasion, they've been around since the 1960's after all.

 

[muddiver]

If you want the thrust of a stiff fin and teh light weight of a plastic fin, look at the ASP Manta Ray fins. I bought a set for travel and except for when I do some real serious cold water diving I use the Manata Rays. They also have a soft foot pocket which helps to fit to your feet, not mold your feet to the fin. Makes them comfortable.

 

[bongabonga]

Oceanic viper fins is good for beginners, I think. Rather soft, still provides good control and thrust, and not as hard on legs as stiff fins are.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

You do need to be careful buying actual rockets though. They made the rockets and super rockets. The difference is in the size of the foot pocket. The rockets were advertised as one size fits all. And it's true. As long as all users did not have a foot larger than a men's size 8 in a thin soft neoprene boot. The super rocket foot pocket will work with up to a size 11 or so. I ended up selling both of my pairs to different SB members. If you have a foot that they fit they will work. They are very stiff and do give you good control. My main fins are Hollis F-1's. I have them in XL and L. Been diving them now for 4 years since getting a pair of the prototypes to evaluate as one of the first consumer testers. Got my yellow tips the same way. They are a bit out of your price range though. The other pair of fins I have and would use if something ever happened to my F-1's is my very first pair of fins. A set of the old aqualung blades. And even thouugh I don't care for AL's business practices now and would never buy another product from them these are great fins for travel. Light, just stiff enough to give excellent control, and a comfortable, well shaped (for me anyway) foot pocket. NOT THE AL Blades II. Those sucked big time. The nice thing about the blades is you can often find them really cheap on ebay. I liked mine so much in the beginning I bought a couple extra pair (not knowing that most fins will last damn near forever) and ended up selling them for more than I paid for em. These for your wife if they fit and she's into pink:
Aqua Lung Blades Fins Open Heel Pink Sz. Med- Very NICE! | eBay

and these for you if they fit:
U.S. DIVERS AQUALUNG BLADE FINS | eBay

or these:
US Divers Aqua Lung Blades Diving Fins ,Mens Adult Medium Size | eBay

But not these as again they suck: Aqualung Blades 2 Size Giant NEW! | eBay

The heel release is a joke and the compound they are formed from was a definite step or two down from the originals. But you need to act fact as I have seen a definite lack of the originals popping up as a few divers I have talked to are finding out just how nice they are and are hanging on to them or snapping them up when they do come up for sale.

 

[munselln8]

I just bought a pair of Jet fins off of Ebay, haven't received them yet. The moral is...SCUBA can be a relatively expensive sport (certainly compared to basketball, frisbee, baseball, running, etc...maybe more like golf Anyway, since it can be difficult to "try before you buy" with SCUBA gear-and a pair of Jetfins can run $130, I reccomend the used market for trying new things. Craigslist or ebay. I look at it this way: If I really like them, then I will use them until they wear out and will be happy to invest in a new pair. If I don't like them, I will put them back up for sale for about the same as I paid for them (maybe a bit less) but the loss can be considered rental fee .....I say go for the craigslist pairs (2 pair for $20???) You can make profit if you sell them later!!!