The Chairman
Chairman of the Board
OK gang, I tried my new set of Omegas this past week, and I have to say I really liked them. In fact, they were AWESOME.
First some background.
Male, 51 and overweight. I just had surgery on my left ankle this past January, and have limited flexibility from being a mechanic for 30 years. I always look like a geek getting my fins off and on. I have worn Jet fins for the past 39 years. I tried splits for a bit (Twin Jets) and came back to the Jets. I have tried a dozen or so fins over the years, but nothing beats my Jets. Until today.
I got the black in XL (their biggest footpocket) since I dive in OTB boots. They came in a few days ago, with their own carry sack, and since I was out for a walk in my OTBs I slipped them into the foot pocket to see the initial fit. THAT was nice. I didn't even have the straps on, but I practiced kickick the locking mechanism with my heel to make the blade flip up. Well, it's easy on dry land, that's for sure.
So, this past week I am out diving and I have to admit that I brought two pairs of fins: my tried and true Jet FIns XXL, and the Omegas. Make no mistake about it, I have tried lots of gear before that never made it past five minutes. If something is not working, then you can bet that I will be making an adjustment in short order. I am very particular in how I dive: just not who I dive with
. Did I mention I was diving with HowardE?
So, the call is made to do the final suit up for our first dive. I slip the fins on with the blades locked in the swim position. Yes, I was nervous about kicking them into the open position and I was kinda embarrassed about having such a gadgety looking fin on my feet. Seeing this, Howard takes the opportunity to point out my new fins to everyone. So, EVERYONE on the boat wants to see them flip up, and of course, I oblige them. It's time to dive, so I make my way to the end of the boat and fall backwards into the water. I am the first to splash, and getting the fins into the swim position with a single kick is ridiculously EASY. I hear the click and I am off, pulling my way down the line to the Rodeo 25 wreck.
At the bottom, I add a bit of air, trim out and give a tentative frog kick. My buddy is still headed down the line, so I swim a circle, first flipping with one fin and then the other, and finally doing a full helicopter turn. Maneuverability is way excellent. I check to be sure I hadn't put on my Jets by mistake. Nope... I still have those funky fins on.
Howarde arrives and we start cruising around the wreck. My frog kicks feel so normal, and all of my power is there. I am really starting to feel confident in these fins. I get a bit higher above the wreck and try a standard flutter kick. Whoa, plenty of power, though not as much as my Jets. They feel a bit different now, but not really bad. But hey, I would rather frog kick anyway, so I revert.
End of dive and I am on the line at me safety stop. The subtleness in my new fins is excellent. They are very responsive as I play with my kicking technique. Then it dawns on me... I either have to take them off or collapse them when I get to the surface, so let's practice a bit BEFORE I hit the 4/6' waves on the surface. It took a couple of tries to get them, and they don't pop up NEAR as fast as they do in air. You definitely need to be patient. So, end of safety stop, I make my final ascent and find that there is no rope from the stern to the bow. One quick flip on each fin, and I am under power once more. At the back of the boat was a different matter. Now I had to coordinate kicking the latch with my heels with the up and down surge of the waves in syncopation with the ladder. IT WAS ROUGH. But it was still far quicker than trying to get both fins off of my feet, and the ascent up the ladder with my FINS ON was easy.
On the deck, I realize how tricky they were. The fins had some anti-skip pads on the bottom! YEAH! Others were sliding on the deck, and I had a sure footing. I left them on during the entire surface interval. The foot pocket was WAY comfortable: probably the best I have ever had. The next dive was announced, and all I had to do was to put on my BC. I splashed and fell in love with these fins all over again. Yes, I tried the flutter kick again, and notice that the kick is easier on my muscles. It feels as if I have plenty of power and I have no problem keeping up with my buddy. The exit was still bit tricky, as I am getting my aim down still. Hey, I have only been diving Jets since 1969: It was about time someone re-invented the fin in a way that made sense to ME.
Caveat: In my opinion, these are not suitable for any overhead environment where you will be running a line. Too many points that can pick up a line. It's my only criticism of the fin, and frankly, I don't see any way around it. My next test will be a beach dive at Venice Beach. I bet they rock in that environment!
First some background.
Male, 51 and overweight. I just had surgery on my left ankle this past January, and have limited flexibility from being a mechanic for 30 years. I always look like a geek getting my fins off and on. I have worn Jet fins for the past 39 years. I tried splits for a bit (Twin Jets) and came back to the Jets. I have tried a dozen or so fins over the years, but nothing beats my Jets. Until today.
I got the black in XL (their biggest footpocket) since I dive in OTB boots. They came in a few days ago, with their own carry sack, and since I was out for a walk in my OTBs I slipped them into the foot pocket to see the initial fit. THAT was nice. I didn't even have the straps on, but I practiced kickick the locking mechanism with my heel to make the blade flip up. Well, it's easy on dry land, that's for sure.
So, this past week I am out diving and I have to admit that I brought two pairs of fins: my tried and true Jet FIns XXL, and the Omegas. Make no mistake about it, I have tried lots of gear before that never made it past five minutes. If something is not working, then you can bet that I will be making an adjustment in short order. I am very particular in how I dive: just not who I dive with
. Did I mention I was diving with HowardE? So, the call is made to do the final suit up for our first dive. I slip the fins on with the blades locked in the swim position. Yes, I was nervous about kicking them into the open position and I was kinda embarrassed about having such a gadgety looking fin on my feet. Seeing this, Howard takes the opportunity to point out my new fins to everyone. So, EVERYONE on the boat wants to see them flip up, and of course, I oblige them. It's time to dive, so I make my way to the end of the boat and fall backwards into the water. I am the first to splash, and getting the fins into the swim position with a single kick is ridiculously EASY. I hear the click and I am off, pulling my way down the line to the Rodeo 25 wreck.
At the bottom, I add a bit of air, trim out and give a tentative frog kick. My buddy is still headed down the line, so I swim a circle, first flipping with one fin and then the other, and finally doing a full helicopter turn. Maneuverability is way excellent. I check to be sure I hadn't put on my Jets by mistake. Nope... I still have those funky fins on.
Howarde arrives and we start cruising around the wreck. My frog kicks feel so normal, and all of my power is there. I am really starting to feel confident in these fins. I get a bit higher above the wreck and try a standard flutter kick. Whoa, plenty of power, though not as much as my Jets. They feel a bit different now, but not really bad. But hey, I would rather frog kick anyway, so I revert.
End of dive and I am on the line at me safety stop. The subtleness in my new fins is excellent. They are very responsive as I play with my kicking technique. Then it dawns on me... I either have to take them off or collapse them when I get to the surface, so let's practice a bit BEFORE I hit the 4/6' waves on the surface. It took a couple of tries to get them, and they don't pop up NEAR as fast as they do in air. You definitely need to be patient. So, end of safety stop, I make my final ascent and find that there is no rope from the stern to the bow. One quick flip on each fin, and I am under power once more. At the back of the boat was a different matter. Now I had to coordinate kicking the latch with my heels with the up and down surge of the waves in syncopation with the ladder. IT WAS ROUGH. But it was still far quicker than trying to get both fins off of my feet, and the ascent up the ladder with my FINS ON was easy.
On the deck, I realize how tricky they were. The fins had some anti-skip pads on the bottom! YEAH! Others were sliding on the deck, and I had a sure footing. I left them on during the entire surface interval. The foot pocket was WAY comfortable: probably the best I have ever had. The next dive was announced, and all I had to do was to put on my BC. I splashed and fell in love with these fins all over again. Yes, I tried the flutter kick again, and notice that the kick is easier on my muscles. It feels as if I have plenty of power and I have no problem keeping up with my buddy. The exit was still bit tricky, as I am getting my aim down still. Hey, I have only been diving Jets since 1969: It was about time someone re-invented the fin in a way that made sense to ME.
Caveat: In my opinion, these are not suitable for any overhead environment where you will be running a line. Too many points that can pick up a line. It's my only criticism of the fin, and frankly, I don't see any way around it. My next test will be a beach dive at Venice Beach. I bet they rock in that environment!
