Replace my Mares Raptor split fins

[danpass]

I’m liking the boot/open heel format and leaning toward the Scubapro Seawing Nova or the Mares Avanti Quattro.

I‘m comfortable with various techniques but I suspect the the split fin just doesn’t provide the feedback I seem to prefer.

My experience with the Nova is only in the follow; my OW instructor used them. A shark came across us and we tried to pursue. I was slowly falling behind my instructor, basically falling back half a step at a time sort of thing, and really struggled to keep that pace. (Of course the shark had no issues lol. One fin snap and in a blink he would move ahead two shark lengths)

I just haven’t had an opportunity to try them out.

The Quattro is on my list given it’s popularity and generally high rating. I have no experience with them at all.

 

[Altamira]

Hopefully you will be able to find a LDS that can let you try the two fins you are considering. A couple of years ago, I got excited about the Seawing Nova fins, and my LDS owner loaned me his to try. I quickly changed my mind after a 20 minute finning test in our lake. Unfortunately I found the foot pocket to be unbearable after a short period of finning because I have very wide feet and a high instep. It was so painful after a short period of time that I had to remove the fins and walk back on the beach to my house. Lesson learned: Don't buy fins you can't try out, or return without penalty once they have been in the water.

 

[danpass]

My LDS was able to let me try the following today in the pool:

Fourth Element Tech Fins
Atomic Split Fins

Someone working on their DM let me try their Seawing Nova Fins.

I tried backkick with all the fins but clearly I need much more practice with that, compared to heli, so no real feedback on backkick

Fourth Element Tech Fins:
- Like having boosted power steering. Very nimble in the water. Flutter power was above average, frog power was pretty good, helicopter was easy.
- But my foot was aching in just 10 minutes with hardly any effort. Imagine a one hour dive with transits from/to the floaty fiberglass.

Atomic Split Fins:
- Like having regular power steering. Fairly nimble in the water. Flutter was above average, frog power pretty good, helicopter ease was slightly above average.
- With this model I tried my Mares Raptor on one foot and the Atomic on the other. The Atomic is firmer with more feedback. Now that I could directly compare I understand what has been happening with the Raptor, it folds over about mid-blade.
- I ended up using these borrowed Atomics for the remainder of the pool session and foot comfort was transparent, no issues. I went ahead and ordered a pair from my LDS.

Seawing Novas:
- I wanted to like these, they were immediately transparent in foot comfort, and they are decidedly Superior for Flutter, like having a supercharged turbo engine WITH nitrous (what goes first: manifold? transmission? differential? lol). It was abundantly clear how my instructor was able to outpace me.
- But they were markedly below average with frog. Scubapro designed the Nova winglets for the downstroke and hit a homerun with that concept. Now they need to extend those winglets across to the other side as well, for frog. Every frog kick had the fin moving side to side. The very thing that Scubapro addressed with the flutter.
- Helicopter required real effort, much more effort than the difference between the Techs and the Atomics. If the Techs were 10 for heli the Atomics (and my Raptors) were 7 then the Novas were 2.5, maybe 3. Technique? I'm sure of it but the same technique was pretty straightforward between the Techs and the Split fins.
- But DAMN, that power flutter, REALLY obvious to me. Plus they look so damn cool hehe

Can you have too many fins?

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