Sad day for my Force Fins.

[castanagajt]

As you all may know about my situation with my experience with a PADI instructor while I was stationed in Okinawa, Japan. For those who doesn't know I basically took my open water class, went through the whole training but in the end my papers hasn't went through with PADI. All in all, I wasn't able to be certified. My friends were nice to always rent spare tanks for me so I can go scuba diving with them.

Coming out of the service I worked in Sport Chalet in the scuba department for a while and pushing the PADI program to potential divers even with a bit of a grudge behind my mind. Without a formal certification, my cousin always was able to borrow a rental total scuba package from Sport Chalet so that I can join him on our Lake Mead adventures.

Fast forward, to today I signed up for SSI because I firmly believe that it is a better instruction for me. Also, it is my chance to actually strike to be formerly scuba certified this time around. Today, I was scheduled to take my written and have my snorkel package inspected at my LDS.

On the good news I got a 96% on the written exam at my LDS. But, as for my snorkel package, my dive instructor looked through my snorkel gear and disapproved my Force Fin Accelerators w/ whiskers, Force Fin Extra Force w/ whiskers and also my new yellow Force Fin Pros that I ordered a week ago! He said that my fins won't do and they are all for snorkeling.

Unfortunately, I can't object my instructor's judgment also sever ties with my LDS whom they are at close proximity and their service is helpful. All in all, I guess it is a sad day for my for my Force Fins and that I will just have to buy another set that may like to purchase (APS Mantaray) and use my Force Fins some other time. I sure wish many dive shops would approve of these beautiful and bazaar fins.

 

[Papa_Bear]

He needs an education! That is where they are and work best in my opinion! It would worry me that he was so closed minded that he would reject your equipment?!!!! Unless the Yellow reminded him of a banana? Then all bets are off! Ask him why! Then rent fins for the class or buy them from Wal-mart!

 

[tom_guy]

Sounds like he's trying to force a sale upon you!!!

 

[Blair Mott]

Congratulations on passing your written with a 96%!

Being forced to use other gear makes me think about what the reasons are? If they are the only game in town they just might not want you using gear they don't sell and Force Fins look so different it is an easy target for them to pick on. Sound familiar? I know being different has caused a lot of pain and suffering for a lot of people in our history and that is wrong. I know the dive industry can be very strange and people have such strong opinions, but that seems a bit much. I am sure you are not the first person who has been told to go back to their store and get out of the pool.

Force Fins have helped me succeed in many technical and challenging dives. I have used the Excellerating Force Fin down to the depths of the USS Monitor Monitor National Marine Sanctuary (some 230 Feet of salt water) using heliox with a closed circuit rebreather and gather samples for NOAA, the depths of Cordell Bank
Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia where we were the first divers to dive on the banks in the last ten years and one of the most challenging dives I have ever done. My Force Fin PROS have proven themselves on numerous Commercial dives where the weight of the prop we were changing would crush a diver in seconds with the wrong rigging or being n the wrong place at the wrong time and countless dives where the current was steady and ever present so constant non stop finning was a must.

So for me I know Force Fins work for the diving situations I have been faced with in my career. I know I am not alone in the world of Professional divers who use Force Fins. Closed minds bring closed results. I never knock anything until I try them. Food, gear, music and then after I try them I always know that if they did not work for me it might work for someone else.

There is no such thing as a bad question and there is always more ways than one to get the job done! Steel should not float and cars will never fly ---right!!!!?

 

[uncleavi]

Boy, I wish I could get you up here and I would teach you for free and then you can show your SSI Instructor you diving up here in "wimpy" Alaska with Force Fins.
Wow, I wonder if he could give me some advice on dive gear?
What a Knob.
I wonder if his parents know?

 

[castanagajt]

I know that it all comes down to that he is basically giving me an ultimatum for me to buy their fins or that I won't go in the pool. Too bad, that I don't have a choice, Tom Guy. Papa Bear, I will keep that in mind if they have fins for rental but i am sure that they don't have that option.
Blair Mott, thanks for the congratulations! I knew that Force Fin has worked well for you and that it has propelled you throughout your career. You and Meesier42 has influenced me greatly in buying three pairs of Force Fins plus the accessories. I believe in them too, too bad that I won't be able to use it for Scuba purposes while I am in my training.
Uncleavi, I always wanted to go to Alaska. Maybe I can go there some day. I do appreciate the sincerity if you were actually being serious on such a generous offer. I really would have loved to be your pupil through your SSI instruction courses.

AS for his advice on gear...He also talked smack about m y Deep See Omni frameless mask, a branch under aqualung. ANd saying that Aqualung products are just hit and miss. In my opinion of selling Aqualung's gear is that they are just mediocre.

I don't think he would ever be a candidate in trying to give any Force Fin a chance. Here is his suggestions for fins that my LDS only carries. I think that these are basically garbage.

Aeries Mako
DiveAeris.com - Scuba Diving Fins - Mako

Aeries duo

DiveAeris.com - Scuba Diving Fins - Velocity duo

The better ones:

APS Mantaray

apsmantaray.com

Scubapro Twin jets
scubapro.com

And their best product
Atomic smoke in the water.
atomicaquatics.com

 

[ZenDiver.3D]

Wow. He is really pushing his stuff. I don't know how much credibility I would give to someone who does this. I never mandate what a student has to buy or wear. As part of the course, I must go over various types of equipment and we discuss and look at all of them. What a student wears in the water, if it is their own equipment, is a personal choice. Some things work better than others for different people.
I would give him some info on force fins. Use any of the sets that you have. Tell him that he is welcome to provide (for free) use of his fins, but there is NOTHING in the standards that mandates type of equipment! Just that you have mask, fins, snorkle, bcd, weight system, reg, and air. No particulars. Ask him to show you the standards about equipment, then do what you think is right.

It really gets to me, when instructors get away with stuff likethis. It gives the rest of us a bad reputation because they get lumped in with us. New students need to stand up for what is right, but they feel reluctant or that they will burn bridges if they do.
Is this instructor the owner of the LDS?
What does the owner have to say, if he isn't?

 

[peterbj7]

This sounds highly irresponsible to me. He is certainly wrong when he says Force Fins are designed for snorkelling. It's actually the activity they're weakest at and to use them on the surface you need to modify your finning style a bit. But underwater they're superb, and although I don't own any I have used them and acknowledge they are very good.

If he's prepared to perjure himself to try to sell you more fins, what else is this guy prepared to lie to you about? I don't know what options you have, but I would walk away and have nothing at all to do with him.

In any case, why are you going SSI? Even if you couldn't prove your earlier training, I would give you credit for it once I saw you knew what you were doing and would short cut the course as much as PADI permit to certify you. I'm sure there are other PADI instructors out there who would do the same. I'm not talking about breaking standards, just giving proper recognition for earlier training.

 

[Wayfarer2]

That’s BS!
Flat out, you are being ripped off! get your money back and find a different instructor and shop!

 

[Dive Right In Scuba]

I would find another Instructor! If any of mine did that....they would be out of work! Thats unacceptable, those fins are perfectly fin for Diving....in fact, they are made for diving. I dont even sell them and I think they are great fins....Find another shop or Instructor and do yourself a favor before this gets uglier and your posting an even worse experience....like:

My Instructor didnt like my kicking style, so he isnt giving me my C-card.....then you wont have even another card

BTW, what happened with your PADI card? Who lost it? I see you blame PADI, but what did your LDS in Okinawa do?

Were you stationed in Okinawa or there on Vacation? One of my Instructors, former Marine, used to teach there and maybe can help resurrect your old card.....