Scubapro go travel replacement

[BoltSnap]

Personally my own $0.02, and this isn't a "fin test" so much as my own feelings from swimming the fins. I've found fins are like shoes, there's no one fin that does everything well, everything is a compromise. Just like there are different optimal shoes for hiking and running. In my collection, I have many fins including:

SC Seawing S-Tek
SC Seawing Supernovas
SC GoSport Gorillas (never tried the regular GoSport or GoTravel)

Mares Quattro Avanti
SC Twin Jet (split fins)

My diving generally falls into 2 types: 1) recreational single tank diving on a reef looking at wildlife; 2) technical doubles diving on/inside a wreck. All warm water in rashguard or thin wetsuit. I dived the first three pairs over the last year. The last two pairs are retired. I also have one knee with a torn ACL.

I like the SC modular system. I can bring both S-Tek and Supernova blades traveling and with 3 divers in the family all using the same system, we can swap blades.

Supernovas are really excellent for flutter and modified flutter. Excellent acceleration and cruising speed and low leg stress. Frog is good, but not as good as the S-Tek or GoSport Gorillas. The blades are very flexible in one direction so that's it's strength and weakness. Helicopter is mid. Back kicks are meh, it feels like they are flexing too much. These are the fins I want for long surface swims and cruising around in open water. Flutter kicking in doubles is fine. I don't want these fins deep in a tight spot inside a wreck where I might have to back out of a hole or avoid turn in place to avoid silt out. The performance reminds me of split fins (excellent for flutter kicking) but without the excessive floppiness that makes split fins poor at holding still or minute movement. I like the Supernovas for recreational diving and snorkeling. I even like them for tech diving if I don't have to do a lot of helicopter and back kicking.

S-Tek took the Supernovas and removed the hinge for a stiff pre-angled blade (30 deg). Removeable plates can change the buoyancy from positive, neutral, negative. They are not as negative as Jetfins, just slightly negative. The stiffness improved frog, helicopter and back kicking over the Supernovas. But the non-hinged blade made it a bit more work to flutter kick. Interestingly my wife when diving the S-Teks subjectively liked them more than the Supernovas because she believed she could go faster flutter kicking in the S-Teks. I think she was wrong, because I could not keep pace with her on the reef when she was diving the Supernovas and I was in the S-Teks, but when we swapped I could effortlessly swim circles around her. I think she was feeling the S-Teks require more muscle effort to flutter and so she felt like she was swimming faster - even though it was probably illusory. I like the S-Teks for tech wreck diving because they are a good all round fin for alternate and flutter kicks. For any diving with a lot of flutter kicking, they would tire my legs a bit more compared to the Supernovas.

GoSport Gorillas are compact and good for travel. Also good for tight spots like penetrating a wreck. They are stiffer than the regular GoSport, probably similar stiffness as the S-Teks. The pre-angled blade (~20 deg?) is less than the S-Tek. They are good for frog, helicopter and back kicking because they are stiff and relatively flat. I can't tell how they compare S-Teks for alternate kicks because I never A-B tested them. But they are definitely better than Supernovas for alternate kicks. For flutter kicking they can be a bit stiff and harder on my legs. These are not great fins for long surface swims or snorkeling. They are worse than the S-Teks for long extended periods of flutter kicking. Don't know if it's because they are shorter, the blade angle, or lack cut outs or something else. I've used these for tech diving inside a wreck where shorter length and maneuvering is important and I'm mostly alternate kicking. I got these before I got the S-Teks, so in the end I might not need both. As I mentioned I like the S-Teks better for flutter, but I am unsure how the alternate kicks compare between the two.

Mares Quattro Avanti are my oldest fins. For perspective, they're good to OK, but not excellent at any one thing. Jack of all trades and master of none. They do everything OK. Compared to the others they are a bit long for a suitcase. Long extended flutter kicking is OK, but can be tiring. Alternate kicks are OK, but a touch floppy.

I agree with you on the SuperNova and Go Sport Gorilla, but I still haven't used my S-Tek yet, so you gave me ideas. You can't beat the SuperNova for flutter kick, especially for long surface swims.

My Mares Quatrro Avantis were sold a while back, so there is no looking back. They just don't come even close.

I look forward to using the S-Tek.

 

[rongoodman]

Seems to be a problem on this forum, if not the Internet in general. People want to share their $0.02 regardless of how qualified they are, if it is from personal experience, or they are just parroting what someone else posted. People don't want to read what an OP actually asked. I still think occasionally useful information and new ideas show up, or I wouldn't be posting here.

You asked for advice, a number of people with more experience than you have said basically the same thing, and your response is to come up with reasons not to listen to them. If you want to improve your gas usage, learn to fin more efficiently and stop waving your arms around.

 

[bvbellomo]

This thread has gone so far off the rails I really can't blame people for not reading what I wrote, there is too much fluff.

The advice I was looking for was:

Do you think wanting to work my finning should influence my choice of which fins to purchase? Or do you think learning to get better at turning, moving backwards and avoiding idle motion is largely independent of what fins I am wearing?

 

[scubadada]

This thread has gone so far off the rails I really can't blame people for not reading what I wrote, there is too much fluff.

The advice I was looking for was:

Do you think wanting to work my finning should influence my choice of which fins to purchase? Or do you think learning to get better at turning, moving backwards and avoiding idle motion is largely independent of what fins I am wearing?

This was your original post

Thread 'Scubapro go travel replacement'

Feb 16, 2025

I am nearing my 100th dive, at least 80 in my scubapro go travel fins. I've never owned other fins and my experiences with other fins were long ago.

2 dive masters recently made fun of me for using these. One said they weren't even half the size of his. Another said she used to own a pair, switched to jet fins and they are much stronger and switching would improve my bottom time. My sac has always been bad, but is far worse the less finning on the dive. Current is generally not an issue for me. However the cost to try something new is relatively small and improvement would be welcome.

• bvbellomo

Quite different that what you state above, it was all about your gas consumption

 

[lexvil]

This thread has gone so far off the rails I really can't blame people for not reading what I wrote, there is too much fluff.

The advice I was looking for was:

Do you think wanting to work my finning should influence my choice of which fins to purchase? Or do you think learning to get better at turning, moving backwards and avoiding idle motion is largely independent of what fins I am wearing?

These threads can evolve but try to keep up with the changes

What fins are you using now?

 

[bvbellomo]

I am stuck a computer desk for the foreseeable future and not wearing fins. My last trip used ScubaPro Go Travel Fins, which is likely what I will use next dive unless I buy something new.

 

[lexvil]

I am stuck a computer desk for the foreseeable future and not wearing fins. My last trip used ScubaPro Go Travel Fins, which is likely what I will use next dive unless I buy something new.

I had found the Go fins very capable, you’ll find some pool time to practice with them and learn their capabilities to serve you better, once you get the hang of all they can do a switch to another fin may help.

 

[bvbellomo]

I am repeating myself, but have over 100 dives with the Go fins and also find them very capable. I want to try something else.

 

[lexvil]

I am repeating myself, but have over 100 dives with the Go fins and also find them very capable. I want to try something else.

No one is stopping you, just don’t expect magic.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I started in Mares Avanti Quattro's, later went to SP Jets. I'm also a freediver so I've used Picasso long freediving fins. I've tried split fins in the pool and ocean, I've tried SP Nova's, I have a pair of vented turtle fins, I acquired some IDI power fins which are an old solid rubber non vented fin longer than jets but more flexible, and I have a pair of SP Go Sports that @lexvil sent me. For standard from the hip alternate fin kicks the Go Sports are so far the best for scuba. I have GoSport Gorillas on my wish list. The fastest but not necessarily the most efficient fin is the long freediving fins. I can flat haul ass in those but at a cost of a lot of fuel (air). The only time I used those scuba diving was to lobster dive in Socal, you have to be first out and cover a lot of ground to get the bugs. We use huge tanks to cover for the gas needs.
The absolute worst fin for flutter is the Jet's followed by the Turtles. But they are great for feet up sculling (DIR style kicks) and backing up, heli, etc.
I didn't like the Mares because they have a floppy center section that supposed to channel the water but it creates a dead spot in the up/down transition.
The splits didn't work at all for me, probably because I was overkicking them and not allowing the vortex to do it's thing. They were just weird.
Right now I'm still using the Jet's because all I'm doing is urchin harvesting and we don't need to move around much or cover a lot of ground. I'm not really doing any surface swims to speak of. I need the weight to keep my feet down, and they are a tough fin for beach entries/exits.

As far as your air consumption, you use what you use, don't worry about it.