Scubapro Jet fins.

[Jason Ooi]

Jet fin are the best, love it so much

 

[JRC58]

Just another testament for Jets- I have been diving with mine for 36 years. They are just now starting to leave black scuff marks on the deck so I guess that suggests they are beginning to disintegrate. Jim

 

[Bexny]

Hi all, would appreciate some advice from the SP Jetfin users out there:

I've done about 25 dives using Jets in tropical waters and I feel like my legs are being dragged down whenever I'm not moving them.

Does anyone else have this problem, and what do you do to counteract it?

Should I continue to dive with my Jets to get more practice, or give up and switch to something more buoyant?

Appreciate any feedback you can provide.

Cheers,
R

 

[Packhorse]

How about ankle floats?
Or thicker neoprem boots

 

[Splitlip]

Hi all, would appreciate some advice from the SP Jetfin users out there:

I've done about 25 dives using Jets in tropical waters and I feel like my legs are being dragged down whenever I'm not moving them.

Does anyone else have this problem, and what do you do to counteract it?

Should I continue to dive with my Jets to get more practice, or give up and switch to something more buoyant?

Appreciate any feedback you can provide.

Cheers,
R

You may simply need to improve your trim, buoyancy and weighting.
I dived jets in my first life as a diver, sans BC, so carrying the correct amount of weight was critical. With proper weighting and tank and packpack positioning came good trim with my jets. Even when I began using BC's (my first "BC" was actually a snorkeling vest I orally inflated), I continued to dive with the same amount of weight.
I then took 10 years off. Decided to reintroduce myself to the sport by taking another AOW cource. Bought all new gear and found my jets were as you say, "pulling my feet down". Fact is, I was severely over weighted, as many student divers are. I had to pump too much gas in my BC to compensate for the lead which gave me the "marionette puppet" attitude in the water so common with inexperienced divers. Once I started stripping weight the trim came back, as did the Jets. I also had the same experience with Apollo Bio fins. Heavy rubber.
Editorial note: I believe instructors overweight their students to keep them more stable on the bottom for skills training. Before they cut them loose however, they really should set them straight. I watched from below as an open water class entered the water from a boat above. I was reminded of the circus when the clowns all come into the ring on unicycles. Thes students all dutifully hit their infaltors and stopped 3ft from the bottom, at least their torso's did. They all moved blissfully along as their finning however tore up the reef.

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

If/when my feet seem to be dragging it is because I am overweighted, usually with a neoprene change. Taking weight off my belt has always done the trick.

 

[pakman]

I'm gonna buck the trend here. I have dived mostly with SP jetfins as I had done some technical training and wreck diving. I agree they are great for tech diving as they give you very good control and manoeuvrability, especially in confined spaces... Jetfins with spring straps are a great combo...

But lately, I've been doing more recreational dives and uw photography and have two niggles about them. 1: they are heavy (every lb counts as airlines cut down luggage allowances) and 2: I don't find them to be the best fin against a stiff current. Sure they do better than the typical floppy paddle or split fin. But on a recent trip to Palau, I was watching our DM just blow by me in his (I think) Mares Avanti Quattros on Blue Corner.

Anyways, to make the story short. I ended up picking up a pair of Mares Quattro Excels and had a chance to try them in a pretty strong current over the long weekend as we tried to photograph a shoal of barracudas out in the blue. These were like day and night compared to my old jetfins against the current. Even without a current, I found myself doing less frequent leg strokes with these Quattros cruising down the reef. The downside however is as they are pretty big is that you lose a little bit in terms of manouverability. I couldn't quickly reverse backfinning as I could with the jetfins.

That said, I'm not tossing out the jetfins. They still have their use. But for blue water reef diving, I'm sticking with my new Quattros.

 

[Fish_Whisperer]

I've heard great things about the Quattros. I actually have the OMS "Slipstream" fins, which are exactly like the Jet fins, but a lot lighter. So far, I've used them with a 7/5mm wetsuit and a drysuit. They worked well with both, and the springstraps that Wayward_Son made for me, are excellent.

 

[jjdub]

I am thinking about trying the Jets after reading rave reviews here, but I don't want to spend money on new fins (since my Twin Jets are only 3 months old), but I have seen Jets on eBay for decent prices. I have heard people rave about the durability of these fins, but would it be worth it to buy 10+ year old fins on eBay as a test drive? In general, if the fins look like they are in good shape, should I expect them to feel similar to a new pair (as far as performance is concerned)?

 

[CompuDude]

If you get a good price and believe the seller's claim that they are in good condition, go for it. You should be able to turn around and re-sell them no problem if you decide you don't want them. Take a look at the classifieds here, too... they pop up for sale on occasion but go quickly.