Scubapro Seawing Nova fin, users review?

[Buliwyf]

Fastest fin I've tried yet. Nearly lost my trunks the first time.

I don't get shimming them? They're supposed to flex up an insane amount so the blade has a perfect 45 degree angle even though your toes are still pointed slightly down. Stiffening them up would only make them feel faster. For example, according to the stop watch, my soft full fin Nova's are faster than my Gorillas (on the surface test though).

The best part of them is, they work well at low efforts, which my Scubapro Jet's don't. To move around slowly in the jet's I have to frog kick. The Nova's move great with light effort flutter kicks. So less air consumed. I keep up with my peers with less effort. And the Nova's are a comfortable slipper compared to the painful Jets.

Only downside, they're not super negative. Wish they came out with a dry suit Gorilla that was heavier. Maybe a supersized long blade Gorilla or something?

 

[Dustyreefdiving]

Of course you have fins that help the diver in every situation and in different environments. Fins are purely subjective. It also depends on the divers weight and size. Logic dictates that the larger the fin the less effective the fin for the diver. Also depends what you are used to.

 

[buddhasummer]

In general, longer stiffer fins will have the potential to generate more power, assuming you have the key muscles to drive them. Agree with above, horses for courses.

 

[Shotmaster]

Oh mine still flex plenty, even with the shims, I don't swim a lesuurely pace when chasing fish! Not many could swim with me with Jets, you can forget about about it now with the Novas.

 

[Dustyreefdiving]

I'll stand by my Seawing Novas

 

[Buliwyf]

I think they'll be as classic as the jets one day. Especially if we can get them to work better with dry suits.

 

[buddhasummer]

I think they'll be as classic as the jets one day. Especially if we can get them to work better with dry suits.

I don't think that'll ever happen, "most" people require the weight of a heavier fin.

 

[shurite7]

Cuttlemyfish, the Nova's have more thrust than the Twin Jets. The Twin Jets are great for those who cramp easily or for diving in calm waters. I have dived in strong currents with my Twin Jets, but they were not that efficient.

For good thrust and maneuverability I, and most everyone one whom I dive with, much prefer the Jet Fins, or at least a similar type of fin. The Jet Fins are the easiest to swim backwards with and offer the greatest thrust, especially when diving in doubles or carrying a bunch of gear. I also like the Jets with my drysuit since they are heavier than the Twins and Novas. The Nova's are easier to kick with during the flutter kick, but they are not as effective when it comes to using the modified frog kick, which is my primary kick. We do, however, prefer the Nova Fin when diving in the mountain rivers around here. They have decent thrust and do not work the leg as much as the Jet Fin.

Watch the documentary Coral Reef Adventure, , and take a look at the fins they are using during the shark dive. Going into the current they are using Twin Jets. While the fin may not be the most adequate to swim into the current, it was the best fin because they were swimming quite a distance. The Seawing Novas did not exist then, although the older version Nova versions did.

The Gorillas are a stiffer version of the Nova Seawings. The stiffness gave the Gorillas more thrust, but not all that much.

Every summer I have to remove a pump cover from a golf course pond for cleaning. With my Jet Fins I can roll the cover up the embankment to shore. One day I grabbed my Nova's instead and found they didn't have the thrust to roll the cover all the way up the embankment. The Twin Jets were even worse.

If at all possible, try out different fins. Don't dive just one dive with each fin, use them for several dives and in different environments to learn their traits. Or, you can purchase several different fins. While I find it annoying to own six different fins, I do find each one useful for certain situations.

 

[buddhasummer]

Cuttlemyfish, the Nova's have more thrust than the Twin Jets. The Twin Jets are great for those who cramp easily or for diving in calm waters. I have dived in strong currents with my Twin Jets, but they were not that efficient.

For good thrust and maneuverability I, and most everyone one whom I dive with, much prefer the Jet Fins, or at least a similar type of fin. The Jet Fins are the easiest to swim backwards with and offer the greatest thrust, especially when diving in doubles or carrying a bunch of gear. I also like the Jets with my drysuit since they are heavier than the Twins and Novas. The Nova's are easier to kick with during the flutter kick, but they are not as effective when it comes to using the modified frog kick, which is my primary kick. We do, however, prefer the Nova Fin when diving in the mountain rivers around here. They have decent thrust and do not work the leg as much as the Jet Fin.

Watch the documentary Coral Reef Adventure, , and take a look at the fins they are using during the shark dive. Going into the current they are using Twin Jets. While the fin may not be the most adequate to swim into the current, it was the best fin because they were swimming quite a distance. The Seawing Novas did not exist then, although the older version Nova versions did.

The Gorillas are a stiffer version of the Nova Seawings. The stiffness gave the Gorillas more thrust, but not all that much.

Every summer I have to remove a pump cover from a golf course pond for cleaning. With my Jet Fins I can roll the cover up the embankment to shore. One day I grabbed my Nova's instead and found they didn't have the thrust to roll the cover all the way up the embankment. The Twin Jets were even worse.

If at all possible, try out different fins. Don't dive just one dive with each fin, use them for several dives and in different environments to learn their traits. Or, you can purchase several different fins. While I find it annoying to own six different fins, I do find each one useful for certain situations.

Agree, I own numerous pairs of fins but generally use the same three depending on conditions and environment. Local, where there is little current but lots of topography where precise finning is a necessity, I use Apeks Rocket 3. Open water or current diving wetsuit I use DR XTs. For Drysuit diving I use Mares Power Planas.

 

[AFdivedoc]

I need more powerful fins. My Seawing Nova's were not strong enough in a strong open ocean current in Rabaul recently. Do you think the Twin Jet fins are the most powerful? Were the Gorrilla's more powerful than the Twin Jet?

There are lots of conversations on this subject on SB (some are quite contentious and emotional--fin choice seems to be a very personal thing). For bucking current, many people are proponents of full foot freediving fins. I haven't tried them, but my mind is open to them after what I saw a few years ago. I was on a dive trip to Kume, one of the islands near Okinawa. My buddies and I were being guided by one of the local dive guides. We were all pretty experienced technical divers, using Scubapro jets, Hollis F1s, and OMS Slipstreams, all pretty optimally streamlined, and all decent swimmers. We were kicking against stiff current trying to get to a vantage point to see mantas. My buddies and I were neck and neck, doing well in the current but stroking pretty hard. The dive guide, using the long freediving fins, was obviously having an easier time of it, having to slow down to allow us to keep up. I own a set of Seawing Gorillas, and while fairly powerful, I find them a little awkward for other than a flutter kick (although I can perform other kicks). Maybe I need to use them more. Personally, I tend to use jet-style fins mostly, and find them the most maneuverable and a good all-around fin. I'd definitely consider trying the freediving fins if I were planning a trip where I had to deal primarily with stiff currents (or procure a scooter).