Scubapro Seawing Nova

[nikos81]

Ok, so I have spend more time in the water with my Nova's and must report back that they are great!!!! Frog kick are a breeze once I refined my technique and effortless through the water. They provide awesome thrust and are remarkably stable. The bungy type straps are strong, don in a flash and is a must for any fins. I can’t believe the rest of manufactures have not followed suit.

I would like to recall my pprevious statement on not being great, because the are truely great fins!!!! 10 out of 10

Regards
Jacques

To ajduplessis: I ordered mine on Friday and will be sent to me on Monday, so since you took some dives with them, I'd like to ask you how did you manage to deal with the frog kick. What changes did you do at your technique in order to get the best result from them? I'm asking because I've read too many "argues" about the difficulty in the frog kick. It seems it is the only tricky spot in this fin.

 

[ajduplessis]

Nikos81: Slower more refined movements before the actual kick. The fins are stiff and generate drag/reverse thrust. Fin gently. You will pick it up very quickly.

Enjoy your fins, would love to hear your feedback.

 

[rhino3201]

I own them and love them. I've done about 25 dives with them and I like them over any other fins I've had. That's over a period of 28 years of diving. If I had to buy another pair of fins for some reason, I'd buy them again. JMHO

Impressive. This is the kind of info. I am looking for. 28 years has probably showed you a lot of various designs and changes in SCUBA gear. Keep us posted if you have any problems. Thanks

 

[TSandM]

I had a chance to try a set of these in the pool last night, and I was much happier with them than I thought I'd be. They have a very odd, "trampoline" feel which took some getting used to, but after a while, I started to kind of like it. It was possible to do all the kicks in them, although it's clear that frog kick is not the OPTIMAL kick for these fins. But flutter kicking was effortless, using the rebound, and after a couple of experiments, the back kick went pretty well. They are very long, so you really have to control them carefully to make sure they go where you want. They are also very, very light -- I use plastic fins with spring straps in the pool, but these were MUCH lighter, with a noticeable effect on my trim.

Anyway, my take from a brief tryout is that they aren't cave diving fins, but they're MUCH better than split fins for students, because they DO allow you to use your fins as stabilizers, and they offer the same advantages of an easy flutter kick.

 

[gearhound]

I tried these out in the pool today. I really, really wanted to like these fins. They look cool and are really light for travel. And I think the bungy spring straps are a good idea. More robust than your typical fin strap and lighter than steel. And did I mention they look cool!
I came away with a lukewarm feeling for the fins. They move you pretty good with a flutter kick. I found bigger, slower kicks worked best for me.
Now here's the 'but'. I didn't find the frog kick all that great for me. They push alright, but not near as good as my Dive Rite fins. And there seems to be a moment of instability on the recovery phase of the kick. I just did not feel as in control with the Novas as I did with the paddle fins. Switching back and forth, I also felt like I was breathing heavier using the Novas. Not sure if I was, but it sure felt that way.
The difference in the fins was really noticeable when I was pulling the pool cover back on. I really had to make an effort in finning.
So sadly, they're not the fin for me. Maybe because I frog kick the majority of the time.

 

[TSandM]

I agree; the frog kick is not immediately comfortable with them, although it's doable. I suspect it would get better with practice. For one thing, the fins are WAY longer than my Jets are. For another, there are the little lips on the edges of the fins.

I was really impressed with the power the fins generate for the effort expended. I wish they weren't so expensive, because I'd love to play with them some more and see what would happen as I got more accustomed to them.

 

[rhino3201]

Thanks TSandM, I am also loking for the negative that people are experiencing. I don't do a lot of frog kicking, so I may like these. I have had the same fins for 14 years, and any new fin will probably take some getting used too. And i agree, I think they look cool too. Part of what drew me to them.

 

[CaboJim]

I really like these fins. Since I don't frog kick, they work well for me.
They're comfortable, & easy to put on.
I get more power from these fins doing my usual flutter kick, so much that I have to slow down or lose my buddy.

 

[BDSC]

They're comfortable, & easy to put on.

Man you can say that again! This was my first day diving them and I have to say, I have never had any fin that were as easy to put on as these. The bungee strap felt really tight out of the water but in the water they are perfect. So far I really like these fins. Glad I bought them if for no other reason than the ease of putting them on and taking them off.

 

[Rich-D-Fish]

I've got 5 dives on my new Nova's and I must say I really like them. I replaced my Apollo Bio fins because the Bio dense rubber with spring strap was too negative for me, and I wanted to find a lighter weight positive buoyant fin to help my trim. Performance wise they compare very well to my Apollo's. Speed seems to be comparable. They are nice and easy on my legs with no cramping, just like other split fins. I do not frog kick very often, but they came easy for me with these fins. I was also surprised that I could easily do a back kick with these fins, which I could not with the Apollo's. My White Nova's will also come in handy for performing my camera white balance test. But the best feature so far has to be the foot pocket and bungee strap. Most comfortable fitting and easiest on & off I've ever tried. That is important to me since I do mostly shore dives. I give them 10 out of 10!