Scubapro Seawing Nova

[jcfahy]

I bought a pair and love their light weight and speed but to each his own. See thread for diverse opinions
Seawing - Nova- Divers Forum

 

[Huck BB62]

Finally just "had" to try 'em. They're pretty darned good. I have been diving with Apollo Biofins for a few years now. They were great on leg strain and for being efficient but SUCKED for maneuverability. The Seawing Nova does just as well for speed and efficiency and a LOT better for maneuvering (spins, turns, etc.) I'm not a frog kick fan for when it's not needed (looks like a bunch of purist hooey but hey, who am I to judge?, why not buy a unifin if you're into lookin' like a sea mammal?) but these do indeed work for that purpose, just use your ankles more to make up for the flex, no problem.

Verdict? I like 'em. One thing's for sure, they are a LOT lighter than my Apollos. They're also very very slick for putting them on and off. They also are slick for walking in, but who hikes in their fins anyway?

I've got some Blitz freediving fins for comparison. If you want POWER and smooth delivery to utilize your whole leg and hip muscles, go with them!

 

[Mark Lamont]

BDSC, buddhasummer, Taurean......Howdy,
No, I don't work for Bob Evans or LoFF (Lack of Force Fin). I was trying to shed a little light on fins in general. I'm no expert in ScubaBoard and just deleted about a half an hour of reply which I'll try to redo. I used to work for Scubapro in the Dick Bonin days and hold two patents with Peter Chopelas on the Seawing design. It is easily found in Google under U.S. Patent 4,775,343 and a subsequent patent.
I thought meesier42 was out of line saying any Seawing is a rip off or copy of an original LoFF. Both patents clearly define claims to a bending area on the fin. I guess the U.S. patent office allows legal rip offs if that's is the case. That is why I put the patent number out and am still waiting for meesier42 or Evans to dispute the claim.
Since I no longer work for Scubapro and am not in their corporate fan club. I have no affiliation to them either. Peter Chopelas was actually the one that came up with putting a wing on a fin due to his previous employment at Northrup if memory serves. I just had the design experience to take the half step that the Seawing is.
If any diver would like to see the future of fins.........I would suggest a cyber trip to Smith Aerospace and a look at the Dol-Fin. I'm not affiliated with Smith either but it doesn't take a genius to figure out what the next design step will be.
In my original post I refer to a series of testing that Scubapro did at the time. One thing that we (at Scubapro) all learned is that a graceful small flutter kick is key to improving ones performance with any fin. I also suggest that each person try it. Move your hips and take short flutter strokes. Be graceful. It works. LoFF tested worst of all fins and we tested everything under the current sun to first establish which direction our engineering would follow and then to apply a measurement to each fin and type with regards to forced or power, efficiency, and speed.
Regards,

 

[deadmanh]

Rise from the ashes old thread!........

It's been 2 years that the seawing nova has been out, how do you who own/ have owned them feel?

My local dive shop has em for $150 and I may get these, i don't know if i can try them before buying though. Even if I could try things out, i dont have enough experience yet to make comparisons. I just want to be be buying a quality product from the beginning (without breaking my bank of course.)

My intended uses...TRAVELING for snorkling, getting my owc, and would like to use them for spearfishing eventually. I'm a big short dude with WIDE feet. Like one person said, I'm pushing a lotta meat! Least im getting off my ass.....now. Please help a fellow.

 

[hawkenph]

Hi All,
After reading many reviews. I finally decided to buy the SP Seawing Nova today. Later this wk I will be going Diving and when I get back I will let u guys knows how it went..
Kurt in Cebu

 

[cmburch]

Most shops will allow pool use to try. They are very comfortable. Only drawback for me is positive buoyancy. 12.5EEE here.

I use freedive fins for spearfishing in kelp and smaller rubber fins for snorkeling. NOVAS for SCUBA. Will work for SCUBA spearfishing.

 

[vimaldude]

These look very interesting. The scuba Lab gives them Best buy rating.
My question to those who have used this is: how easy are these for travelling? They look quite big in the pictures so how easy are these to pack in large duffle bag?

Thanks.

 

[CaboJim]

I have carried them in a Dive Caddy, & an Akonos Travel Bag, that has to be checked. Also with 2 different styles of boat bags. They're actually no bigger than most split fins....

 

[nikos81]

These look very interesting. The scuba Lab gives them Best buy rating.
My question to those who have used this is: how easy are these for travelling? They look quite big in the pictures so how easy are these to pack in large duffle bag?

Thanks.

I took them in a regular suitcase at my trip to Red Sea 10 days ago, and had absolutely no problem into carrying them with me. They are about 70 cm long,so I don't think they are much bigger than other fins... Hope I was helpful

 

[*dave*]

I'll be buying a pair for pool use. My Jets are a tad too heavy to balance the pool rig I use and the SWN allow me to hover motionless without dragging my feet down. Frog kick is fine, just feels different than Jets. I have a working back kick, but it's not as efficient as Jets.

I'll post a video review at some point, but I have no problem recommending these fins for most recreational divers. Certainly heads and shoulders above any split fin I've tried.