SHORTEST fIN

[LI Diver]

Can anyone tell me what is the shortest fin that is still available other than a force fin and that has a large enough foot pocket to accept a DUI Rock boot? I dove last week on one of our local boats and the ladder vs my leg geometry is such that I had a hard time climbing the ladder with my fins on. It was not a Christmas tree ladder and the preferred method around here is to leave fins and mask on and reg in mouth till you are on the boat.

 

[meesier42]

why not Force Fins?

 

[xeon_intel]

Yeah...why not force fin? It answers all your problems,.. And a great fins too..

 

[Bubbletrubble]

Force fins. Meh. Some people seem to really like 'em. A lot of people I know just can't justify spending that much money on fins. To each his own.

When I travel, I take my APS Mantaray fins with me. They are fairly short, lightweight, and relatively affordable (under $100?). I consider them nice travel fins because they pack so well. The size XL Mantarays have a generous foot pocket that fits my size 10 Bare Trek rockboots, which I believe are little "bulkier" than the DUI rockboots, and my hard-soled Pinnacle Orca wetsuit boots. The black-colored fins are slightly negatively buoyant and are stiffer than the blue and white colored fins. I never really bought into the marketing hype on the manufacturer's website about the design of the fins. There are vents and channels that re-direct water in a more efficient way...blah...blah...blah. I wouldn't be surprised if the manufacturer never really did any controlled testing head-to-head against other fins on the market. I don't think the fins are that powerful in the water, but I can do all of my standard kicks in them (flutter, modified flutter, frog, back, helicopter turns, etc.). Not a bad compromise, though.

 

[knowone]

 

[LI Diver]

I'm not against force fins, I just wanted to know what other options were out there. I'd love to try them. I like a fin with resistance and they just look like they would lack that. I know looks can be deceiving which is why I said about trying them. I now own 2 pair of genesis response fins (one for drysuit and one for wet),Atomic Smoke on the water split fins,Twin jets, Jet fins that are too small for rock boots and XS scuba power fins that seem short but when used with dry boot they are only 1" shorter than the Genesis due to the foot pocket configuration.

 

[LI Diver]

These look interesting!

 

[danvolker]

Can anyone tell me what is the shortest fin that is still available other than a force fin and that has a large enough foot pocket to accept a DUI Rock boot? I dove last week on one of our local boats and the ladder vs my leg geometry is such that I had a hard time climbing the ladder with my fins on. It was not a Christmas tree ladder and the preferred method around here is to leave fins and mask on and reg in mouth till you are on the boat.

This preferred method is retarded, if it means footwear for climbing takes precedence to fin function IN the water.
If you have to dive this boat, ignore the stupidity and wear a good par of freedive fins with an open heel pocket....The DUI Rock boots are junk too, unless you have ankles the size of toothpicks and have to walk around with double 130's and stages Having a boot this enormous cuts down your feel and contact with the fin--power transfer in the water should be the holy grail, not wandering around in jungle boots some shop told you to dive with ....

These DiveR Australia: Equipment are the optimal fins for scuba diving in open water ( but not for cave or deep shipwreck penetration).
You use a pair of booties that are reasonably slimline, and have a freedive shop put custom Riffe open heel foot pockets on the blades. Here in Forida, one of the best places for this is https://www.flfreedivers.com/ ( they sell these fins, and do the custom footpockets).
Even with my DUI tls 350 drysuit on, using these fins I can keep up with most scooter divers.
There is a "spectrum" out there of how functional divers are in the water...you can be at the end where you can beat any current, and effortlessly swim around like a fish or dolphin built for the environment, or you can be on the other side of the spectrum, more like a diver off the platform with no fins on at all, and completely helpless and pathetic.....this being essentially what the short fins would get you "closer to" in the spectrum.
With the DiveR fins, you can swim at a mild pace, have ridiculously low SAC rate from the lack of exertion you have to swim with your short fin buddies, AND when something happens and you need to move, YOU will be able to handle this easily.

 

[LI Diver]

This preferred method is retarded, if it means footwear for climbing takes precedence to fin function IN the water.
If you have to dive this boat, ignore the stupidity and wear a good par of freedive fins with an open heel pocket....The DUI Rock boots are junk too, unless you have ankles the size of toothpicks and have to walk around with double 130's and stages Having a boot this enormous cuts down your feel and contact with the fin--power transfer in the water should be the holy grail, not wandering around in jungle boots some shop told you to dive with ....

These DiveR Australia: Equipment are the optimal fins for scuba diving in open water ( but not for cave or deep shipwreck penetration).
You use a pair of booties that are reasonably slimline, and have a freedive shop put custom Riffe open heel foot pockets on the blades. Here in Forida, one of the best places for this is https://www.flfreedivers.com/ ( they sell these fins, and do the custom footpockets).
Even with my DUI tls 350 drysuit on, using these fins I can keep up with most scooter divers.
There is a "spectrum" out there of how functional divers are in the water...you can be at the end where you can beat any current, and effortlessly swim around like a fish or dolphin built for the environment, or you can be on the other side of the spectrum, more like a diver off the platform with no fins on at all, and completely helpless and pathetic.....this being essentially what the short fins would get you "closer to" in the spectrum.
With the DiveR fins, you can swim at a mild pace, have ridiculously low SAC rate from the lack of exertion you have to swim with your short fin buddies, AND when something happens and you need to move, YOU will be able to handle this easily.

The school of thought here in the North is, if you fall off the ladder with full gear on, multiple tanks,sling bottles etc you are not getting back to the boat or the drift line without the help of fins. As for the rock boots thats what came with the drysuit. They really are not thick and do not add a lot of ankle support as you suggest but since I do a fair share of shore diving the sole does keep those pointy rocks from digging into the bottom of my feet. I do have wet suit boots that work well on the rocks but they don't fit over the drysuit.

 

[danvolker]

The school of thought here in the North is, if you fall off the ladder with full gear on, multiple tanks,sling bottles etc you are not getting back to the boat or the drift line without the help of fins. As for the rock boots thats what came with the drysuit. They really are not thick and do not add a lot of ankle support as you suggest but since I do a fair share of shore diving the sole does keep those pointy rocks from digging into the bottom of my feet. I do have wet suit boots that work well on the rocks but they don't fit over the drysuit.

I just purchased very large wetsuit booties to fit over the drysuit socks....certainly it would be better if DUI would learn to make the socks of the drysuit fairly close to the size of your foot with your typical insulation--mine came with so much oversize you'd need several pairs of very thick socks to actually fill them up....In any event, the wet suit booties fit much better into "performance oriented" footpockets.
If my buddies and I showed up on your boat, we would be able to swim to the ladder without the line because we have real fins , and then on grabbing the ladder, hand up the fins or carry them. In over 30 years of diving I have NEVER fallen off a ladder, and don't see that as a possibility....I see it as more of a "Darwininian selection" suggestion, for who should NOT be diving

p.s.
Please don't take this as a personal dig....My position on this is a South Florida view versus the dive industry view--- I don't fault YOU.....I just think we could demonstrate how wrong the industry is on this, and I am pretty sure you will agree that the industry has NEVER had the individual diver's best function as a concern..it has always been mass sales for the industry.