Split fin haters... please explain:

[danvolker]

I have an intense dislike for split fins, because I see so many divers unable to handle conditions that should be easy for them--as a result of the enormous advertising and industry-wide propaganda push for split fins....As I have said before, they allow a diver to use them with zero idea of how to kick a fin, and I think that appeals to the "industry"--more new certifications with less time and quality instruction.....If everyone was put into jet fins or freedive fins, or even fins like quattros, some time would need to be spent on many students....whether this is 3 hours per class or more, that is time that has been eliminated by splits....You could say this means more profit in instruction, because less time needs to be spent on student problems....or, you could say the instructor does not need to be as good an instructor. In fact, many instructors could use kicking instruction themselves, so maybe this is part of the issue....Rather than fix the 25% that don't really know how to kick correctly, make it so that won't matter.

Bottom line, the splits kick easy, but can never attain the precision or speed or efficiency of the much better fins...There are much better fins than any split fins, and as long as you split fin lovers keep your heads in the sand, the industry will continue to take advantage.

 

[jar546]

A buddy of mine with over 6,000 dives was using Jets and tried leaving me in the dust (ok, silt) by taking off as fast as he could and he was already in front of me to begin with. I soon realized what he was doing (screwing around) and decided to start kicking a little faster to "catch up". When he turned around to see how far behind I was (with my split fins/Apollo Bio) I was actually closer than when he started. So, yeahhhhh

 

[danvolker]

A buddy of mine with over 6,000 dives was using Jets and tried leaving me in the dust (ok, silt) by taking off as fast as he could and he was already in front of me to begin with. I soon realized what he was doing (screwing around) and decided to start kicking a little faster to "catch up". When he turned around to see how far behind I was (with my split fins/Apollo Bio) I was actually closer than when he started. So, yeahhhhh

Jet fins allow extreme precision in frogkick and reverse kick type maneuvering--things important to cave divers, or to underwater photographers or videographers in areas with silt issues ( silting your own shot is common for split fin wearing photographers...I could shoot this occurring, if there is any doubt )

Jet fins are efficient for moderate speed frog kicking. They are not efficient for high speed flutter kick. Put some DiveR freedive fins on that same buddy, and you would not be able to keep up with him long, unless you were in awesome cardio shape, and he was a 10 pack a day smoker that does no cardio......

Better still, YOU get the DiveR freedive blades, and your buddy with Jetfins will not be able to keep up withy you when you are at a comfortable cruising pace---You will need to consciously slow down for him, and let him know about it later

 

[jar546]

Dan, if I were you, I would not wear split fins no matter how much you are drawn to them and truly love them deep down.

Every fin has it place and purpose. This is a very subjective debate. We all have opinions.

90% of recreational divers can use split fins and not have any issues 90% of the time. The same can't be said for tech divers, specialty divers and those other elitists.

I own both split and non-split. Each time I choose a fin for a dive, there is a reason.

 

[danvolker]

Dan, if I were you, I would not wear split fins no matter how much you are drawn to them and truly love them deep down.

Well, at least we got some humour in this thread

If you visit Palm Beach to dive, I'll have a pair of fins for you to try...

 

[Bob Evans]

Dan, let's please hold judgement here ...Have you ever tested the Force Fin "Foil Force"? . The world's first split fin, in fact I coined the name. I am producing them in the same material the Hockey fin is made of.. and they fly like no other split fin. When people rip off other people's ideas they never really get it right, you know what I mean. Nothing is like the first creative concept, then other's roll in they never do the same job. I will ship you a pair and please go test with the other's. I value your option over a scuba diving magazine that do testing only for advertising dollars. Plus, when it comes to their fin testing the "Foil Force" is always left out...wonder why? You never held back your comments on fins.

 

[halocline]

Hey Bob, i'd love to try your fins sometime; is there any sort of 'demo' day or way to try them out? I'm a bit of a fin skeptic....I'm a good swimmer and have no problems with the same pair of quattros I've had for years. But, I would really like to try a pair of force fins sometime.

 

[danvolker]

Dan, let's please hold judgement here ...Have you ever tested the Force Fin "Foil Force"? . The world's first split fin, in fact I coined the name. I am producing them in the same material the Hockey fin is made of.. and they fly like no other split fin. When people rip off other people's ideas they never really get it right, you know what I mean. Nothing is like the first creative concept, then other's roll in they never do the same job. I will ship you a pair and please go test with the other's. I value your option over a scuba diving magazine that do testing only for advertising dollars. Plus, when it comes to their fin testing the "Foil Force" is always left out...wonder why? You never held back your comments on fins.

Bob,
As impressed as I've been with the Hockey Fins ( aka Force BioKillers) , I will keep an open mind regarding your "Foil Force" model.....but when I say split, I myself am not referring to your fins.....I know it stinks....you actually came out with the first "split" design, and then later this was "appropriated" by big money and prostituted dive magazines....America today seems to be a nation where if your corporation and pockets are deep enough, taking someone else's idea and claiming it as your own is almost common practice. Apollo probably wonders why you are upset, since they stole your split design ideas fair and square I'ts cool for you that they bumbled the real technology badly, but it is NOT cool for all the split fin wearing divers that have been lied to so often, by so many, that they believe they have a good fin, and will NEVER have the potential adventures they could have had....that pisses me off.

 

[jar546]

Well, at least we got some humour in this thread

If you visit Palm Beach to dive, I'll have a pair of fins for you to try...

I am in the middle of trying to buy a house in Port St Lucie so I would love to dive with you.

 

[mdb]

Dan You are so wrong. Apollo was the first company to bring the Nature's Wing design to market. It had nothing to do with any other company or design. Apollo never spent one cent on advertising with any magazine. After about two years of work and design the first models came to market. Last year our largest customer was the military. They do not care about brand names or logo's or some free diving fin. They care about what works.