split fins, which is best? Where can I get?

[abe archer]

Which split fin is the best and where can i get them?

 

[joewr]

Bow and Arrow,

The "best" is what fits you best--i.e., how they feel on your feet, how they work in the water, etc. Most dive shops have a pool--albeit a small one--and that is a good place to try them out. You can buy them at most dive shops these days. When we got ours they were still a fairly new concept and so our dive shop had a money-back-guarantee: if you did not like them after your first OW dive with them, you got a full refund! Probably not many shops do that--and I am not sure ours does anymore.

I recommend trying them on at a dive shop, but if you are too far away from such a shop, lots of on-line firms sell them--take a look at the thread on the Board about On-line Buying--makes for fun reading, if nothing else.

You will see differences in design--but I am not certain how much difference those make in performance. For example, Appollos are not as stiff as Mares. We ended up with Appollos because they were more comfortable on our feet. But that does not mean the other brands are better or worse!

We had Quattros prior to the Appollos and we would never go back. The Quattros were great, but the Appollos were an improvement for our kind of diving.

Hope this helps....

Joewr

 

[abe archer]

Which split fin works the best in current diving?

Originally posted by joewr
Bow and Arrow,

The "best" is what fits you best--i.e., how they feel on your feet, how they work in the water, etc. Most dive shops have a pool--albeit a small one--and that is a good place to try them out. You can buy them at most dive shops these days. When we got ours they were still a fairly new concept and so our dive shop had a money-back-guarantee: if you did not like them after your first OW dive with them, you got a full refund! Probably not many shops do that--and I am not sure ours does anymore.

I recommend trying them on at a dive shop, but if you are too far away from such a shop, lots of on-line firms sell them--take a look at the thread on the Board about On-line Buying--makes for fun reading, if nothing else.

You will see differences in design--but I am not certain how much difference those make in performance. For example, Appollos are not as stiff as Mares. We ended up with Appollos because they were more comfortable on our feet. But that does not mean the other brands are better or worse!

We had Quattros prior to the Appollos and we would never go back. The Quattros were great, but the Appollos were an improvement for our kind of diving.

Hope this helps....

Joewr

 

[Jonathan Starr]

I sure like my Scubapro graphite splits. They are pretty flexible, and I just don't notice them. It's almost like not having fins on, except that I move around pretty well. The one wierd effect is blade crash, when the two halves touch it feels like the fin grazed the reef.

I don't know if the less flexible splits might give more power, but these are the first fins that don't cause me cramping. I'm a big guy, 300 pounds, and I can keep up with my friends in these.

ALoha,

JOnathan