Split fins.... YES or NO

[Uncle Pug]

For the record: I can back up, frog, and helicopter turn with split fins. Certainly not as efficiently as with paddle fins such as Jets or Turtles... but it can be done.

But for the kind of diving I do I would just as soon not settle for something inefficient like split fins. My Turtle fins (large pocket Jets) give me the instant traction and precise control that I like.

 

[MASS-Diver]

For the record: I can back up, frog, and helicopter turn with split fins. Certainly not as efficiently as with paddle fins such as Jets or Turtles... but it can be done.

But for the kind of diving I do I would just as soon not settle for something inefficient like split fins. My Turtle fins (large pocket Jets) give me the instant traction and precise control that I like.

I'll have to take your word on that UP - heck I barely back-up in my jets, but don't you find for kicks like a helicopter that the tips of splits just go everywhere? I find the kicks so sloppy that they don't even court. And with the frog, I've found it pretty much impossible to finish the frog kick right (claping up) again, the tips of the fins just go everywhere.

 

[Uncle Pug]

Apollos seemed to be very floppy (as were the SP Twin Jet grey) but the Atomic splits were much stiffer. Part of the problem in reversing with them is that the splits separate when you push the fin backward and that propels your forward. You have to be very careful, slow and deliberate in pushing split fins backward to load for the revers kick or you will just seesaw back and forth.

As I said, I can do all the kicks with them but they are definitely not efficient at it. Big stiff paddles give instant traction and that means action!

 

[Grajan]

After a real effort to get past the BS and evaluate fins in the pool we bought Atomic splits. They seemed a good balance - split but firm.

After a number of trips they are going on Ebay - just not up to scratch in 'real world' diving. Fine for constant chugging (does anyone actually do that?) but hopeless for burst speed and control.

However - not willing to exchange one over-hyped product for another we are also keeping away from Jet fins :sofa:.

Guess its back to the good ole Quattro's (with spring straps).

 

[Charlie99]

Another advantage of jets: If you ever decide you want proper trim (to be steamlined and suck down less gas) the fact that jets are a few Lbs negative helps fine-tune trim - it's great having having a nice counter weight on your feet to play with.

You are making rather broad statements that definitely are not true for all. Some people are "airheads", some people are "concrete block heads". Being an airhead, I both have my camband low, and add two 1# trim weights onto my shoulder to get proper trim. Otherwise my feet sink/head rises. The negatively buoyant Jet Fins put weight in the wrong spot for me.

Jet Fins are an excellent alternative combination of fins + ankle weights for those that need them. Lots of drysuit divers find Jet Fins help them trim out, for example. Many women find that some weight down low helps to offset the floatation from hips and thighs. And then there are block heads whose uppermost body part is extremely dense. We have a few of them here on Scubaboard.

Charlie

p.s. I took my IST Jet Fin clones for this mornings dive. They worked nice enough, but it felt like there wasn't enough resistance to my kicks. I could do a pretty good job stirring up the bottom when I wanted to .... just go negative and kick towards the bottom. Silting out seems to be more a matter of technique than of fin.

It really just boils down to personal preference, so I'm back to the big long paddle fins.

 

[wunat]

I understood that the fin kicks are different for split fins and paddle fins. For that reason, I have heard many complaints about split fins not being efficient when compared to paddle fins. But then, I never really have personal experiences with split fins so I may not be qualified to say whether it is good or not.

I love my Aqualung Super Rocket fin. I like the negative buoyant of such fins.

 

[alcina]

I like my splits (Oceanic V6s full foot fins) and don't even know where my Quattro's are at the moment

They aren't for everyone or every diving environment, but for me and the type of diving I do they work a treat.

I have no issues with control or manoeuvring. I do not dive in heavy current and they are just ducky in a mild to moderate current. I don't have an issue when I need to burst after someone (the only reason for me to go fast) underwater or on the surface. My kick style probably did change when I switched, but it wasn't anything I really noticed or had to make a real effort to do.

If you have the opportunity, try as many pairs of as many types as you can - I've noticed that each diver is different...

 

[JustinW]

After a real effort to get past the BS and evaluate fins in the pool we bought Atomic splits. They seemed a good balance - split but firm.

After a number of trips they are going on Ebay - just not up to scratch in 'real world' diving. Fine for constant chugging (does anyone actually do that?) but hopeless for burst speed and control.

However - not willing to exchange one over-hyped product for another we are also keeping away from Jet fins :sofa:.

Guess its back to the good ole Quattro's (with spring straps).

Good idea! Since one fin didn't work for you, the jets won't either. The Jet Fin has been around since the 60's, unchanged at that. IMHO the Jet Fin has passed the stage of hype. Products don't generally have 40 years of hype through a sport that has changed so much.

Let us not be so dogmatic. Your kicking style isn't the "best" other than the best for you and in your situation (speaking to all SBers).

 

[Dive-aholic]

I bought splits when I first started diving because of the difference in kick technique. I've got a bum knee and splits' kicks use the ankle more than the knee. I didn't have any problem with the splits until I went dry. I could even frog kick, not as efficient as with non-splits, but I was moving. I also never saw a trail of silt behind me. I could even kick backwards. Of course, this was all in 3mm 70-85 degree water.

Since going dry, I've noticed the splits aren't as efficient. They're not really designed to move you much with a dry suit and extra weights. I ended up buying volo powers shortly after getting the dry suit and they work much better than the splits in that configuration.

As for current, I've used my splits in some pretty fast current. The first time my instinct was to do wider kicks to move faster which didn't work. The splits are designed for small flutter kicks and if you try a wider kick, especially in current, you're not going anywhere. Since then I learned to continue with the flutter kick and they work great (in 3mm) against fast current. If anyone has dove Hol Chan in Belize at night, you know how the current is going out of there. I had to slow down my kicking to keep from catching up to and passing the group.

So, if you're going to be doing a variety of diving, I think both are good. You just have to know when to use which one where.

 

[racerbruce]

I use TUSA X-PERT ZOOM fins and have been thinking about getting Non-Split fins...

What do you like?

Hey if your looking to get rid of those expert zooms cheap, by all means send me an email, I love mine, haven't had a calf cramp in the 2 years since I bought them, although they are a bit of a pain to walk on the boat in, alas small price for comfort. But like the man said, "one mans trash, is another mans treasure!