Travel fins

[Nemrod]

Hey everyone,

I just bought an Oceanic Jetpack (I know, a little gimmicky but got a great price) for travel to warm weather spots in the Caribbean. My current fins are Tusa hyflex switch pro fins, a bit big for the backpack of the Jetpack. They recommend their Oceanic Accel fins, but I’m also considering the Aqualung Storm or Tusa Travel Right fins. Anyone have experience with any of these?

Just me, I would take that Jetpack back like I had rockets on my fins. A good price on something that is not so good, what is that?

The Oceanic Aeris Accel fins. They are a mixed boat of good and bad. They are light and compact comparable to the ScubaPro Go-Sport in those regards:





Where they are not comparable is in thrust. The Accels are like 70% of the Go-Sport and maybe 60% of the Gorilla Go-Sport. I found them to be unacceptable in current. The strap is not secure and has popped off several times and it tends to snag every line, weed, monofilament and DSMB. And the Accels are just not as comfortable. The Go-Sports are by far the most comfortable bootie (open heel) fin I have ever encountered since I began diving in 1966.

Blade sizing is an odd thing. Many fins have very different blade dimensions as we get to the small end. But it makes sense that whoever might be wearing a size small fin would also not be able to nor need to push a larger blade. My wife and many of the ladies I now dive with use Go-Sport size small and they are not lagging behind, here in Cozumel, my wife and size small standard Go-Sports:



And no she is not chasing the turtle. The turtle of it's own accord chose to split us surprising the both of us and it and I made a hasty shot to capture my wife and the turtle. My settings and strobe were not correct but both of us seem capable of pacing a turtle into the infamous Cozumel current:



FWIW, I am 70ish, wear the size large in the Go-Sport Gorilla, I workout every day and still compete for fun in triathlon occasionally (less and less). It has been a long time since anyone has passed me underwater when I did not want to be passed but nowadays it happens occasionally and it does not have anything to do with my fins and everything about the engine driving them.

Why do I need to be able to go fast. Okay, there is a huge bait ball 150 feet or more away. There are four of us with cameras. I am very polite with my camera, I get my shots fast and back off to allow others in. Well, not everyone is as considerate (and I am teasing my buddies here ). So, if I can get there first, get my shots clean of fins and diver bubbles and then get out before they get there, that is a good thing. Again, it is not my fins that are the impediment anymore. LOL, you will notice that I caught up with the bait ball, got below it and my team is just getting there allowing me to get an upward shot with them in the background:



If I know I am going to be dealing with current and competitive buddies and no need for close maneuvering around a sensitive reef scape, the Mares Quattro is hard to beat when the need is only for speed. But they are heavier, larger and do not pack as well.

 

[kdlv]

Have you actually tried to fit the Maxi Blade with Medium Foot Pocket?
I was wondering if there was an actual mechanical incompatibility or if it was just a prejudice on SP's marketing that smaller folks using small or medium foot pockets would find the Maxi blades too much (and vice versa.)

Regarding the need for boots, have you tried the full-foot pockets for bare\socked use?
Over here thay are less than half the price of the boot-fit pockets; might be worth a look.

I don't like diving with full-foot pockets, although I have tried many times. I have long and narrow foot and never had a comfortable fit with any brand.
My girlfriend has the smaller Supernovas and they are tiny. But I never tried fitting the smaller pocket to the Maxi blade. Will post pictures later.

 

[Khoujo1]

Just me, I would take that Jetpack back like I had rockets on my fins. A good price on something that is not so good, what is that?

The Oceanic Aeris Accel fins. They are a mixed boat of good and bad. They are light and compact comparable to the ScubaPro Go-Sport in those regards:





Where they are not comparable is in thrust. The Accels are like 70% of the Go-Sport and maybe 60% of the Gorilla Go-Sport. I found them to be unacceptable in current. The strap is not secure and has popped off several times. And the Accels are just not as comfortable. The Go-Sports are by far the most comfortable bootie (open heel) fin I have ever encountered since I began diving in 1966.

Blade sizing is an odd thing. Many fins have very different blade dimensions as we get to the small end. But it makes sense that whoever might be wearing a size small fin would also not be able to nor need to push a larger blade. My wife and many of the ladies I now dive with use Go-Sport size small and they are not lagging behind, here in Cozumel, my wife and size small standard Go-Sports:



And no she is not chasing the turtle. The turtle of it's own accord chose to split us surprising the both of us and it and I made a hasty shot to capture my wife and the turtle. My settings and strobe were not correct but both of us seem capable of pacing a turtle into the infamous Cozumel current:



FWIW, I am 70ish, wear the size large in the Go-Sport Gorilla, I workout every day and still compete for fun in triathlon occasionally (less and less). It has been a long time since anyone has passed me underwater when I did not want to be passed but nowadays it happens occasionally and it does not have anything to do with my fins and everything about the engine driving them.

Why do I need to be able to go fast. Okay, there is a huge bait ball 150 feet or more away. There are four of us with cameras. I am very polite with my camera, I get my shots fast and back off to allow others in. Well, not everyone is as considerate (and I am teasing my buddies here ). So, if I can get there first, get my shots clean of fins and diver bubbles and then get out before they get there, that is a good thing. Again, it is not my fins that are the impediment anymore. LOL, you will notice that I caught up with the bait ball, got below it and my team is just getting there allowing me to get an upward shot with them in the background:



If I know I am going to be dealing with current and competitive buddies and no need for close maneuvering around a sensitive reef scape, the Mares Quattro is hard to beat when the need is only for speed. But they are heavier, larger and do not pack as well.

Thanks for the info. I was skeptical regarding the fins straps on the Accel. I’ll look into the SP Go Sports.

Regarding the Jetpack, I saw up front the limitations. I currently dive a Zeagle Stilleto and love it, and will be taking it anywhere there is more serious diving (Red Sea, Hawaii, Coz, etc.). The Jetpack is intended to be my Caribbean more chill diving set up (Bonaire, Roatan, etc.). I think I’ll know pretty quickly how it will pan out. Might have flushed a little cash down the drain, or might love it. Will report back once I’ve used it.

 

[BoltSnap]

1. Best choice: https://scubapro.johnsonoutdoors.com/us/shop/fins/seawing-supernova-fin

2. Second best choice: https://scubapro.johnsonoutdoors.com/us/shop/fins/go-sport-gorilla-fin

3. Third best choice (lighter and more flexible version of 2): https://scubapro.johnsonoutdoors.com/us/shop/fins/go-sport-fin

(I own all three among many others and these are the best fins I have ever used in my 52+ years of diving).

No. 1 in this list is what you need and you will be extremely happy with it, there isn't a better fin on the market for the recreational diver.

No. 2 is a close second but you can't break it apart.

 

[lexvil]

Hey everyone,

I just bought an Oceanic Jetpack (I know, a little gimmicky but got a great price) for travel to warm weather spots in the Caribbean. My current fins are Tusa hyflex switch pro fins, a bit big for the backpack of the Jetpack. They recommend their Oceanic Accel fins, but I’m also considering the Aqualung Storm or Tusa Travel Right fins. Anyone have experience with any of these?

Get the triforce blades for your hiflex fins

Pardon Our Interruption...

They offer a huge performance jump from the the pro blades, don’t cost much and save a lot of space when broken down, I would also suggest a spare set of screws, about $8 for travel.

 

[kdlv]

So... here's the story about the mini/maxi blades and the respective foot pockets.
There is absolutely no way to fit the small pockets in the larger blades.
The blade insert is larger and doesn't fit the mounting point of the pocket.
Even if you make it fit somehow, the distance between the two mount points wouldn't allow you to clip them.

So... it is what it is.
What is interesting though is that the blade is not that smaller. So it may still be usable fin even if you wear size 12US and decide to go for M pocket with surf shoes. You won't have your entire foot in the pocket, but it will be narrower fit. The heel will be slightly out, but that's fine, just like with the RK3s and other Jet fins.

The Tusa Hyflex Tri-Force got me thinking though... They have a blade in my favourite Green colour. I see there is a lighter silicon heel strap instead of the steel one, that might make them more buoyant. And if they are made out of Monprene, that may be a good alternative to the Supernova at almost identical weight. I personally hate how sharp the blade inserts of the Supernova are when dismantled. Need to check how I may be able to source them in Europe.

 

[-JD-]

@kdlv Thank you for taking the time to check the Mini\Maxi blade interchangeability! Shame, as it limits my options going forward with my SuperNovas.

I have pair of Hiflex Switch-Pros which have yet to see the water. With the advent of the Tri-Force blade, they might be a viable option. I'll start with the Switch-Pro bldes and see how things go.