Trying to find the perfect fin

[Grender]

So I've been diving Scubapro Twinjet Max fins for a little while now and I feel like I want to try something with a little more torque. I have been looking at the Seawing Novas, The Hollis F1 or F2, the Mares Avanti Quattro... etc etc..

About me:
Florida diver, 3mil wetsuit during the winter, 1.5 in the summer.
Dive a steel 100
Drift dives mostly, some wrecks but nothing too deep.
I don't cave
I don't consider myself a tech diver but i do use tech philosophy with my gear selection and practices.
Don't travel much
Mainly use flutter kick some frogging

With these factors in mind, please feel free to recommend what you think would suit my environment the best

Thanks in advance!

 

[buddhasummer]

Of those you listed the Novas are best suited for flutter, a very fast fin, but, IMO, unfortunately that's about the only kick they do well. They are dreadful at frog kicking. Certainly the most comfortable fin I've ever owned. See my post in your other fin thread about the other three. Id pick the Mares out of these four, a great all round fin, competent in currents and most kicking styles. I've owned them all. FWIW I'm small and don't have massive leg strength so this may play on my opinion.

---------- Post added June 18th, 2015 at 01:26 AM ----------

The perfect fin is hard to find, currently my favorites are the Mares Power Plana for drysuit, the Aeris Accel or F2 for travel and either the Mares Turbo Plana or DiveRite XT for wet. Good luck with your quest hopefully it doesn't cost you as much as mine.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

get a freedive fin for that kind of diving.

 

[buddhasummer]

get a freedive fin for that kind of diving.

Would free diving fins not be too long for wreck diving? I don't know as have never seen them first hand but I thought in general they were quite long? Cheers.

 

[cb5150]

I agree with Buddahsummer:
Flutter+Ultimate Comfort=Scubapro Seawing Nova
Flutter+Everything Else=Mares Avanti Quattros

 

[rhwestfall]

While there is no "perfect fin", these are one of my favorites...

https://www.divegearexpress.com/dive-rite-xt-fins

Not as heavy as many of the paddle fins (like Turtles & F-1's).

 

[uncfnp]

Hate to beat a dead horse Grender but if you look around the dive boats in South Florida, the Mares Quattro is by far the fin I most commonly see used. They truly are a great all round fin, useful in many dive conditions. The Dive Rite XT is a good fin as well but just slightly heavier in the water then the Mares. I took both on my most recent Florida trip. I started with the Dive Rite XT's but switched back after the 2nd day. Mostly because they were just heavy enough to throw me out of trim diving wet.

 

[victorzamora]

I recommend staying away from the Novas. They're expensive, gimmicky, and I've seen a few of them break. Dive Rite XTs, Turtles/Jets, Slipstreams, Hollis F1s (not a huge fan of the F2s), Hog fins (whatever they're called...tech2?), and Mares Avanti Quattros are the ones I'd keep on my list.

But first thing's first.....how do you trim out? Do you need weight on your ankles? If so, turtles/jets/F1s are the solution....F1s being my favorites on the list. I need the opposite, as my feet tend to sink....so I have to stay away from those. I dive Slipstreams, my buddy (same boat) dives the XTs. We each prefer our own fins. The Hog fins are a little too short for me, but I cave dive....I've been told (no experience) that they're nice inside of wrecks. I don't think they provide enough "oomph" for outside of a wreck with much current. Mares Avanti Quattros are high on my list of fins to try, and I see them recommended everywhere.

As for freediving fins, as long as you're talking about staying outside of wrecks....I really like them. DumpsterDiver and DanVolker are hugely vocal about their beliefs and I tend to disagree with them concerning freediving fins....they're NOT always the solution. I think they are the solution here, and I think you've described the optimal case for them.

 

[Grender]

how do you trim out? Do you need weight on your ankles?

My feet actually tend to be higher in the water than my chest.. I just assumed the fins I was using were positive (Scubapro twinjet Max).

Though I have never used free diving fins, I would rather not use them... They are huge and unwieldy, I do most of my dives off of charter boats and walking to the back deck with those on would be hilarious.

As of now I am leaning toward the F2s but I am not sure how they would hold up in a current. The Mares are a close second but I just cant get over the bad experience I have had with Mares with other gear decisions.

 

[ronscuba]

Those hinge fins like the Novas make me nervous about their durability. Seems like the hinge point would be susceptible to breaking over time.

If all your diving is warm water from a boat, you might want to consider full foot fins. Not necessarily free dive fins, but full foots with a stiffer blade.