What can cause fins to get damaged like this?

[purbeast]

@oly5050user I could see that but I can't recall ever doing anything like that with these.

@ltcmiller I got them last May and have used them maybe 15-20 times if I had to ballpark guess.

 

[divad]

Did you ever mistake them for brownies and put them in the oven?

 

[purbeast]

Well I sent Atomic an email Monday morning and still haven't heard anything back from them. I guess I'll wait a little bit more before deciding if I just want to get new fins on my own or not.

 

[vjb.knife]

I had a problem with an Atomic Venom mask and they replaced it with a new one. Not trying to be a wise guy but, always rinse of all gear in fresh water and don't dry them in the sun. I have 48 year old SP jet fins that have only needed strap replacement a couple of times. I don't dive them much any more but they are good to go.

 

[caydiver]

Looks like perhaps they could have been under pressure. Were they packed in their own in a bag with sides to protect them if they were thrown around. That or standing. Even a tiny fissure would just keep growing with continued use. It’s a shame but at least it was at the end of your trip. All my family still have their original fins with lots of dives. My daughter (who was a working DM/Instructor) did buy a second pair — split fins and used them very briefly until she decided she despised them and is now back with the original pair that is at least 12 years old. We are very careful about rinsing and sun exposure! Maybe they don’t make them like they used too!!

 

[Popgun Pete]

I suspect that there has been a bonding failure between the rubber and plastic component so that in use the stress has been borne by the rubber cross section alone. That has relatively quickly fatigued the rubber which cracked and busted. Delamination was a problem with early plastic composite fins and Mares mastered the bonding problems with their series of Plana fins which have a long service record. As others here have said the fins should be returned for technical examination as possibly some contamination in the production process or omission of a compound has compromised the inter-component bonding. Most likely other fins from the production batch have been similarly affected.

 

[chillyinCanada]

This seems a good time to note that when storing or drying fins in an upright position, fin pockets down and blade up.

I've seen so many folks putting their fins blade side down, resting on the tips.

 

[Bob Evans]

I just got back from Grand Cayman last night and did a lot of snorkeling. On my last day (luckily it happened then) I was about 200 yards out at Cemetary Beach off the shore and noticed that my fin seemed a lot more "floppy" than it is supposed to. After it seemed to be getting worse and worse, I looked down at my fin and saw that it was completely ripped. It was split almost symmetrical on both sides of the fin right at the bend point. Pics are below.

Since I was 200 yards out I immediately started heading in, but was using pretty much one leg to kick in because I didn't want the fin to completely rip off. I switched the good fin to my other leg with like 50 yards to go because it was getting a bit tired. Thankfully the conditions were really calm and I could safely make it in. The day prior, I was at Rum Point and swam into some tough conditions from the shore and thankfully this didn't happen there.

Anyways, what could cause this to happen? I did not bend it on the ground or anything as the water wasn't even shallow enough to do so. Unless I did that a day or two before, and it gradually got worse, I have no clue what could have caused this. I don't recall a specific incident that could have caused this earlier too. These aren't cheap fins either, these were almost $100 and had great ratings.

Atomic Full Foot Split Fins

Anyways, here are the pics of my fin.

View attachment 481204

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Well, it looks like a cold mold, or a poor mixture. This can happen in production and is very hard to spot till the end user has a problem. I have seen my share of production problems, when you have made over a million pairs some times you get a few lemons.... I am sure the maker will take care of you.

 

[Popgun Pete]

And now the manufacturer has to consider how many faulty fins got out and figure out how to get them back as that type of failure torpedoes future sales. I used to work in the tire industry and serial numbers were invaluable when a problem occurred, even though delamination’s were rare, say at the tread joins. Sometimes the mould will have a batch number "clock" that reveals when the product was made, which could be in the hundreds or thousands depending on how long that the molding machine was in action with that set of dies.

 

[Popgun Pete]

A bit of research and Deja Vu!

https://www.amazon.com/Atomic-Aquatics-Lightweight-Compound-Splitfins/dp/B0071B9DWM?th=1