What Open-Heel Fin should I Get?

[52brandon]

They are a different animal. Why is speed important to you? Personally I like to go slow, I'm not in a hurry. I generally dive to relax. I prefer precision over speed. YMMV.

---------- Post added December 11th, 2013 at 12:47 AM ----------

There is no "best" fin just like there is no "best" shoe. Horses for courses.

speed in itself is not important. Why I value speed of a fin is because the faster it can push me, the less effort I have to put in in general. Something like turbocharging a car. While it does increase the top end speed, it also increases economy. And when the amount of air I use is directly associated to the amount of effort I put into swimming as well as the amount of time I can dive, it matters greatly to me. Not to be cocky, but I am a very strong swimmer. I swam a LOT growing up. Spent most of my summers surfing, took a lifeguard program, learned to swim very well. But this is a different animal entirely. Swimming doesn't mean the same thing when your air is limited. I wanna swim smarter, not harder lol

 

[Damselfish]

Any good scuba fin should give you as much speed as you really need. Sure you can run fins through test courses and pick out the "fastest", but the differences are often minor in these tests, and anyway who cares? Granted you don't want real dogs, there will be times when you just need to cover some distance and don't want to take all day doing it. But if you find yourself always wanting more speed, you're probably going too fast already, or maybe you actually need work on technique or conditioning. There's lots of things to consider in fins that are more important than speed - like power, control, ease of different kicks, comfort, fit, style, weight, durability.

 

[buddhasummer]

speed in itself is not important. Why I value speed of a fin is because the faster it can push me, the less effort I have to put in in general. Something like turbocharging a car. While it does increase the top end speed, it also increases economy. And when the amount of air I use is directly associated to the amount of effort I put into swimming as well as the amount of time I can dive, it matters greatly to me. Not to be cocky, but I am a very strong swimmer. I swam a LOT growing up. Spent most of my summers surfing, took a lifeguard program, learned to swim very well. But this is a different animal entirely. Swimming doesn't mean the same thing when your air is limited. I wanna swim smarter, not harder lol

Unless you're kicking into a ripping current any difference in air consumption regardless of fin used would be negligible.

---------- Post added December 11th, 2013 at 02:04 AM ----------

Just for DAN V, except free diving fins.

 

[maderadiver]

Its all personal pref i have knee and lower back issues sometimes so i i went with splits so if i take it slow its easy on me but i got them stiff so I could still hit the afterburners and make headway

That being said a dm broke his jet fin during Our check outs and was lent some soft splits and he was so frustrated by them he almost thumbed the dive.

 

[buddhasummer]

Yes, splits are apparently better if you have knee or ankle problems. Like I said horses for courses, there is no "best" fin other than the one that suits you and your diving needs.

 

[52brandon]

Unless you're kicking into a ripping current any difference in air consumption regardless of fin used would be negligible.

---------- Post added December 11th, 2013 at 02:04 AM ----------

Just for DAN V, except free diving fins.

thank you for that. That will make my decision much simpler. Being that I've only used rental gear, I don't have much real world experience to have come to that conclusion myself. In that case I will look for something fairly easy to travel with and that are fairly affordable.

 

[TSandM]

52brandon, there is no "best" fin. What you need to figure out is what you need in a fin, and then look for one that meets YOUR needs.

Dry suit divers tend to like heavy fins, and go for the Jets and the Turtles.

Cave divers (and people with similar training) like paddle fins, because they permit very precise maneuvering underwater. This is good for photographers, too.

Spearfishermen are interested in speed. I don't know what they dive, but I know my friend Dan Volker, who likes to swim against strong currents (silly man!) uses freediving fins for maximum thrust.

Split fins don't "bite" the water the way paddles do, so they're like running a bicycle in a very low gear. You kick a lot, but don't work very hard with any given kick. They aren't much good for precise positioning or for body stabilization in the water. They're expensive, as all of what I think of as "gimmicky" fins are.

The one thing I would say is that, if you are trying to choose between two fins, and one comes with spring or other elastic straps and the other with standard straps, buy the one with the springs.

 

[chillyinCanada]

TS&M has pretty much covered it. First make sure that you've got a proper kick going or it isn't going to be overly beneficial to you no matter which fin you pick.

(Just say "NO" to split fins.) Have you watched other divers using them? Have you seen the sea stirred up, the unnecessary vortices created, all the disturbance of the sand etc? It's true thst some few divers do OK with splits but really . . .

And have you already purchased your booties? You'll want to be checking fin pocket fit and how the booties and fins work together. Cramping really takes a lot of the fun out of a dive.

 

[Nemrod]

Any good scuba fin should give you as much speed as you really need. Sure you can run fins through test courses and pick out the "fastest", but the differences are often minor in these tests, .

I have done exactly that. I will stick with my recommendation except add full foot Mares Planas. I have limited experience with free diver fins but I am sure they are fast and will be getting some for my Florida Fling this coming summer for current diving.

speed in itself is not important. Why I value speed of a fin is because the faster it can push me, the less effort I have to put in in general. Something like turbocharging a car. While it does increase the top end speed, it also increases economy. And when the amount of air I use is directly associated to the amount of effort I put into swimming as well as the amount of time I can dive, it matters greatly to me. Not to be cocky, but I am a very strong swimmer. I swam a LOT growing up. Spent most of my summers surfing, took a lifeguard program, learned to swim very well. But this is a different animal entirely. Swimming doesn't mean the same thing when your air is limited. I wanna swim smarter, not harder lol

As a swimmer, you use your arms a lot, for a significant amount of your power. SCUBA is just the opposite in that you do not use your arms at all! All movement, maneuvering, front, back, whichever should be done with your fins. This way you can carry cameras, lights, tools. Hand swimming is bad, bad, bad and immediately identifies beginner and untrained, undisciplined divers.

I too am (was) a competitive swimmer and open water racer. I am somewhat amused at all of the divers who use "SCUBA" and "relaxing" in the same sentence. Relax my axx, I will relax when I am dead, as long as I breath, it is go time. But the real use for swimming is fitness, aerobic capacity, water safety and water confidence.

N

 

[buddhasummer]

I have done exactly that. I will stick with my recommendation except add full foot Mares Planas. I have limited experience with free diver fins but I am sure they are fast and will be getting some for my Florida Fling this coming summer for current diving.




As a swimmer, you use your arms a lot, for a significant amount of your power. SCUBA is just the opposite in that you do not use your arms at all! All movement, maneuvering, front, back, whichever should be done with your fins. This way you can carry cameras, lights, tools. Hand swimming is bad, bad, bad and immediately identifies beginner and untrained, undisciplined divers.

I too am (was) a competitive swimmer and open water racer. I am somewhat amused at all of the divers who use "SCUBA" and "relaxing" in the same sentence. Relax my axx, I will relax when I am dead, as long as I breath, it is go time. But the real use for swimming is fitness, aerobic capacity, water safety and water confidence.

N

Have to disagree with you there James, I snowboard, practice Tae Kwon Do and rock climb none of those activities are relaxing but at times often require large amounts of physical exertion. Cruising over a reef by comparison is very relaxing for me, I don't move a lot just hang about and watch the ocean go by.

I find the rhythmic breathing, save getting caught in a current, super chill. Of course I'm not and have never been a competitive swimmer I have tiny chicken legs so likely could not go fast even if I wanted to. When I'm diving I rarely think of anything else, from a Buddhist perspective I am in the moment which by its nature is very stress less i.e relaxing.