What type of fins do you use and why?

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

I mainly use two different pairs. When diving single cylinder and wetsuit, I will use my Mares Quattro excel. When diving drysuit, I switched to my Turtle Fins
 
I use Scuba Pro Nova's. I tired several other fins and they give "me" the most control, lest amount of foot fatigue and power. I can use any other fins just prefer these to what I have tried thus far oh and I am just under 24 dives but have used fins for more than diving so thats my two cents.
 
I use Atomic Splits/Mares Volo's depending on the current. I love the splits! All you haters can suck it! :p However I have a dive buddy who uses cheap snorkel fins from Walgreens. The old school kind, with the marbling. It's embarrassing to dive with him. He's been down to the Yukon in a drysuit and over half dozen countries around the world with me. Every time with these goofy kids full foot, aqua blue/white marbled fins fouling up the pictures while I'm trying to look cool. To each his own!
 
I started off with Atomic Split fins. I don't know why people hate on splits but I personally have not had any issues or complaints with my fins. In my local dive club about 1/3 divers are using splits. My instructor had two pairs of Atomic splits. And when I was shopping around town for scuba course most of the other shops carried the Atomics as well.

I like to research things before I buy, and spent some time online at Scuba Diving Magazine in the gear section. The Atomic splits were among the top rated fins for speed and manueverability and rated 'testor's choice.' I know several divers who swear by them as well.

I thinks if you are drift diving and get caught in a strong enough current it doesn't matter what fin you are diving, water and current are stronger than you.

Use what you can afford and what is comfortable to you.
 
halemanō;5924604:
As a poor scuba instructor, I need the most bang for my buck. DanV may downgrade Cressi free dive fins as "just OK" but since my current pair was less than $75 shipped from Florida to Maui (eBay), which is the most I've ever paid for a pair of Cressi free dive fins, and I have not been in the water yet with any scuba diver faster through the water than me, I can live without $450 fins. :D

I do browse craigslist, dreaming in the $100-$150 range, but size 12's are not common with Hawaii's free divers. :idk:

Oh, the other Q "why" - because I can!
Cressis freedive fins are worlds better than splits.....I just wanted to use extremes to make a point.....like the performance difference between a smart car and a Ferrari..... ... The Cressi is more like a Ford Mustang....pretty fast, but the Ferrari makes the point better..... :D
DiveR freedive fins are like Farraris, and will even do perfect helicopter turns and reverse kicks....for frog kicks you'd be shocked at how fast and effortless a frog kick can be !
 
I spent over 30+ years in jet fins and thought there were the best thing since sliced bread. Until I LEARNED how to use split fins. That's right, you don't just put them on and use them the same way you use paddle fins. There is a learning curve.

Now, I won't use anything else but splits. I do not like the floppy splits. I use the Scuba Pro twin speeds, which are the stiffest splits I've found. I can often beat any paddle finner swimming into hard currents and with a lot less effort. I use 95% frog kick and yes....I use them in caves. I never silt up in caves, as many will claim. I do underwater photography and fine trim control is of utmost importance and I love the splits.

So, when you see a paddle finner slamming splits, I see a person who may never have spent the time to learn how to use them effectively.
 
I started off with Atomic Split fins. I don't know why people hate on splits but I personally have not had any issues or complaints with my fins. In my local dive club about 1/3 divers are using splits. Snip.


I thinks if you are drift diving and get caught in a strong enough current it doesn't matter what fin you are diving, water and current are stronger than you.

Use what you can afford and what is comfortable to you.
The thing is, with he right free diving fins, you would not even understand what "caught in a current" would mean....really, there is no ocean current that could be a problem for the DiveR fins.
 
Both Atomic and Apollo splits...

Because I've dived them for years, they're comfortable as hell, and they work for me... in warm water, cold water, fast walls, slow reefs, wrecks, quarries, lakes, with, across, and against the current...
 

Back
Top Bottom