37 replies to this topic

[lv2dive70]

I have a pair of mares Quattro's and when i got my new dry suit they would not fit over the boots so i bought a second pair. I like them for all the same reasons Peter said. I dove a set of the brand new Scuba Pro fins the weekend before memorial day. i'm not sure i like them but I may give them another try

Thanks for the offline information - I'll be trying the Seawing Novas out next weekend on an afternoon dive with Olympus. Anyone else going to be near Morehead City? I'm visiting my parents for Father's Day but hopefully they'll forgive me for taking Sat afternoon off for a dive.



It is very easy to make me happy... just confirming these plans and I am:

[Hipshot]

People who switch back and forth, never like splits, because you have to fin differently, and their legs/brains don't adapt well to switching back and forth between the two types of finning styles.


So sorry folks, it's not the fins to blame, here. It is entirely a matter of personal choice.

I suspect you've hit it right on the head, Robin. I've tried split, and didn't like them, but I've dove with people who like them, and, like you, use them effectively.

Rick



Cemel dosce. (Latin for "Know thyself")

[Greg@ihpil]

Glad I put this out.
As for OMS,Is that like the BMW of fins?I saw them in the dive shop where I bought the Scuba pro's.They looked very Industrial and heavy..And Robin,I admire you,if you can back kick.Something else to learn.When I dove the Cenotes last yr, the DM was showing off that technique.

[peterbj7]

I wouldn't waste money on split fins. They just don't have the power needed for diving in current

I still think SDM was right. Over the past few years I've watched thousands of divers here in Belize, and the ones who use split fins generally seem to have more issues than those who use solid fins. I have several times been told that I swim too fast for people to keep up, yet I (with my Mares Avanti) have an extremely slow and lazy kick style - at least 5 seconds to a fin cycle, often longer. My tank lasts a long time and I don't get tired, even when doing a 3 hour CCR dive.

We have a well known tidal dive here called Hol Chan. At times there can be a honking current. I have had to haul otherwise competent divers who couldn't make any headway with their split fins, yet even when working extremely hard my fin cycle still takes about 2 seconds.

[Jerrymxz]

I have a pair of mares Quattro's and when i got my new dry suit they would not fit over the boots so i bought a second pair. I like them for all the same reasons Peter said. I dove a set of the brand new Scuba Pro fins the weekend before memorial day. i'm not sure i like them but I may give them another try

Thanks for the offline information - I'll be trying the Seawing Novas out next weekend on an afternoon dive with Olympus. Anyone else going to be near Morehead City? I'm visiting my parents for Father's Day but hopefully they'll forgive me for taking Sat afternoon off for a dive.



It is very easy to make me happy... just confirming these plans and I am:

I wish I could go along. But I have other commitments. We will of course expect a full report first thing Monday morning on what your opinion is.

[peterbj7]

I admire you,if you can back kick

Anyone with proper tuition should be able to do that, albeit with varying degrees of competence. Often crucial when diving a wall in a current, or when photographing. Again, I find solid fins far more effective at that than split ones. This is one thing I found Force Fins quite good for.

If split fins are so good, how come you NEVER see serious tech divers using them? The most favoured fin for them is the original Scubapro Jet Fin, the one I can't use because for me the footbed is too short.

[secretsea18]

If split fins are so good, how come you NEVER see serious tech divers using them?

I suspect it has nothing to do with the fin. Probably more related to whatever the mindset that a tech diver has towards their gear. There are lots of gear options that are dismissed by tech divers for whatever their reasons are.... despite the gear being perfectly good.

I am not a tech diver, will never be a tech diver, and know that I can haul upcurrent in my split fins, even pushing a camera.

Again, it's not the fins, it's the diver. All personal preference.

[Scubatooth]

One fin that no-one has mentioned is the Forcefin. These have a cult following that I've never been able to understand. I tried a pair for a few dives and found them to be OK if a little strange, not especially comfortable on the foot, very wide so that with some swimming styles they kept fouling each other, and in no way justifying their exceptionally high price (I believe one model costs a staggering $800!). I'd be interested if any SD members have these and love them (as opposed to putting up with them because they've sunk an awful lot of money into them).

Well here comes the cult. Yes I am a Force Fin diver. The cult following seems to be the bashers and trashers who either never dove them or never learned the fin style needed with them as a flutter kick doesnt work. The kick needed is mainly from the knee down and not as full because at a certain point the water you move goes from behind you to down and is just wasted energy. It takes some time to get used to and not like a dive or two. I have used them for most of the almost 10 years i have been certified. I use my Force Fin Pro's(org black),Excellerating FF (org black), and flying force in Smoke Tan Delta along with my APS manta ray, cressi space frogs, and mares quattros. The only fins i would add in the future would be a set of OMS slipstreams. Pretty much now a days I use all but the last two as my ankles didnt like the stress put on them by the long blades, and now i dont think my back will either. I can switch between them all without a issue it just depends on what im doing or needing.

Peter the $800 ones are the FF Excellerating Tan Delta Fins. The tan delta material is very stiff but allows you at the same time to put alot of power down. That is the range of the retail price, but I think i can get them for less. I have a set made from the original black material that I use.

Then the other "claim" that comes up is you cant back up in them, well you can ask jerrymxz as i did it in Bonaire with doubles on my back in a set of FF pros. You can frog kick, back up, do helicopter turns without a problem.

[ScubaDadMiami]

Put on a set of heavy doubles and drysuit, and then add some deco bottles or stages. Add some good current to the mix. Then compare the splits to a good pair of paddle fins in a sustained swim, or in a burst swim (like when kicking hard to get to the boat ladder when it is just out of reach).

Next, take this same equipment in a 2.5 to 3 hour swim in a silty environment while using a modified frog kick. You are not allowed to stir up the silt while making progress. Splits will not produce the power needed to move when only using the ankles and very little leg motion.

Now, if you say that you will never dive like this, and therefore will never need fins that can do this, I will understand that you favor split fins. However, they just don't pass the test for pushing heavy gear against strong currents, or for technical diving. With limited current, and with single tank configurations in open water, they can be quite comfortable. However, they just don't pass the test for other conditions.

[lynnlchan]

... The most favoured fin for them is the original Scubapro Jet Fin, the one I can't use because for me the footbed is too short.

Some folks would just get a larger sized set of fins. Sorry, I couldn't resist.

[peterbj7]

OMS Slipstreams are super stiff and some of the most powerful fins you can find. Their real utility is for Tech divers who need that extra power to push through the extra drag of multiple tanks. The split fins and most of the other rec fins will just bend under the extra drag and perform poorly under those conditions

I've dived with just about as much gear as I've ever seen anyone carrying, and I've never gone beyond the capacity of my Mares Avantis. I found the OMS fins better than the Jetfins, but still markedly less comfortable than the Mares.

As to the effort you put into finning, no-one says that you have to fin fully and quickly no matter what. I use whatever fins I'm wearing, and I do wear quite a few different types, to the extent I need to to go at the speed I want to. With my Mares that's langorously slow. With any split fins I can think of I have to fin faster and more vigorously to achieve the same result.

[Greg@ihpil]

Greg, the OMS Slipstreams are super stiff and some of the most powerful fins you can find. Their real utility is for Tech divers who need that extra power to push through the extra drag of multiple tanks. The split fins and most of the other rec fins will just bend under the extra drag and perform poorly under those conditions. Alot of Tech divers use them for all their diving since they are used to them. Most rec divers don't want to use them because of extra power comes with penalty of how much energy it takes to push those fins. They WILL give you a work out and for SOME PEOPLE they are overkill if you only have the low drag of one tank. Some people can't use them at all since they give a significant resistance. A stiff paddle fin like that is pretty much required for Tech diving though. I like my SP Jets enough that I may switch over to them completely one day but not right now.

Scott,Thanks for the explanation... For now I have enough power with my SP's Jet max....One kick or fin at a time.....

[shadragon]

If split fins are so good, how come you NEVER see serious tech divers using them?

I used my ScubaPro splits on my wreck course. They got entangled several times in the line. Never seriously, but there you are. The buckles and style of the fin are not condusive to that type of diving. Tech divers like simple elegant solutions to minimize life threatening moments. When at 160+ feet you don't want complicated gear.

The difference between rec and tech gear is the same as the difference between rec and snorkel gear. Sure you can use one gear set for the other activity, but you might run into difficulties eventually because of inherent shortcomings. Split fins are for recreational divers.

My move into more technical style diving has been delayed continuously as I knew I would have to replace most of my existing gear yet again to move into that realm.

[Dennis]

My question survey here would be : #1 Are you pro split or not ,Why? No, I don't like split fins. I have tried them, they flutter when you kick hard. At least the Apollo split fins I have tried did. They seemed to work fine other than that, but they do not have the thrust that the SP Jetfins have
#2 If not what do you prefer and what design.. I use SP Jetfins.
#3 Was type of Diving an influence? No
#4 Anything you would care to add...... Personal preference is the best judge of equipment. Use what works best for you and ignore the naysayers.

Edited by Dennis, 10 June 2010 - 08:02 AM.