I only use one set of fins. Open heel with spring straps and 5 mm boots. Tulsa Imprex Tri-Ex fins. Great all round fun. Good power through the water for all kicking styles and just the right stiffness for me.
Started off with open foot pocket split fins. I loved them up until taking the rescue course. They just didn't have the power. Added a set of channel fins to my kit.
Full foot pocket fins can be used with boots or socks. They also transfer the power more efficiently than open heel fin. Open heel also have a greater chance of coming off your foot and being lost. Open heel “scuba” fins also are way more expensive.
Have had seawing novas for a number of years. Fair enough but a little floppy. Got rk3s now for cold water diving. And will be getting a pair of avanti quattro + for traveling
Great vid explaining the different types of fins... It can be a nightmare with all the different types out there today...😊👏👌..I have a 25 year old pair of open heeled cressi frogs that are fantastic all rounder for travel and manoverability around wrecks..and confined spaces 😊. The only down side is you do have to work a little bit harder as the are relatively short and are not angled 😊
Still got my 20yo Avanti Quattros which work great. Bought SeaWing Novas last year - nice scissor action but they're a bit 'floaty' in warm, high saline locations and they feel spongy for frog kick. My current fins are Hollis F1 - heavy, robust and excellent for frog kick - just don't drop them when handing them up onto the boat..!
I have an old pair of tusa split fins , which I love, but wanted to try something new. I went with the tusa switch, just a little heavier to kick vs split fins, but produces more power, frog kicks are also good….
If like to hear you talk about force fins. I was able to get a cheep pair from craigslist. And I’m really liking them! Super easy to get on and off, I feel like I get good thrust. Surprisingly it’s not difficult to go backwards with them
I use Tusa slipper split fins for the pool and they do the job, and when on holiday I use Tusa split fins reason for this I have a bad leg, when I’m diving back in the UK I use Force fins totally amazing 👍🏼
I have two sets of Finn's. Both made by tusa. A full foot or pool fin I used in training. I don't like them much as they kick up under you, yes they are splits. They cost about £30.00 And my best set are tusa triex,these are pocket fins you need a boot or shoe with them and are standard not splits. They also have spring fasteners these are brilliant, come on and off quite easy. They cost about £100 plus's 35 for boots.
I'm quite happy with the Beuchat Aquabionic (which is marketed as Cetatek elsewhere, I guess). Now I got my hands on a used pair of Seawing Novas and give it a try by the end of the month. Some hate them, some swear by them, we'll see.
Remember when split fins were the fashion. Got some TDS fins a few years ago which are similar to Scubapro jet fins or Hollis F1for a fraction of the price and are fantastic!
I would like to hear more about putting bolt snaps on fins. I can see where this would be advantageous in keeping a hold of your fins in certain situations. But could also be a flapping snag hazard in other situations.
I've got Force Fins (which I don't use very often), Hollis F-1s (which I use for cold water diving) and OMS Slipstreams (for traveling). All have spring or bungee straps. Conventional straps suck!
I still haven’t found a pair of fins I really love. I think I tend to prefer full foot fins as I dislike boots, and I dive with my generic pair of those most often, they are a bit less comfortable though. But I do have Beauchat Aquabionics and generally enjoy them but they’re so big, even in not-really-confined spaces I am wary of them. I tried the Hollis F2 tek fins and they absolutely destroyed my ankles which soured me on tek fins in general. I tried Split Fins and didn’t mind them, I could still frog kick and helicopter turn in them and propulsion on a flutter kick was excellent, I have tried Seawing Novas in South Africa and did like them a lot, but they’re super hard to find here, and the full foot version is non-existent. They don’t seem much smaller than the aquabionics though. So I don’t really know haha. Contemplating Mares Plana but I’m not buying tek fins without trying them first. Or Avantis, everyone seems to love them.
Scubapro Jetfin for technical diving: stiff, lot of power, good for back kick. Hollis F1 for recreational diving: still stiff but easier, back kick good only without twins
They're expensive, and you look a bit like a duck on the boat. I do hear good things though, but I don't know how much is down to not wanting to admit that you paid a lot for a pair of fins that aren't great. I know somebody with a pair so I'll see if I can borrow them for evaluation...
I have a pair of Force Fins Pro. I have only tried them in a quarry lake so far. I know of no one else with these and would love others opinions. I have been diving with Seawing Nova Gorilla Fins until acquiring the Force Fins. I plan on doing lots of diving and will be travelling in the new year. (I hope). Do the Force Fins work with dry suit? How do they cope with current? Sylvia Earle inspired me to get the new fins. I have a feeling that I will be taking both sets with me without advice.
well i have several . a set of utd for wreck, cressi space frog for general diving, tusa for when there going to get beet up & sherwood splits for ? dont know i cant stand them.
When diving woth drysuit I prefer Jetfins. Those are so well suited for hrog kick, helicoptre turbs and backward kick. In tropics I've used Mares Avanti Tres full foot fins eve those are quite soft but so light to travel with.
Hello, I wonder if you can help me. I want to buy a pair of fins online, apeks RK3, but I'm not sure about the size. I would wear them with size 41 EU (8 US) wetsuit boots. Thanks!
Ah, I never mentioned blade stiffness... Darn, Soft Blades are nice for chilled out dives, but if you need to fight a current or want better performance then you'll need Medium or Hard Blades. Your legs will tire faster, but you'll slip through the water faster too
As good as the Avanti 4+ look and as well as they work, I'm annoyed at how ubiquitous they are. There's always at least one other pair of them on each trip, and usually in the same yellow colour. The only thing less original than those is tech fins, they all look the same even across brands.
@@markwallace1251 unfortunately, it's horses for courses IMO, although I don't think either fin is bad. If I was to have my time again I'd go for the RK3 HD as the standard ones were a little too flexible for me, but they are very comfortable. I generally use my Quattros for wet suit diving. My Power Planas for dry suit diving, and keep my RK3s for diving inland sites where I know there's no current (I find my standard RK3s are a little too flexible for me to want to use them in current). I've now got a new drysuit with socks and rock boots, so now I need to hope that my fins still fit!
Yeah, you'll be happy with either. Main differences for me are the Avanti are a tad longer and they come with a bungee heel, not steel spring. But there's a reason why so many professionals still use them, they're great fins.
@@markwallace1251 not a problem. Reaching out can help prevent wasting money on inferior products. Hope you enjoy them. Did you end up going for the normal ones or the HD ones?
