Review updated 11-12-15:
Mares Volo Power fins: My first choice for diving.
I just spent a full month diving Papua New Guinea (PNG). I brought only one pair of fins on this trip, the Mares Volo Power fins. I am overwhelmingly impressed and happy with these fins. I was able to swim underwater with great power, in scuba gear and carrying a camera with strobes, in a near two-knot current back to the boat. The fins are light, fast, comfortable, and powerful.
I never experienced cramping on the entire month-long trip. The fins struck the perfect balance between stiffness and flexibility -- they were just right; not too stiff and not too flexible. When swimming with them, I felt the fins giving a nice springing motion to my kick. Stiff fins are more powerful, but after a full day of diving, I will often experience calf or thigh cramps when using them -- sometimes cramping in both areas, which is really painful. Some less flexible fins cause pain in my old knees.
I was able to control my movements with the fins when taking photos or video. I did not feel that these open-heel fins were any slower than full-foot fins that I've used in the past. The standard (older) style fin strap worked just fine. I had a little trouble getting the fins on and off, and I did not like using the ABS buckle to get the fins off. Once on, the fins and fin pocket were extremely comfortable. I used them with both very thin and thicker wetsuit socks. My only quibble with the fins is that they seem a bit too long sometimes (when I am situating myself to take a photo, the long fins interfere with my positioning occasionally), but this is a minor quibble.
In short, the Mares Volo Power fins are terrific, perfect for traveling, powerful enough to get a diver through currents with lots of gear. They are my first choice for diving fins.
Unfortunately, Air Niugini lost my bag containing a camera housing and my now-favorite fins. It's been three days, and the bag is officially lost after a week. I hope that I get my bag and these fins back).
(Note: I updated this review on 9-2014 and 4-2015 to include my impressions of several more models of fins:
Mares Volo Power
Force Fin
Mares X-Stream
Mares Avanti Quattro+ (Quattro Plus)
Mares Power Plana
and Apollo Biofin Pro with stainless steel straps.
Reviews of these fins are at the beginning and end of this blog entry.
The fins that I rate highest (for speed, light weight, and comfort) are:
Mares Volo Power
Force Fin
Sherwood Elite
I found each of these three fins to be comfortable and I was able to swim laps very quickly with them, with minimal cramping. I tested the Sherwood Elite and Force Fins while SCUBA diving, and they were powerful enough for SCUBA diving while carrying a DSLR rig with two Ikelite DS-160 flash units. I have not had the chance to test these fins for their power while diving with a rebreather and bulky underwater video gear, nor with a drysuit. I did find that the Sherwood Elite fins caused some pain in my knees when swimming, and their foot pocket was a bit stiff and hard. I found that the Force Fins worked well even in currents, but the open toe design could cause a diver to scrape the top of his foot against rocks or reef. This can be a big problem; once a diver has a cut or scrape on his foot, it can preclude diving. I also got tired of people laughing at how fast I was kicking through the water with the Force Fins -- a minor thing, but an irritation.
Open-Heel Fins:
Mares Volo Power open-heel fins: 1 lb 7 oz per
fin; $164.95 as of 4-15-15; +3 speed rating. These fins, after a month diving in Papua New Guinea, have become my favorite fins. I liked these fins as soon as I put them on. They felt very
comfortable on my foot, and struck a nice balance between stiffness and
being a bit flexible. I was able to swim extremely fast on the surface
and underwater with these fins.
The
fins are 24" long, which seems an ideal length. They come with a
standard Mares ABS buckle and strap system, rather than the newer bungee
straps. I like these buckles and straps just fine.
Mares
states that all its fins adhere to the same size: if a size Medium fin
fits your feet in one Mares fin, it should fit you in another model. I
have found this to largely be true, but still -- each fin fits my foot
slightly differently. This fin's fit was ideal. It did not encase my
entire foot, like the Mares Power Plana and some other models did.
Because my entire foot and heel were not encased, I felt like my calf
muscles had more of an affect on my strokes. When swimming very hard
for a long distance with these fins, my calf muscles cramped with these
fins. With other fins where my heel was lower down in the foot pocket,
my feet would likely have cramped before my calf muscles. In short, I
felt like I was able to use all my leg and ankle muscles with these
fins, because my entire foot was not encased.
After
writing the above, I took out the Power Plana and Avanti Quattro Power +
fins that I tested recently, and which felt different from this fin.
With these fins, the foot pocket seemed deeper, so that the heel of my
foot was completely encased. I did not like this feature; I felt more
restricted in my finning with my entire foot encased inside the fin foot
pocket. Photos at the end of this section confirm my hunch: the foot
pocket for these fins is about 8.25"; whereas the Power Plana has a foot
pocket of 9" deep and the Avanti Quattro Power + has a foot pocket
depth of almost 10 inches!
These
fins are near-perfect for me. I was able to swim very fast with them
for a long distance without becoming uncomfortable. They were not so
stiff as to be cumbersome and ungainly, and the foot pocket was not too
deep, so I could use all my leg muscles. I look forward to trying these
on a
dive trip for an extended period, with a big camera and rebreather
gear to gauge how well they are suited to carrying bulky loads
underwater.
Sherwood open-heel Elite fins; 1 lb 8oz; $99 at scuba.com;
+3 speed rating; negatively buoyant; standard fit. I was very impressed with these
fins. They are the lightest open-heel fins that I have seen. They
were super easy to get used to and were the fastest yet in the water.
The foot pocket is a bit hard and narrow. With booties, I started
getting foot cramps both times that I tested the fins. My fins came
with rubber straps that had nice quick release buckles on them, but
were not adjustable. They were a little tight when I wore booties,
but when I wore these fins with only Henderson Microprene fin socks,
these fins felt pretty good (the hard foot pocket was still hard).
I
later used these fins with thicker neoprene socks and with EZ spring
straps from Leisurepro. I was pretty happy with this combination
(4-15-15 after several dives using somewhat thick Tilos neoprene socks, I
am happier with the standard silicone strap that come with these fins,
purely because they fit well and comfortably). These fins are
fast, fairly stiff, but I seem to be able to maneuver in them. I like
them a lot and may use them for tropical AND fast snorkeling (eg
whale sharks, whales) with thicker fin socks (not booties).
The Sherwood Elite fins are among my first three
choices for snorkeling and diving in tropical waters, with thicker
wetsuit socks or booties. I
look forward to trying a pair
of these in size Large, to see how they work with my drysuit. I like
the fact that these fins come with a standard post so I could mount EZ
spring straps on them.
 |
The
Sherwood Elite fins have what I believe are "standard" post and
buckles. They come with silicone straps. I found that EZ spring straps
from Leisurepro fit these fins just fine. I also found that spring
straps from Scubapro Twin Jet Max fins fit the Sherwood Elite buckles.
|
Force Fins: 1 lb 6 oz per fin; retail $229.95, +3 speed rating, very negative (they sink like a rock).
The Force Fins tied with the Sherwood Elite and Mares Volo Power open-heel fins for my favorite fins. All
three of these fins are extremely light at 1.5 pounds per fin. The
Force Fins are very flexible and fit my feet very well. Like the Mares
Volo Power fins, I liked them as soon as I put them on. I was able to
swim extremely fast with these fins, with no cramps in my calves, feet,
or thighs after swimming a number of laps in the pool. I tested these
fins on a recent trip to Socorro, and they were powerful enough for me
to swim pretty well underwater with a DSLR camera rig. Other divers on
the trip laughed at me, however, saying that my feet were whirling by
like helicopter rotors.
These fins don't look very
sexy. In fact, you will be laughed at if you use these fins. But the
folks who have these on dive trips tend to love them. I myself have
never seriously considered these, but for the purposes of this review, I
bought a pair off Ebay to try. I have to say that I am impressed and
that I like them a lot. They provided plenty of power and speed both
when swimming laps as well as when I was SCUBA diving.
The fins
are easy to put on and take off. The Force Fin website has a table that
gives foot size and the size of the relevant fin. I found this table
to be spot on. The length of the Force Fin is only 17” from foot
pocket start to tip of fin. It took me a bit of time to get used to
them, but then I could swim very quickly and without feeling effort.
The back of my heel sticks out of the foot pocket about one inch, which
was very comfortable.
The only drawback to these fins
is that the top of my foot comes out of the foot pocket and is therefore
exposed. I wore neoprene socks with these fins, and I did find that I
scraped the top of my foot a couple of times. Because I was often
swimming vigorously with these fins, I needed to take care not to hit my
fins and feet on anything. I need to be a better diver and more aware
of where I am kicking with these fins -- a good thing for any diver.
Here's
some text about the Force Fins from their website. This text is about
the Pro Force Fin. To be honest, I don't know if what I bought from
Ebay is the standard Force Fin or the Pro Force Fin. I have to
grudgingly agree with everything said on their website about the Force
Fins.
Ranked among the most efficient fins. Preferred by Special
Forces and serious fin users. Features Force Fin's toes-free foot
pocket that reduces cramping and leverages power from your strongest
kicking muscles, for a most efficient kick. Easy to pack. Small,
effective blade is the perfect size for turbulent free and fast movement
of water. Easy to maneuver.
Orginal review:
You can be forgiven if you think that choosing a pair
of fins for scuba diving should be an easy task. I used to think so.
After nearly 40 years of diving, I am still learning about what kinds
of fins work best for me in different situations. I’ve dove in markedly different environments over the years, ranging from
diving under the ice in Antarctica, to the cold temperate waters of
northern California, to tropical diving around the world. I've gone
from carrying little gear; to SLR housings as a professional
underwater photographer; to large 70-pound HDCAM and film housings
while wearing a drysuit and using a rebreather. My diving has ranged
from carrying this gear in still, clear tropical waters; diving with
double tanks in 150 foot depths with heavy currents while carrying a
70-pound camera housing; to trying to keep up with sperm whales at the
surface. I've learned some things along the way that no book or
magazine will tell you.
Every person is different, and fins for diving are perhaps the
most personal and difficult choice of gear to get. I can only
describe my situation and hope that this review helps other folks
figure out what to look for in a diving fin. I got certified at the
age of 15, I am in my mid-50s, and I’ve spent the past 25+ years
working as a professional underwater photographer. I am short and
round, I am in decent shape for swimming and diving, but I am 30 to
40 pounds over my ideal weight. I swim regularly at a local pool
(about 1.1 miles every other day) but that has not been enough to
combat my bad food habits. I have small feet and short legs compared
to giant white males but my feet are wide. I am 5 feet six inches
tall, my feet are size 7-1/2 and I prefer New Balance shoes since I
can get them in a wide EE size.
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It's ridiculously difficult to find important information on fins.
One of the criteria for choosing fins is how heavy they are. If two
fins are equal in other ways, I would prefer fins that are lighter,
purely because I need to minimize the weight of my luggage to avoid
excess baggage fees. I was surprised that many manufacturer's
websites do NOT list the weight of their fins with their products.
For instance, Scubapro has a lineup of very popular fins, but their
website does NOT list the weight of their fins (or other
specifications such as length of the blade). In order to find the
weight of these fins, I had weigh them myself. I couldn't find any
website that listed the weight of these fins. For some manufacturer's
fins, I could go to the Leisurepro website and dig down to find this
information. I did weigh every fin that I personally tested.
I undertook this review because I wanted to know what the dang fin
weighs, see how it fits on a real person, get a sense of how fast or
slow it is, and get a sense of how maneuverable the fins are. In the
past two years, I spent hundreds of dollars buying fins (on sale)
from LeisurePro and searching local dive stores' clearance bins (the
stores ranged from my home base in Monterey to as far afield as Bali,
Maui, and West Palm Beach). I have tried out and weighed about a
dozen pairs of fins, and I've preliminarily settled on about three
favorite styles which I will use for various types of trips: classic
warm-water coral reef trips where one does a lot of macro photos and needs to maneuver
as well as swim in currents; whale and dolphin trips where one needs
speed above all else; and cold-water trips (classic diving on reefs
only; forget cold-water speed swimming in a drysuit!).
In the past months, as my plan for this review became clearer, I
wrote to several diving manufacturers to ask them to supply their
best fins for this review. The good folks at Mares, ScubaPro, and
Sherwood recognized the value of such an article (as well as my
25-year history in this industry) and supplied me with a few of their
models of fins to test. They were quite generous in supplying the
gear, and I give them my thanks. Manufacturers who support reviews
like this obviously want to get the information out there and realize
that they have great products. I wanted to test some of
Oceanic and Aqua Lung's fins, but they ignored my
requests. This article is a work in progress; I'd welcome trying out
just about any fin and if you are a manufacturer who would like their
fins included, please contact me.
I've had a few learning experiences over the years, and I would
like to share those first.
When I started working as an underwater photographer, I traveled
all over the world to tropical locations. I preferred full foot fins
for the beginning of my career. As an underwater photographer, I
needed fins that were easy to carry around, were powerful enough to
let me photograph while swimming against currents, were light for
travel, and let me maneuver easily to get into position underwater. I
used Cressi's full foot Free Frog fins during this period. They were
relatively light (1 lb 12 oz per fin), fit my feet well, gave me
enough power to swim against currents (I was carrying still cameras
and strobes, not bulky film housings), and allowed me to maneuver
underwater just fine. They held up through years of tropical diving
and were a great combination of letting me maneuver around a reef,
ease of using them, and powering in strong currents.
 |
| Swimming with a bulky HDCAM housing, photos by James Watt |
Starting in 2001, I started shooting video underwater with a
large, bulky 70-pound housing that had an early Sony HDCAM
professional HD camera in it. I then started diving with an
Inspiration rebreather. I got certified with this rebreather in
Mexico, then did some diving at Cocos Island with my very large HDCAM
housing. Until then, I had always done my tropical diving with my
trusty Cressi Free Frog full-foot fins.
I discovered, when diving with this rebreather and still camera
housings off Cocos Island with my friends Howard Hall and Bob
Cranston, that my Cressi full foot Free Frog fins were not capable of
giving me enough power to get me through the water with a bulky
rebreather on my back. These fins were just barely adequate.
 |
| Swimming with a bulky HDCAM housing, photos by James Watt |
I later had to keep up with diving officer Doug Kesling and his
crew at the University of North Carolina, diving with double tanks at
150 foot depths for long periods, battling strong currents and
carrying a large HDCAM housing, using these same Cressi Free Frog
fins. It was nearly impossible – the fins just weren't powerful
enough. I also caught a ton of flak from the crew of the NOAA
research vessel for not having foot protection when walking on deck –
they required adequate foot protection when walking on the deck of
the boat. Rubber sole booties were barely acceptable, and fin socks
were not acceptable. I had to wear booties to cross the deck, jump in
the water, take my booties off, and store them in my BC pockets – a
huge pain in the butt. I should have just brought some open-heel
fins.
With the bulk of a rebreather or double tanks, and large
video housings, I quickly learned that full foot fins were not
powerful enough. I needed to graduate to powerful, open heel fins.
For these reasons, since I've started carrying heavier and bulkier
gear and diving in different situations, I've found that open-heel
fins are preferable to full-foot fins in most diving situations, even
tropical diving. I have always felt, and still do, that full foot
fins (which are shaped to fit a bare foot) offer more speed than
open-heel fins (which have larger pockets to fit diving booties with
rubber soles). However, when I am walking across the deck of a boat,
walking back up a coral rubble beach of Bali, or just getting ready
to dive off a small dive tender – open-heel fins make a lot more
sense to me now than before. Being able to wear thick neoprene socks
or booties to protect my feet in all these situations is a huge plus
over having bare feet.
I am not a fan of booties, however. In my late thirties, I had a
job filming mangroves in Bonaire using a large film camera. I wore
some booties that zipped up the ankle. They were not particularly
tight, but they nevertheless caused incredible pain when I was
filming mangroves in Bonaire. This had not happened to me before.
Just a few months before that, however, I had tried downhill skiing,
and wearing the boots for those skis caused me similar incredible,
debilitating pain. I believe that my feet widened as I aged and
gained weight. Because of the problems with my booties (I had brought
only open-heel fins, realizing that I would be tramping through
mangroves), I bought some inexpensive snorkeling fins in town. I
realized quickly that these fins really, really sucked. I won’t
name the brand or model, but these are inexpensive fins marketed
toward beginning snorkelers.
The moral of the story is that
serious divers, who are carrying a great deal of bulky gear on them
that creates water resistance, need to find fins that are
professional grade. Don’t get fins meant for novice snorkelers at
the ABC shop in Maui and expect those fins to work well. These
flimsy fins are downright dangerous, since you won’t be able to
swim against the slightest current to get back to your boat.
Because my feet are so sensitive to booties that are tight, I use
booties that are ankle-high rather than the ones that zip up past the
ankle (I prefer neoprene slippers, not booties that are tight and
inflexible). I test them before bringing them on any trip, to make
sure that they do not constrict my feet. I like the Tilos booties
that I have now, but I still get foot cramps and pain when swimming
with them. If I can get by without using booties, I much prefer
wearing thin neoprene socks, that protect my feet from blisters but
don't put any pressure whatsoever on my feet. I've been using
Henderson's great Microprene Fin Socks for years and years.
My good friend Douglas Seifert invited me on a trip to swim with
sperm whales in Dominica in 2010. I learned, during this trip that
involved trying to keep up with pods of whales (and the speedy
Douglas!), that open heel fins, with lycra socks under a pair of
booties, was the best combination for me in this situation of
intense, all-day, frantic swimming. Full foot fins had always worked
for me in the past in this situation – even with weeks of swimming
with dolphins in the Bahamas Banks in the early days. However, as I
aged, I had to take care of my feet more. Now, trying to swim too
much with full foot fins, even with a lycra sock, causes a blister
almost immediately. Almost nothing is worse than a blister on your
foot during a diving trip. It will cause you to sit out the rest of
the trip, and so I take great care now to wear Henderson Microprene
fin socks (or lycra socks) under booties, along with open-heel fins
(not full foot). I
discovered the best pair of open-heel fins for
this kind of fast snorkeling by doing this review – the surprising
light, speedy Sherwood Elite open-heel fins. I discuss these fins
in more detail below.
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| My old Henderson Microprene socks, well-used. Thanks, Henderson! |
I also dive a great deal in cold water. I live on Monterey Bay in
California, and the water temperature here ranges from 45 to 55
degrees F. It's cold, and I always wear a drysuit when diving here.
Diving in northern California waters was great practice for my diving
in Antarctica in 1997 through 2001, and later in 2008 and 2009. I
used Cressi full-foot Frog fins for all of my diving in Antarctica in
1997 through 2001. They worked fine but are outdated. In recent years
I have used Scubapro Twin Jet split fins (open heel) with my drysuit.
I've been happy with the Twin Jet fins. They are floppy, not stiff,
but the foot pocket is super-comfortable over my drysuit booties. I
have been interested in how these Twin Jet fins compare to other
open-heel fins.
Split Fins verus Conventional Fins:
I also wanted to see how split fins compare to conventional fins.
We photographers need power sometimes, but we also need our fins to
be flexible so that we can position ourselves easily and without
throwing up a lot of sand. I have noticed that many divers with split
fins swim too close to the bottom for some reason, kicking up clouds
of sand behind them. I have heard that with split fins, divers
should use a smaller, more frequent flutter kick for maximum
performance.
I mentioned buying fins from dive stores' bargain bins – I
likely won't be doing this in the future. I bought a pair of split
fins and a pair of conventional fins in the past two years, and they
were so bad that I can't use them. One was a split fin, open heel
design that has good reviews online. The split fins were stiff. I
found that they work fine when swimming laps and sightseeing, but
they were so stiff that I could not maneuver with them. With any kind
of fin, as a photographer, I need fins that allow me to swim against
currents, but just as importantly, I
need fins that will
accommodate a slow style of drifting and maneuvering. Photographers
will swim a bit, notice a subject, then have to turn around or back
up using a backwards stroke of the fin. The Scubapro Twin Jet
fins allow me to do this; the bargain bin split fins did not.
Some fins are just too stiff and do not work for me in any way. I
bought a pair of flourescent green conventional (not split fin)
open-heel fins from a local dive store. These were from a very
well-known manufacturer of diving fins. Here's what I wrote in my
notes: "Tried them in the pool twice over six months to be sure. Seems
to give a lot of power and maneuverability but is also a bit stiff,
very hard on the knees, when diving with a drysuit. Could not swim
with these in the pool, just too heavy and stiff. Worst fins ever,
don't name them. Tried swimming underwater with them, a little better
but still slow. Very stiff, hurt my knees, did not swim well with
them. Size Small fit my feet with booties perfectly"
Sizing:
About sizing of fins: Most manufacturer's websites and the
Leisurepro website list US shoe sizes matched up with sizes Small,
Medium, Large, and Extra Large. These tables don't specify if the
sizes work if wearing a bootie or drysuit bootie. I have a size small
foot (US men's 7.5). I found that with a dive bootie, most fins
(Mares, Sherwood Elite, Scubapro Twin Jets) match my shoe size. In
other words, my shoe size of 7.5 with a bootie corresponds to a size
small open-heel fin for most fins. My drysuit booties are much larger
than my wetsuit booties, and fins that are another size or even two
sizes up work with my drysuit (eg size Medium or Large in the
Scubapro Twin Jets work with my drysuit booties).
How the fins fit is obviously extremely important. My size 7.5 foot in a bootie or thick
neoprene sock would fit in most fins that are called size Small by the
manufacturer. Some fins are sized larger, so that a size small for them
might be a size Medium for others. For instance, I found
the Sherwood Elite fins size Small to fit my feet with booties just
fine. The Apollo fins in size Medium were way too big for my feet with
booties, and in my opinion should be called size Large. I have noted if
fins are a "standard" fit or oversized.
Spring Straps versus Rubber Straps:
Some fins have posts on them which allow you to put on stainless
steel spring straps instead of rubber straps. I like these steel
spring straps, and I commend those manufacturers who make them and
who make their fins with the post, thereby making it easy for divers
to put in after-market spring straps. For instance, the Sherwood
Elite fins come with their own rubber straps and with the proper type
of post to mount other straps on them. I was able to put on EZ
Spring straps (from leisurepro.com) which I preferred over their
stock rubber straps. Scubapro's fins do NOT have these posts, but
their stainless steel spring straps (from their Twin Jet Max fins)
could fit into the Sherwood Elite fins since they had the same size
buckle (which goes over the post). The Atomic's buckle arrangement
does sort of fit onto the “standard” post of the Sherwoods but
not well or elegantly. Atomic fins have a one-off arrangement where
the entire buckle comes off, not a quick release.
Testing fins:
These tests are largely subjective, but I did try to test the fins
consistently. I discovered a pool close to the Monterey area where I
was able to swim laps consistently in the past year. After a couple
months of swimming a standard routine (three sets of 400 yards using
exercise fins, and two sets of 400 yards swimming underwater and
using the crawl stroke), I felt that I was in decent shape and would
not get much faster. For my normal swimming with fins, I used a pair
of “Pod” fins, which are simple fins used for exercise and
boogie-boarding (also called bodyboarding). These are short-bladed
fins made of stiff rubber.
I tested each pair of fins two or three times. I swam a quarter
mile with the Pod fins first to warm up, then swam a quarter mile
with the test fins, timing myself. I strived to be as consistent as
possible when swimming; but in the end, the times with the fins are
subjective. I rate the fins as 0, +1, +2, or -1; with “0” based
on swimming times with the Pod fins. Please keep in mind that body
shape and height is likely a large factor in how fins work for each
person. I am a short, round guy who is not particularly athletic but
nevertheless has fairly strong legs. If you are a tall, slim,
collegiate swimmer, then the fins that work best for me may not work
well for you. Taller folks might prefer fins that are longer than the
ones that worked well for me.
I
tested all these fins using the flutter kick, swimming on the surface,
holding onto a swimming float, and kicking my legs up and down. I then
swam underwater with the fins, sometimes stopping underwater and trying
to swim backwards a bit. I did not test the fins using the frog kick,
which is a kick I use often underwater.
My friend Alan Studley mentions:
You didn't mention the Cave kick, which is a modified frog kick...I mention the Cave kick because it is very efficient for long
swims. I can go for hours without low back pain.
In my recent course, I mentioned the efficiency of the Cave kick to a student who was large and
the same height as me. He was always
lagging behind with his traditional Flutter kick. So the second day he
tried the Cave Kick and was keeping up with me and with much less
effort. Cave kickers usually use a Stiff blade fin
vs Splits. I've used the Atomic Split and they work fine when Cave
Kicking.
I did find that some fins just didn't work well for me at all. I
have purposely declined to name these fins and their makers by name.
I have found that folks in the diving industry don't take criticism
well. This attitude is regrettable – enlightened makers of dive
gear should welcome honest and constructive criticism of their gear.
Fortunately, most divers and photographers like my reviews a great
deal because they are honest and informative.
Here's a listing of the fins that I have tested to date, including
the weight per single fin, price (at leisurepro.com unless otherwise
stated); speed rating (based on time to swim a quarter mile);
buoyancy; how the fins fit; and miscellaneous observations.
Pod bodyboarding fins; 1 lb 5 oz; $40 at an Oahu North
Shore surf shop; +0 (baseline) speed rating; positive buoyancy; standard fit; these
are considered “beginners bodyboarding fins and are good for
exercise swimming because they are not too stiff." I discuss
bodyboarding fins in another blog post. These fins float, which is a
good thing for surfing but a bad thing for
diving. I always prefer fins to sink rather than float, so that I can
place them on the seafloor if needed and count on them to stay there. From
http://www.churchillfinsreview.com/what-are-the-best-bodyboarding-fins-to-buy/
: Smaller training fins provide resistance without overloading
joints, ligaments and tendons. They also help shift effort to the
foot, increasing leg strength by encouraging propulsion with a leg
kick in the form of a pedaling motion that’s the same as a flutter
kick without a fin.
**********************************************************************
Open-Heel Fins:
ScubaPro Twin Jet open-heel Split Fins in black; 2 lb 0 oz;
$169; -1 speed rating (slower than baseline); standard fit. I've had a pair of
these fins in gray, size Large, for several years. I use them with my
drysuit; they are extremely comfortable. They let me swim around in
my drysuit without creating pains in my knees. My feeling prior to
testing these is that they were comfortable but a bit slow, and my
testing bears this out. I tested the Medium size, which were a bit
large for my foot in a bootie. Swimming with these is slow but very
pleasant. I felt like I was hardly using any effort, but I was still
tired after swimming 400 yards. One strange thing is that my thighs
cramped up almost as soon as I started moving around in these fins,
something which did not happen with any other fins so far. Seems to
give enough power and is very maneuverable. Very comfortable to put
on and wear. The rubber strap with the quick-snap buckle system has
worked well for me for years.
These fins came with traditional adjustable rubber straps, but I
can see that there are stainless steel straps that fit the buckles on
these Twin Jets.
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| The buckle on the Twin Jet fins are non-standard. There are no posts, so you can't add "standard" spring straps from other companies. I have seen spring straps made specifically to fit Twin Jet fins. |
These fins were black in color. Back in 2001, Sergio Angelini, a longtime star engineer, designer, and executive in the diving industry (who has helped me a great deal over the
years – thanks Sergio!) gave me some Twin Jet fins, which were
brand new at the time. Here's what he wrote, “I am sending you out
two sets of fins. There is a soft version (blue or grey...) and a
stiff version (black). Typically, people not used to the split fin
technology will immediately love the black, and maybe be perplexed by
the soft version. But once you get used to them, the soft ones are
better: faster, more efficient, more comfortable. Some people use the
black for cold water diving with lots of gear that causes drag, and
the soft ones in warm water. I myself use the soft ones, and I dive
with drysuit, pony bottle strapped to the front left, 3 big lights
strapped to the front right, and we have very big currents ....
Both pairs will be size L, which will definitely fit over your
drysuit.
“Of the Three Colors, the Black Fins are the most Rigid and
offer a more traditional fin experience. The Black Fins are slightly
negatively buoyant. The Blue Fins model is made of a more buoyant and
flexible compound than the black models. This allows you to achieve
the most Bang-for-your-Kicking Buck. These fins are slightly
positively buoyant. The Yellow Fin option is made of a compound
similar to the Blue model, but offers the greatest opportunity for
you to be seen underwater. The Yellow fins are slightly positively
buoyant.”
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| This Twin Jet fin is size Large. It is much too large for my normal dive bootie, but it fits my drysuit bootie just fine. I consider these fins to be normal in terms of standard sizes, meaning a size small would probably be appropriate for my foot in a dive bootie. |
I checked with Scubapro. They no longer make the gray version, but still make the yellow and blue colors. These fins are indeed more flexible, if
the above comments still apply. I do a lot of shark diving trips,
where the leaders of the trips only allow all-black or all-dark
diving gear – so using fins that are yellow or have bright colors
is not a good option. On the other hand, long, bright yellow fins
make a good signaling device when you are in the middle of the open
ocean (say, at Cocos Island) and drifting away from the dive tender
or mother ship.
Scubapro Twin Jet Max open-heel Split Fins; 2 lb 8 oz per
fin; $189; -0.5 speed rating (slower than baseline); standard fit. These are a
stiffer version of the Twin Jet series. They came in a nice mesh bag,
with super-comfortable stainless steel straps. The size Mediums were
just a bit large for my feet with booties; they fit my drysuit
booties well. A pair of these fins will weigh 5 pounds, which is a
fair amount of weight for fins (in comparison, a pair of Sherwood
Elite fins, size Small, would weigh only 3 pounds). Swimming with
these fins felt effortless, but fairly slow, coming in at 10 seconds
slower than my standard Pod fins. Given the weight difference and my
sense that these stiffer split fins won't maneuver as well, I'd
choose the older Twin Jet fins over these for drysuit diving.
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| The Twin Jet Max fins do offer what look like standard posts to attach spring straps from other companies. However, the posts were just slightly too large to fit the EZ spring straps that I bought from Leisurepro. The Twin Jet Max fins did come with their own spring straps, which I could use on the Sherwood Elite fins because the buckles --not the posts -- fit together. |
Atomic open-heel split fins: 2 lb 7 oz per fin; $209; +1 speed rating; positively buoyant; standard fit. Upon first seeing these fins, I expected them to be slow. I was wrong. They are pretty heavy out of the water (a pair of fins will weigh almost 5 pounds); but once in the water, they are comfortable and pretty fast. Here are my notes after using them a couple of times: I really liked these after trying them. Pretty fast, powerful, and maneuverable.
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| The post for a strap on the Atomic fins looks like a standard one -- but it is not...I was not able to put an EZ spring strap on the fin. |
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Full Foot Fins:
Mares Plana Avanti Quattro Power full foot fin; 2 lb 2 oz;
$144; +2.5 speed rating; negative buoyancy. I tested these twice
over six months. These are long, heavy full foot fins. The fins are
29" long, and the size 8-9 fit me pretty well (just slightly
large) with lycra socks. These fins are great, although heavy and
stiff, for tropical diving. They are fast and powerful. Using these
fins gave me foot cramps when I tried them first, but I did not get
much discomfort when trying them again six months later. I was able
to shave 20 seconds off the normal time with the Avanti Quattro Power
fins and it would have been even more time (faster) if I did not have
to turn around at the ends of the pools each lap. I found the fins
to be extremely fast and powerful, but also very tiring to use.
Someone who has longer and more powerful legs than me will love these
fins.
Cressi Free Frog full-foot fins; 1 lb 12 oz; $34 at
scubastore.com; +1 speed rating; negative buoyancy; fins are 25
inches long and fairly flexible. Using the Free Frog fins, I was able
to go slightly faster that I was with the Pod fins. It took a bit
longer to get moving, but once I got moving, I moved slightly faster.
My legs felt more tired. Part of this was due to the bad fit of the
Free Frog fins; they were not tight on my feet. These full foot fins
can be hard to get on and off quickly. After using the longer fins,
using the Pod fins almost felt like I had nothing on, and that they
were not doing anything. These fins have been around a long time and
I used them with success for years. However, I'd recommend newer
models of full-foot fins rather than buying these, even though the
price is low.
Atomic full-foot Split fins; 1 lb 7 oz; $89; +2 speed
rating. The Atomic full foot split fins were very stiff, but good
after I got used to them. It took a while to get up to speed, but
then they were fast and efficient. Divers interested in ordering
these fins should order a size up. I ordered a size 7.5-8 but the
fins were a bit too tight for my feet. I'd like to try a size up with
lycra socks, and to re-measure my swimming time with these fins.
Mystery Brand Split Fins that I Do NOT recommend:
I've bought two sets of fins by known, famous manufacturers from the bargain bins of dive stores. Here's a pair of fins that I will be putting in the trash. I bought these in a dive shop in West Palm Beach. They allowed me to swim in a straight line, but they were absolute impossible to use when I was underwater and trying to maneuver. I have never used any fins that were so problematic underwater. I've covered the name of the fins so the manufacturer doesn't take offense at this post. Sorry, these fins just did not work for me.
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| Mystery split fins -- these would not allow me to manuever underwater at all. |
“
Mystery” flourescent green open-heel fins from a
famous brand; $40 at Bamboo Reef's clearance bin; could not finish
400 yards with these; negative buoyancy; standard fit. These fins came in a size
Small, which fit my foot in booties just fine. I had high hopes for
them. Unfortunately, they just weren't for me. My notes: Seems to
give a lot of power and maneuverability but is also a bit stiff, hard
on the knees, when diving with a drysuit. could not swim with these
in the pool, just too heavy and stiff. Worst fins ever, don't name
them. Tried swimming underwater with them, a little better but still
slow. Had a bad experience using them with drysuit in Channel
Islands. Very stiff, hurt my knees, did not swim well with them.
Reviewed after 9-1-2014:
Apollo Biofin Pro with stainless steel straps; 3 lb 2 oz
per fin; $200 or so; +1 speed rating; oversized by one size (+1). I have a pair of these fins in size Medium. The size
Medium is pretty big – too big for using in a wetsuit bootie.
Be careful when buying these fins as they are oversized.
These are heavy fins.
I’ve used them for a
bit of diving in the tropics but the weight is too much for me to travel with.
They've therefore been sitting in my garage
for several years.
Apollo does offer a stainless steel strap for these fins, but it attaches using screws on
the fin -- a
proprietary attachment. You therefore can't use other companies' spring
straps on these fins nor can you use the spring straps on other fins.
 |
| Note the stainless steel strap uses a proprietary attachment. |
 |
| The Apollo fins are oversize -- these are size Medium and are equivalent to most size Large fins. |
For this review, I
swam a few laps with them to confirm my earlier thoughts.
They are fast, they are maneuverable, and
they are heavy.
If you want power,
speed, and the ease of swimming that comes with a splitfin, then these fit the
bill – but the Atomic splitfins are just as powerful, fast and maneuverable, and they
weigh less.
I’d go with the Atomic
splitfins over these heavy suckers.
In summary: The Apollo fins are oversize -- their size Mediums are equivalent
to size Large fins from other companies. They are the heaviest fins around.
was lower down in the foot pocket, my feet would likely
have cramped before my calf muscles. In short, I felt like I was able to use all my leg and ankle muscles with these fins, because my entire foot was not encased.
After writing the above, I took out the Power Plana and Avanti Quattro Power + fins that I tested recently, and which felt different from this fin. With these fins, the foot pocket seemed deeper, so that the heel of my foot was completely encased. I did not like this feature; I felt more restricted in my finning with my entire foot encased inside the fin foot pocket. Photos at the end of this section confirm my hunch: the foot pocket for these fins is about 8.25"; whereas the Power Plana has a foot pocket of 9" deep and the Avanti Quattro Power + has a foot pocket depth of almost 10 inches!
Mares X-Stream open-heel fins: 1 lb 10 oz per fin; $180 as of 9-2014; +0 speed rating.
These fins look great on the web and in photographs. They have a cool name also. I understand that they are very popular with many divers. However, I am sorry to say that I was not overly impressed with these fins. They are fairly light fins, but I found them to be fairly slow to swim with. I felt that they would not provide me with enough power once I was carrying even a small scuba diving load.
These fins are about 22.5" long, and they have the standard Mares ABS buckle system with a rubber (or perhaps it is silicone) strap.
After testing these a second time, I found that the foot pocket is deep at 9.5 inches -- covering my entire foot past the heel. I prefer foot pockets that are not as deep.
Mares Avanti Quattro+ (Plus) open-heel fins; 1 lb 15 oz per fin; $130 on Leisurepro (Amazon as of 4-10-15 has this fin paired with a free mask at the same price!); +1.5 speed rating.
These are long, powerful, stiff fins. They might be ideal for divers carrying heavy cameras and wearing rebreathers. I should state that my tests of fins just involves swimming laps on the surface of a pool, without a load. Few divers are going to use their fins to try to swim 400 yards quickly. Instead, they may need more power from their fins intermittently, rather than feeling comfortable swimming quickly for a long distance. These fins might be perfect in such instances. I look forward to trying them along with my favorites on a diving trip.
These fins use the new Mare bungee strap. From the Mares description: "The buckle system has also been replaced with a bungee strap for easy donning and removal of the strap and fins from the foot."
I found the bungee strap to work fine. I liked the older ABS buckle system just fine too.
Mares Power Plana open-heel fins: 3 lb per fin; $143.95; +0 speed rating; negative buoyancy.
These fins are Mares' answer for divers who still use Scubapro Jet fins, which have been around for as long as I remember. They are made of rubber and are very heavy at 3 pounds per fin. They feel good in the water, but I did not like the wide foot pocket, which covered my entire foot past the heel.
These fins use the new Mare bungee strap. These Power Plana fins are incredibly heavy and are average in speed. They are obviously powerful fins, and are likely suited for tech divers and cave divers. Two folks who are expert divers have recommended these fins highly.
They are therefore worth a look although they are too heavy for me.
Note on Mares foot pocket depth:
I noticed that I felt that the foot pocket in the Mares Avanti Quattro+ and Mares Power Plana seemed to be deeper than the
Mares Volo Power open-heel fins. With these fins, the foot pocket seemed deeper, so that the heel of my foot was completely encased. I did not like this feature; I felt more restricted in my finning with my entire foot encased inside the fin foot pocket. Photos here confirm my hunch: the foot pocket for the Mares Volo Power fin is about 8.25"; whereas the Power Plana has a foot pocket of 9" deep and the Avanti Quattro Power + has a foot pocket depth of almost 10 inches!
To come:
Scubapro Nova Seawing open-heel Split Fins; 2 lb 2 oz per
fin in size L; $139; speed rating to be tested; standard size.
