My first fins when I started training were Mares Quattros. They were good but I found my legs tired quite quickly, unexpected as I'm a regular runner. It was like cycling stuck in too high a gear. I swapped to Apeks jet fins that were about 6" shorter and was instantly a lot more comfortable. Also the spring straps are a lot more robust. And yes I use high-density RK3s for twin set where there is more weight up the body. I find the neutral RK3s perfect for everything else, from single aluminum backmount in a shortie to twin steels sidemount in drysuit. But there were no videos around at the time so I had to find out for myself. I'm sure this video will help a lot of people.
My wife has found Apeks works better for her too, we are both fairly heavy people, so we don't need a lot of weight even in cold water. Even without doubles so she found jetfins were not working well for her. For cold water, the neutral buoyancy Apek RK3s were spot on for her. I know some folk who still like Quattros for warm water diving too!
I spent over forty years in retail dive shop/scuba manufacturing businesses. I really thought you did a very good job of examining the various fins and suggestions for users! I still use my old Scubapro XL Jetfins (circa 1972, I think) for cold water diving in Puget Sound (often fast currents) and use their newer Split Fins (with boots) for tropical diving. The split fins are definitely less powerful and I don't care for them in a current, but hey, I'm an old guy and they work well for diving my way through the Bahamas.
Thank you very much for sharing! I'm still in the mindset there is no perfect fin for all conditions and this was my best effort to put forward something a bit more timeless to help folk make the right decision for which fin fits what they need. Say, I'm from Seattle, too, and enjoy the sound, too! Still getting more active in the diving scene locally.
@@itravelwisely Right now all my diving is in warm water, but I still love diving in the Pacific Northwest - especially in the Neah Bay area and San Juan Islands. For diving there, I'll use my old XL Jetfins - they still serve me well.
7:30 and I haven't seen anyone using fins in a proper way. It's delirious... They use the knees instead of their ankles by keeping legs straight aligned Don't get me wrong, the video is nice ✌🏻
Thank you! Yes, this video was not attempting to demonstrate proper finning. It's more of random footage I've taken over the years showing recreational diving.
On one of my most recent dives, the rental fins I had really hurt my feet. So I asked if they had any others I could borrow. The only ones available were a lovely pink set owned by an instructor who wasn't diving due to injury. She let me borrow them and they felt great. So when I got home, I ordered the same model.. albeit not in pink. I am not manly enough to rock pink fins haha. I figured there's a tonne of options out there and there's also a lot of personal preference.. so I just went ahead and purchased them as I knew i was happy with them.
Sometimes, it's a real challenge to try scuba gear. Some shops let you buy it and return if you don't like it but not everywhere. And it's not usually cheap ha ha. Its' good you got to try the fin out and if it works for you then all the better!
Voit skindiver. From The sixties. I still use them. Subtropical tropical water. Used them for a lifetime. The rubber of that era stood the test of time.
They look a lot like jetfins, too, which I've also heard people passing these on generational and lasting several generations and going strong, haha. Pretty neat looking design!
@@itravelwiselyI’ll have to study on the jet fins. The fit and comfort of the Skindivers is superb. Barefoot. No cuts. The rubber of that era was engineered to last. Nemrod another example of Sixties rubber. I do have a pair of Cressi’s like the pair at 10 mins in your video that are nice for me but have to wear a pair of socks. They will cut the heels bad if worn barefoot. I use them when I’m in cooler water. Enjoyed the video. Safe diving to all.
Great video! I've been using the ScubaPro travel fin for quite a few years now and I love them for what we currently dive, however I am going to get the Supernova for our trip to the Maldives.
We got the Supernova purely because they are so convenient for travel, and they are not disappointed! We took them on two trips now, and their ability to disassemble is very useful when bag space is limited!
For traveling to bonaire I'm in between bringing my tusa hyflex switch or my tecs tecline powerjet. Bought the powerjets for my drysuit but bonaire I bring my 5mm semi dry. The powerjets also weigh 2 kilo. Any thoughts about it, also some considering with currents?
Enjoy your time in Bon Aire! I have yet to dive there myself but I heard the diving is fairly sheltered there and so it should have minimal current. Given it is warmer water I suspect the power jets are a bit too negatively buoyant and will likely pull you naturally to positive trim. I suspect the Tulsa's will fair better than the powerjets with a 5 mm. Likely easier to travel with too as weight is a hassle when flying.
This is the video for someone who wanna buy fins like me has been searching for, unlike those only bullshit review without any testing and comparison like advertising
“You wouldn’t use the same skis for powder or moguls.” You don’t know the extent of my debauchery. Great video. Since I’ve moved almost exclusively to frog kicking, I’m all about the jet fins
I would argue that in the "jet fins" category, there are a lot better alternatives than the actual jet fins though. The Deep6 Eddy fins might be my favorite of the bunch.
Jets are some fairly negatively buoyant fins, I usually only use them with dry suit, but I do know folk who make it work in a wetsuit. It's all about achieving a balanced trim with your rig, and you should be able to make anything work. It might just be a bit harder in some cases, haha.
@arthur1670 that class is legitimately hard, and I wouldn't walk away from it thinking that makes you terrible. With time and practice, you can pass that course and continue to grow past it! Not to mention, the fact that you even wanted to take the class puts you at a strong growth mindset. One of the reasons I created this channel was to help others as I've struggled with these points, too, and I continue to improve as I challenge myself, too. Hope the tips and tricks help a long way with good practice!
I do not think experienced diver kick thousands times over fun dive. I recon 10 times per minute is a lot. But even 20 per minute is less than thousand over like 45 minute dive. But realistically it is way less as you are not kicking all the time and especially not when you doing stops or when you look at something. I do not remember I had more than one 5 minute sprint in last 10 years.
You are right, experienced divers do become more efficient and kick much less and of course there is a lot of caveats to what I said there as it would also depend on the terrain, goal, and current. But of course it was more of a general statement in an effort to catch the attention. Regardless of its less or more the fins will have a large effect in your diving over time. Hope you enjoyed the video otherwise!
I wanted to focus on generic fin information, but I also own a lot of scuba pro fins. Regardless, I hoped this information was generic and can help one find their own fin that fits what they need and stands the test of time.
Some divers, maybe - certainly not most. However, if the diver is in a wetsuit, jets will be too negative for most to trim nicely. They are drysuit fins.
@@nodidog Nope. There is no thing as too heavy or too light fins. Sure its easier with heavy fins in a dry suit. But you can easily dive with jet fins in a rash suit. You just need to adjust your body positioning.
Thanks, the footage in this video are not demonstrations of proper finning, but just footage of different divers' finning. Proper finning was not the goal of this video.
Nice videos, visuals are great, except the continuous use of the bicycling seahorse with cat ears. Not great for credible examples. Again, other than that, the videos are great!
Before you can even begin to use your fins properly, you first need someone to correctly teach you proper buoyancy and trim. To do this, you need an instructor who actually knows and understand "weight and balance" (hint, look for an instructor from an agency with higher standards, and who has an aviation background). You will learn that IN NO WAY does the buoyancy of your fins actually matter. Your fins can be positive, negative, or neutral by themselves, but your dive boots, or socks and shoes, or even bare feet, ALSO play a component in your overall trim. So does the type of BC you use, your exposure protection choice, and a great many other factors too. So NO, the density of your fins does NOT make any major difference. What actually DOES matter in your ability to improve your finning efficiency, is to learn proper trim, and to do this, you MUST be taught about weight and moment. These things affect your CG. And BEFORE you learn that, you MUST be taught correctly how to be neutrally buoyant, and to do THAT, you need to be taught correct "ideal breathing" first... So the way it goes is: 1st learn ideal breathing technique (starting from day one in a horizontal trim position), 2nd learn and develop proper buoyancy (100% strict horizontal positioning enforced at all times, absolutely ZERO knees, ever), 3rd be taught CG and Weight and Moment (for the entire body and equipment), 4th learn proper trim. Once you have breathing, buoyancy, and trim down, you will see a dramatic increase in your finning efficiency, and only THEN you will understand that fin density plays an extremely minor role in your trim or finning efficiency. Now... Where choice of fins actually DOES matter, is design and stiffness... You do NOT want any fin that is designed specifically for flutter kicks (because you shouldn't be doing those 99% of the time), OR any fin that reduces efficiency. So throw out those stupid Nova fins (and all "hinge" fins), or those retarded Force Fins, and any and all Split Fins too. Additionally, throw out any fins that are far too short to offer any real propulsion benefit (such as pool fins for swimming), or far too long for actual diving efficiency use (such as freediving fins). What are you left with? Well, the two most popular fin designs on the planet for the past 70 years are vented rubber fins and solid paddle fins. These designs offer a wide range models from flexible to stiff, from heavy to light, that channel water to the center and off the blade, that allow for correct finning techniques without sacrificing on joint form, and that match the type of diving needs you may have. Perhaps the two best options in each category today are the RK3 and RK3 HD's, and the Mares Avanti Quatro and the SEAC Propulsion S.
Thank you for sharing your viewpoint! It's a good viewpoint from your standpoint, and I can see the experience and knowledge, but such a firm standpoint is too restrictive for everyone.
@@itravelwisely Well, you can choose to describe it as “firm” if you want. The fact is, it is a short version descriptive summary of the exact process that produces the best results, based entirely on physics, and very-well tested and standardized MOI. Now, I could have stated I’m saying this from the perspective of a 22+ year career aviator, 22+ year career diver, and qualified standardization instructor and qualified educator, who has taught at the university level, and firmly believes in and maintains academic freedom, for exactly the principles of developing and adapting curriculum to meet the learning needs of each individual… But then that would have made my initial comment subjective instead of a simple statement of fact supported by an explanation of process. If I was “firm”, I might have fallen to the bottom-of-the-barrel and become a PADI instructor… 😂
Definitely good fins for the right conditions! I especially like Supernova for its ability to disassemble and be super easy to travel with. I like to think there is no absolute best fin, and it really depends on a number of factors though which is why I wanted to make this video!
Too many people looking at tech when they just need to be more fit and change a bit of technique. Changing fins because of temperature WTF. Just go dive have fun don't obsess about the latest gear it's mostly a sales pitch. When you look back 40 years not much has really changed maybe dive computers.
This video was trying to highlight differences and features of fins on the market so you can make the choice that is right for you. Regardless of if it is a 40 year old fin or a new one.
I am a dive instructor with over a thousand dives and I disagree with almost everything of what you explained. First of all, split fins are not fins. They are useless crap. High quality fins with soft inserts in the blade are clearly the best and it is not true that they break. I have done 300 dives and the Mares Avanti 4 and the rubber channels are as perfect as at the beginning. The scubapro seawing fins that you showed are terrible and I would never recommend them to anyone. At the beginning you talked about positive fins. I have never seen a fin that floats. Once the inside is flooded they all sink. Changing fins based on the temperature also makes little sense. Lastly, if you know the diver with the yellow fins at minute 10, tell him that he has to redo the open course because he has no idea how to fin
Well reasoned and spoken. If your new to diving, Don's pearls are worth your time.
Greatly appreciated!
Jet fins are a legit category on their own.
They are indeed a very robust and capable fin!
Best fins made all purposes
My first fins when I started training were Mares Quattros. They were good but I found my legs tired quite quickly, unexpected as I'm a regular runner. It was like cycling stuck in too high a gear. I swapped to Apeks jet fins that were about 6" shorter and was instantly a lot more comfortable. Also the spring straps are a lot more robust. And yes I use high-density RK3s for twin set where there is more weight up the body. I find the neutral RK3s perfect for everything else, from single aluminum backmount in a shortie to twin steels sidemount in drysuit. But there were no videos around at the time so I had to find out for myself. I'm sure this video will help a lot of people.
My wife has found Apeks works better for her too, we are both fairly heavy people, so we don't need a lot of weight even in cold water. Even without doubles so she found jetfins were not working well for her. For cold water, the neutral buoyancy Apek RK3s were spot on for her.
I know some folk who still like Quattros for warm water diving too!
I spent over forty years in retail dive shop/scuba manufacturing businesses. I really thought you did a very good job of examining the various fins and suggestions for users! I still use my old Scubapro XL Jetfins (circa 1972, I think) for cold water diving in Puget Sound (often fast currents) and use their newer Split Fins (with boots) for tropical diving. The split fins are definitely less powerful and I don't care for them in a current, but hey, I'm an old guy and they work well for diving my way through the Bahamas.
Thank you very much for sharing! I'm still in the mindset there is no perfect fin for all conditions and this was my best effort to put forward something a bit more timeless to help folk make the right decision for which fin fits what they need.
Say, I'm from Seattle, too, and enjoy the sound, too! Still getting more active in the diving scene locally.
@@itravelwisely Right now all my diving is in warm water, but I still love diving in the Pacific Northwest - especially in the Neah Bay area and San Juan Islands. For diving there, I'll use my old XL Jetfins - they still serve me well.
7:30 and I haven't seen anyone using fins in a proper way. It's delirious... They use the knees instead of their ankles by keeping legs straight aligned
Don't get me wrong, the video is nice ✌🏻
Thank you! Yes, this video was not attempting to demonstrate proper finning. It's more of random footage I've taken over the years showing recreational diving.
On one of my most recent dives, the rental fins I had really hurt my feet. So I asked if they had any others I could borrow. The only ones available were a lovely pink set owned by an instructor who wasn't diving due to injury. She let me borrow them and they felt great. So when I got home, I ordered the same model.. albeit not in pink. I am not manly enough to rock pink fins haha. I figured there's a tonne of options out there and there's also a lot of personal preference.. so I just went ahead and purchased them as I knew i was happy with them.
Sometimes, it's a real challenge to try scuba gear. Some shops let you buy it and return if you don't like it but not everywhere. And it's not usually cheap ha ha. Its' good you got to try the fin out and if it works for you then all the better!
Voit skindiver. From
The sixties. I still
use them. Subtropical tropical water. Used them for a lifetime.
The rubber of that era stood the test of time.
They look a lot like jetfins, too, which I've also heard people passing these on generational and lasting several generations and going strong, haha.
Pretty neat looking design!
@@itravelwiselyI’ll have to study on the jet fins. The fit and comfort of the Skindivers is superb. Barefoot. No cuts. The rubber of that era was engineered to last. Nemrod another example of Sixties rubber.
I do have a pair of Cressi’s like the pair at 10 mins in your video that are nice for me but have to wear a pair of socks. They will cut the heels bad if worn barefoot. I use them when I’m in cooler water.
Enjoyed the video. Safe diving to all.
Very useful explanation. Thanks :)
Thank you, and I'm glad it was useful!
Great video! I've been using the ScubaPro travel fin for quite a few years now and I love them for what we currently dive, however I am going to get the Supernova for our trip to the Maldives.
We got the Supernova purely because they are so convenient for travel, and they are not disappointed! We took them on two trips now, and their ability to disassemble is very useful when bag space is limited!
For traveling to bonaire I'm in between bringing my tusa hyflex switch or my tecs tecline powerjet. Bought the powerjets for my drysuit but bonaire I bring my 5mm semi dry. The powerjets also weigh 2 kilo. Any thoughts about it, also some considering with currents?
Enjoy your time in Bon Aire! I have yet to dive there myself but I heard the diving is fairly sheltered there and so it should have minimal current. Given it is warmer water I suspect the power jets are a bit too negatively buoyant and will likely pull you naturally to positive trim. I suspect the Tulsa's will fair better than the powerjets with a 5 mm. Likely easier to travel with too as weight is a hassle when flying.
@ good points. I can bring 30kilo with me. Might bring the tusa then. With minimum effort you go turbo speed in them although I prefer turtle speed
Probably fine to be a little turbo, less kicks! Tiny and precise kicks can still inch you to your target too.
@ agreed
very informative with information not easily found surfing the web. Many thanks.
I'm glad you enjoyed it! I really wanted to focus more on fin characteristics that will stand the test of time!
This is the video for someone who wanna buy fins like me has been searching for, unlike those only bullshit review without any testing and comparison like advertising
This comment made my day, and I'm glad you enjoyed it!
“You wouldn’t use the same skis for powder or moguls.”
You don’t know the extent of my debauchery.
Great video. Since I’ve moved almost exclusively to frog kicking, I’m all about the jet fins
Haha, I've started enjoying jetfins for cold water diving, too. Great fins and super robust! Thank you, and I'm glad you enjoyed the video!
I would argue that in the "jet fins" category, there are a lot better alternatives than the actual jet fins though. The Deep6 Eddy fins might be my favorite of the bunch.
Scuba pro jets definitely feeling heavier in a 3mm, how will they feel in sting suit lol
Jets are some fairly negatively buoyant fins, I usually only use them with dry suit, but I do know folk who make it work in a wetsuit. It's all about achieving a balanced trim with your rig, and you should be able to make anything work. It might just be a bit harder in some cases, haha.
@@itravelwisely I’m a terrible diver, i failed my GUE fundamentals lol
@arthur1670 that class is legitimately hard, and I wouldn't walk away from it thinking that makes you terrible. With time and practice, you can pass that course and continue to grow past it!
Not to mention, the fact that you even wanted to take the class puts you at a strong growth mindset.
One of the reasons I created this channel was to help others as I've struggled with these points, too, and I continue to improve as I challenge myself, too. Hope the tips and tricks help a long way with good practice!
I do not think experienced diver kick thousands times over fun dive. I recon 10 times per minute is a lot. But even 20 per minute is less than thousand over like 45 minute dive. But realistically it is way less as you are not kicking all the time and especially not when you doing stops or when you look at something. I do not remember I had more than one 5 minute sprint in last 10 years.
You are right, experienced divers do become more efficient and kick much less and of course there is a lot of caveats to what I said there as it would also depend on the terrain, goal, and current. But of course it was more of a general statement in an effort to catch the attention. Regardless of its less or more the fins will have a large effect in your diving over time. Hope you enjoyed the video otherwise!
Kind of sounded like an ad for scubapro. Too many student or new divers end up in jet fins that are TOO STIFF for most divers.
I wanted to focus on generic fin information, but I also own a lot of scuba pro fins. Regardless, I hoped this information was generic and can help one find their own fin that fits what they need and stands the test of time.
Some divers, maybe - certainly not most. However, if the diver is in a wetsuit, jets will be too negative for most to trim nicely. They are drysuit fins.
It’s a fair video. I dive jet fins
@@nodidog
Nope. There is no thing as too heavy or too light fins. Sure its easier with heavy fins in a dry suit. But you can easily dive with jet fins in a rash suit. You just need to adjust your body positioning.
@@provuksmc6619 Imbalances can be worked around. Obviously. Nobody was disputing that. We were talking about what is sensible for new divers.
Good info 👍🏻
Thanks you 👍
Tbh i don't see a lot of proper kicking in this video. Really need to nail down technique before worrying about specific fins.
Thanks, the footage in this video are not demonstrations of proper finning, but just footage of different divers' finning. Proper finning was not the goal of this video.
Nice videos, visuals are great, except the continuous use of the bicycling seahorse with cat ears. Not great for credible examples.
Again, other than that, the videos are great!
Thank you! Of course, always working on our finning.
Before you can even begin to use your fins properly, you first need someone to correctly teach you proper buoyancy and trim. To do this, you need an instructor who actually knows and understand "weight and balance" (hint, look for an instructor from an agency with higher standards, and who has an aviation background). You will learn that IN NO WAY does the buoyancy of your fins actually matter.
Your fins can be positive, negative, or neutral by themselves, but your dive boots, or socks and shoes, or even bare feet, ALSO play a component in your overall trim. So does the type of BC you use, your exposure protection choice, and a great many other factors too. So NO, the density of your fins does NOT make any major difference. What actually DOES matter in your ability to improve your finning efficiency, is to learn proper trim, and to do this, you MUST be taught about weight and moment. These things affect your CG. And BEFORE you learn that, you MUST be taught correctly how to be neutrally buoyant, and to do THAT, you need to be taught correct "ideal breathing" first...
So the way it goes is: 1st learn ideal breathing technique (starting from day one in a horizontal trim position), 2nd learn and develop proper buoyancy (100% strict horizontal positioning enforced at all times, absolutely ZERO knees, ever), 3rd be taught CG and Weight and Moment (for the entire body and equipment), 4th learn proper trim.
Once you have breathing, buoyancy, and trim down, you will see a dramatic increase in your finning efficiency, and only THEN you will understand that fin density plays an extremely minor role in your trim or finning efficiency.
Now... Where choice of fins actually DOES matter, is design and stiffness...
You do NOT want any fin that is designed specifically for flutter kicks (because you shouldn't be doing those 99% of the time), OR any fin that reduces efficiency. So throw out those stupid Nova fins (and all "hinge" fins), or those retarded Force Fins, and any and all Split Fins too. Additionally, throw out any fins that are far too short to offer any real propulsion benefit (such as pool fins for swimming), or far too long for actual diving efficiency use (such as freediving fins).
What are you left with? Well, the two most popular fin designs on the planet for the past 70 years are vented rubber fins and solid paddle fins. These designs offer a wide range models from flexible to stiff, from heavy to light, that channel water to the center and off the blade, that allow for correct finning techniques without sacrificing on joint form, and that match the type of diving needs you may have. Perhaps the two best options in each category today are the RK3 and RK3 HD's, and the Mares Avanti Quatro and the SEAC Propulsion S.
Thank you for sharing your viewpoint! It's a good viewpoint from your standpoint, and I can see the experience and knowledge, but such a firm standpoint is too restrictive for everyone.
@@itravelwisely Well, you can choose to describe it as “firm” if you want. The fact is, it is a short version descriptive summary of the exact process that produces the best results, based entirely on physics, and very-well tested and standardized MOI. Now, I could have stated I’m saying this from the perspective of a 22+ year career aviator, 22+ year career diver, and qualified standardization instructor and qualified educator, who has taught at the university level, and firmly believes in and maintains academic freedom, for exactly the principles of developing and adapting curriculum to meet the learning needs of each individual… But then that would have made my initial comment subjective instead of a simple statement of fact supported by an explanation of process. If I was “firm”, I might have fallen to the bottom-of-the-barrel and become a PADI instructor… 😂
Super seawing nova are the best fins
Definitely good fins for the right conditions! I especially like Supernova for its ability to disassemble and be super easy to travel with.
I like to think there is no absolute best fin, and it really depends on a number of factors though which is why I wanted to make this video!
Too many people looking at tech when they just need to be more fit and change a bit of technique.
Changing fins because of temperature WTF.
Just go dive have fun don't obsess about the latest gear it's mostly a sales pitch.
When you look back 40 years not much has really changed maybe dive computers.
This video was trying to highlight differences and features of fins on the market so you can make the choice that is right for you. Regardless of if it is a 40 year old fin or a new one.
I am a dive instructor with over a thousand dives and I disagree with almost everything of what you explained. First of all, split fins are not fins. They are useless crap. High quality fins with soft inserts in the blade are clearly the best and it is not true that they break. I have done 300 dives and the Mares Avanti 4 and the rubber channels are as perfect as at the beginning. The scubapro seawing fins that you showed are terrible and I would never recommend them to anyone. At the beginning you talked about positive fins. I have never seen a fin that floats. Once the inside is flooded they all sink. Changing fins based on the temperature also makes little sense. Lastly, if you know the diver with the yellow fins at minute 10, tell him that he has to redo the open course because he has no idea how to fin
Thanks for your thoughts.