What Fins Do You Use & Why?

LCF · Post by **LCF** » Tue Mar 13, 2012 3:00 pm

I think that 1:4 is an exaggeration, but I do get more power out of the EXPs. I thought it was just the blade length, but maybe it's the material, too.

scubnewb · Post by **scubnewb** » Wed Mar 14, 2012 2:24 am

Thanks man for the offer as always... I think I am gonna jump on that Hollis F1 deal with the Yellow tips for the $99 and give em a try, i figure if I hate em and they hurt my injuries I can esily get my $99 back out of them after a dive or two... ont the F1's come with spring straps as well?

Nwbrewer wrote:
BASSMAN wrote: F1's are vented in the pockets so you don't have to carry buckets of water or have to empty them like a Turtle fin.
But then how do you rinse the sand off your boots when you get to the car?

Newb I have a pair of XL jets that should fit you if you can meet me at Muk to try them out. I have Turtles because my drysuit boots won't fit the jets, and the shop cut me a good deal on them when I bought the drysuit. Primarily the fins being recommended above are variations on the same theme, a stiff rubber blade fin.

+100 for spring straps.

Jake

vs920 · Post by **vs920** » Wed Mar 14, 2012 6:03 am

I was looking at the F-1’s on sale at Scuba Toys the other day. According to their website they only have two sizes to choose from, Regular & XX Large; I didn’t see a sizing chart so I went to the Hollis website. • Regular: 7-9 • XL: 10-12 • XXL: 13-15

I use Scuba Pro Twinjets but I would like to try a F-1 style fin.

airsix · Post by **airsix** » Wed Mar 14, 2012 8:12 am

I recently aquired F1s and here are my observations:
If you primarily scissor-kick or flutter-kick you might find them to be very stiff. They are much stiffer than jets, slipstreams, or turtles. If that bothers you, don't write them off until you've worked on frog kicking, back kicking, and helicopter turns. They really perform well doing those kicks; better than any other fin I've used. They scissor and flutter fine too, but maybe not as comfortably. That's my experience anyway.

Jeremy · Post by **Jeremy** » Wed Mar 14, 2012 8:57 am

I recently switched from my BioFin split fins to a pair of F1s.

I initially hated them. They were brutal on my sloppy flutter kicking legs. But after working on a decent frog kick with the F1s I doubt I will ever go back to my splits.

scubnewb · Post by **scubnewb** » Wed Mar 14, 2012 2:41 pm

Luckily for me I should be able to fit a Regular just fine in the F1's so the sizing they have shouldnt be a issue. Lucky me!

And yeah I will be eventually frog kicking on my dives once i get it down, i have spent some time kind of learning about it online and have been trying it on the past couple dives when I get a chance and while I dont have it down its something I can tell I will catch on to pretty easily once I get some direct pointers and experience with someone who does it well so I know I am trying to do it correctly or what to change.

And yeah I can imagine they will be way different then my bio fins and I will probably hate them at first as the bio fin is so smooth and relaxed but I will get thru it once i get used to the new f1's..

They got about 75 pairs left to sell on that site of the size regular and well over 100 pairs of the larger sized ones so I think I will give it a week or two before I buy them and see if I can demo them.

Jeremy wrote:I recently switched from my BioFin split fins to a pair of F1s.

I initially hated them. They were brutal on my sloppy flutter kicking legs. But after working on a decent frog kick with the F1s I doubt I will ever go back to my splits.

airsix · Post by **airsix** » Wed Mar 14, 2012 4:01 pm

scubnewb wrote:I will be eventually frog kicking on my dives once i get it down, i have spent some time kind of learning about it online and have been trying it on the past couple dives when I get a chance

Eventually? When you have a chance?

If you don't have paddle fins just borrow some until you get your F1s or whatever. Go cold turkey starting right now. Just stop flutter/scissor kicking and force yourself to frog kick as your primary kick. It doesn't matter if it's not perfect. You'll have it down in no time if you just make yourself do it. In just a few dives it will feel natural and you'll be no-trace diving like a boss.

Ben

scubnewb · Post by **scubnewb** » Wed Mar 14, 2012 4:12 pm

Lol Eventualy basically means going cold turkey once I have the F1's

but right now when I am diving and me and my dive buddy are just chilling going now where and he is looking at something or taking pics and I am not trying to chase him down in my split fins you can see me usually just floating there attempting to frog kick in my bio fins or doing something i imagine that looks like a frog kick haha. At this point as long as we arent trying to go anywehre fast i actually can get my self around with what I think is a frog kick in the splits so I figure I will have it down just fine after a few dives. I actaully can go backwards as well in my bio fins but its real slow and hit and miss with each stroke lol

airsix wrote:
scubnewb wrote:I will be eventually frog kicking on my dives once i get it down, i have spent some time kind of learning about it online and have been trying it on the past couple dives when I get a chance
Eventually? When you have a chance? If you don't have paddle fins just borrow some until you get your F1s or whatever. Go cold turkey starting right now. Just stop flutter/scissor kicking and force yourself to frog kick as your primary kick. It doesn't matter if it's not perfect. You'll have it down in no time if you just make yourself do it. In just a few dives it will feel natural and you'll be no-trace diving like a boss.

Ben

CaptnJack · Post by **CaptnJack** » Wed Mar 14, 2012 9:09 pm

airsix wrote:
scubnewb wrote:I will be eventually frog kicking on my dives once i get it down, i have spent some time kind of learning about it online and have been trying it on the past couple dives when I get a chance
Eventually? When you have a chance? If you don't have paddle fins just borrow some until you get your F1s or whatever. Go cold turkey starting right now. Just stop flutter/scissor kicking and force yourself to frog kick as your primary kick. It doesn't matter if it's not perfect. You'll have it down in no time if you just make yourself do it. In just a few dives it will feel natural and you'll be no-trace diving like a boss.

Ben

+1
Arch your back, get your knees in line with your waist and you'll almost naturally frog - albit maybe somewhat disfunctionally.

dwashbur · Post by **dwashbur** » Wed Mar 14, 2012 9:17 pm

I have Atomic split fins. I've used the same pair for the entire 6 years I've been diving and I'm comfortable with them. I'd recommend you find a way to try several different kinds and see what's best for you.

In any case, +5 on the spring straps. You will LOVE them.

scubnewb · Post by **scubnewb** » Wed Mar 14, 2012 9:53 pm

Hahah yeah Disfuntional... thats the word I was looking for earlier haha

CaptnJack wrote:
airsix wrote:
scubnewb wrote:I will be eventually frog kicking on my dives once i get it down, i have spent some time kind of learning about it online and have been trying it on the past couple dives when I get a chance
Eventually? When you have a chance? If you don't have paddle fins just borrow some until you get your F1s or whatever. Go cold turkey starting right now. Just stop flutter/scissor kicking and force yourself to frog kick as your primary kick. It doesn't matter if it's not perfect. You'll have it down in no time if you just make yourself do it. In just a few dives it will feel natural and you'll be no-trace diving like a boss.

Ben
+1
Arch your back, get your knees in line with your waist and you'll almost naturally frog - albit maybe somewhat disfunctionally.

Sea Goat · Post by **Sea Goat** » Thu Mar 15, 2012 9:15 am

Cold: XL jetfins with springstraps

Warm: L jetfins that I got for $5 at a thrift shop in Bellingham, with the original straps, work great with booties, reef walkers, or five fingers shoes.

LCF · Post by **LCF** » Thu Mar 15, 2012 9:40 am

I just want to comment on the running theme that everybody ought to switch to frog kicking. It's a great kick, don't get me wrong -- very easy to avoid silting, and the glide phase is a resting phase, so you don't fatigue as fast. (It's also a great buoyancy check with every kick!) But it is not the be-all and end-all of kicking; there are conditions where a good modified flutter kick is a better choice, like into current. Fighting current or flow, the frog kick is not a winner, because the glide phase is simply velocity loss, and acceleration takes more energy than running at a constant speed. The flutter has propulsion in every moment of the kick cycle, and is better into current or flow.

A lot of people adopt the frog kick and never use anything else. It's really ideal to have several kicks in the armamentarium, and be able to execute all of them in a non-silting way.

Jeff Pack · Post by **Jeff Pack** » Thu Mar 15, 2012 9:52 am

We learned a bent knee flutter kick to keep in tight.

My instructors mentioned in my AOW clas, I had probably the most efficient bent knee flutter they've ever seen.

For me, I find the frog kick less efficent, and actually more effort. With a bent knee hover, the kick comes right from that position, as well as helicopter spins and back kicks. I've tried a frog kick from bent knee was well, and dont really care for that either.

Now the downside I've learned, is air gets trapped in my feet, so I have to remember to stretch out once and awhile when venting my drysuit, to let that air migrate out of my feet.

Just dont completely swallow the "you gotta do frog kicks" kool aid...

scubnewb · Post by **scubnewb** » Thu Mar 15, 2012 4:53 pm

Yea I agree, there are different kicks that are approraite for diffent dives and times like there are different tools for different jobs.

LCF wrote:I just want to comment on the running theme that everybody ought to switch to frog kicking. It's a great kick, don't get me wrong -- very easy to avoid silting, and the glide phase is a resting phase, so you don't fatigue as fast. (It's also a great buoyancy check with every kick!) But it is not the be-all and end-all of kicking; there are conditions where a good modified flutter kick is a better choice, like into current. Fighting current or flow, the frog kick is not a winner, because the glide phase is simply velocity loss, and acceleration takes more energy than running at a constant speed. The flutter has propulsion in every moment of the kick cycle, and is better into current or flow.

A lot of people adopt the frog kick and never use anything else. It's really ideal to have several kicks in the armamentarium, and be able to execute all of them in a non-silting way.

Cera · Post by **Cera** » Wed Mar 21, 2012 9:23 am

I like my Volo's. My husband uses the jet fins ( Except on Vacay). They are nice because they are negative, while the Volo's are neutral or even slightly positive. I have bad knees and it's hard to use heavy fins but my husband likes the jet's because he can stand on them while lighter fins break or bend. The heavy fins are also nice for drysuit diving. Just my 2psi, since you asked.

Perry Cole · Post by **Perry Cole** » Thu Mar 22, 2012 12:54 pm

I normally dive APS Mantas because they are light, come with spring straps, and I can frog kick with them. I dive Apollo biofins with my drysuit and can really stir up the seafloor with them. My wife uses Jetfins (with a split) for all her diving and enjoys them. She, and a few of my friends, do not like the Mantas but I know a lot of divers that do like them. All our fins have spring straps.

kagey747 · Post by **kagey747** » Fri Mar 23, 2012 10:49 am

I've got two types of fins for specific types of dives: If I have to cover some distance in the water or need some speed (I haven't got hooked on the scooter crack yet) my old legs LOVE my ScubaPro Twin Jet splits- I have yet to get a leg cramp even with extended finning; normal snoopin' and cruisin' and huntin' dives I use my F1's for all the previously posted reasons and I really enjoy the precise control. I firmly believe that you should tailor your gear for the diving you intend to do.

Joshua Smith · Post by **Joshua Smith** » Fri Mar 23, 2012 11:55 am

I've tried a lot of different fins over the years. Splits, Jets, Turtles, Batfins....they all work, it comes down to personal preference, most of the time.

But for really serious deep technical diving with high currents, there's really only one choice: Get yourself a pair of THESE BABIES.

KaizerWilhelm · Post by **KaizerWilhelm** » Fri Mar 23, 2012 7:53 pm

Those might work well for high currents, but the best fin for high current, I've found, are Dive-X Cudas :-)

scubnewb · Post by **scubnewb** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 5:35 pm

Thanks for all the info everyone, I decided to just order the Yellow Tip F1's for $99 off scubatoys... Shoud be here by monday or so!

dungeediver · Post by **dungeediver** » Fri Mar 30, 2012 1:59 pm

Prob a little late but I love my Bio Fins

scubnewb · Post by **scubnewb** » Fri Mar 30, 2012 3:24 pm

I have a pair myself and they are nice but I decided I wanted to try something else and see how it went. I have been trying to frog kick in them and while it works to a extent I dont feel like I get maximum results.

dungeediver wrote:Prob a little late but I love my Bio Fins

Jeremy · Post by **Jeremy** » Fri Mar 30, 2012 3:26 pm

There is a huge difference in frog kicks from the BioFins to the F1.

I think people like BioFins if they are primarily flutter kickers.

scubnewb · Post by **scubnewb** » Wed Apr 04, 2012 4:11 pm

F1's came to my door today :-)

Northwest Dive Club