New fins

[Nwcid]

The first fins I got were Vipers like, http://www.leisurepro.com/prod/OCNFVP.h ... OCNFVPXLYL and they seemed to work fine. One thing I noticed is they had a lot of flex to them and would almost fold in half when I kicked.

This summer I got a chance to try (and bought) a set of turtle fins which are awesome and work very well for me.

Last week we went to HI and since the turtles don't fit without a boot on I had to take my Vipers with me. Even in the warm water with less gear on I still had a lot of flex in them. I did not feel like my finning was as efficient as in my turtle fins.

So my question is what do other people do when they dive in warm water? From what I was reading it looks like all the turtle fins are built big for boots. Is there another brand of "stiff" fin out there that fits well in soft boots?

Here is a pic showing some of the bend. it is not uncommon for it to be bent 90* in some of the videos I have.

[Jeremy]

I dive my Hollis F1's in both warm and cold water.

[Nwcid]

So do you have 2 different size ones? There is NO way my foot fits in my fins I have now without a hard boot on.

[Dusty2]

You need to get a bigger boot or another set of fins. The Hollis F1's are my favorite too. If you already have a set of turtles why not just get a set of F1's is a smaller size There are several wetsuit boots with thick soles like the dry boots but your talking almost what a set of hollis blems cost from Scuba toys. Another option is to use a spacer in your fins.

As for the flew you are experiencing, That is actually a design feature of that type fin. It is suposed to give you less resistance on the down stroke. The problem is you are using the bent knee style kick and splits are designed for a strait leg kick. You either have to change kick styles when using them or change to a fin designed for that type of kick (easier to do)

[kitsapdiver]

http://www.diverite.com/products/catalog/fins/es410

The dive rite exp fins are very nice fins. They're stiffer than the vipers are going to be but lighter than the traditional heavy rubber paddle fin, making them better for travel and warm water. They also seem to be popular in cave country in FL (although the traditional paddle fins are still king) becaue they give enough propulsion to move doubles and technical gear through the warm water there. I only used a set one time back when I lived in Ohio, and there I felt like those fins were very efficient.

Austin

[Tom Nic]

I dive my Hollis F1's in both warm and cold water.

+1 on this.

I dive the SeaSoft hard sole booties and they fit exactly like my dry suit boots do, so there is no change.

Some people don't like the weight of the F1's for warm water, although I don't notice any problem. I am wearing them in my avatar pic. For me they trim out nicely.

The F2 looks interesting.... Smaller, but still stiff... Might be a good warm water fin for those who find the F1 too heavy.

[Gdog]

I like my Mares blades...nice power in the cozumel current!

[spatman]

I find my Hollis f1s are too heavy in warm waters with minimal gear. I bought a pair of the Dive Rite EXPs and love them.

[LCF]

Another vote for the EXPs. I love mine. They are less negative than Jets or Turtles, too, so it's a little easier to balance when you are diving light exposure protection.

[Nwcid]

I have seen the EXP's and look nice. Bob has a set but they are too small for me to try. They seemed quite long and I can not find a listed length on them. My travel bag is only about 27" on the inside and the Vipers just fit.

[Mortuus]

I dive my F1's warm and cold. I actually did not have to buy a separate size fin. I just used the 6mm boots that I use for warm water anyways. They fit without a problem. I use size XL. Spatman is right though...they are WAY too heavy. I ended up diving very very overweighted just so that I could put enough weight up top to stay in trim.

[Gdog]

Good question on the length of the EXPs....anyone have a measurement on the length and width of the blade?

[spatman]

My XLs are about 10.5" wide and 24" long.

[Nwcid]

Thanks for the info. Those should fit in the bag well. I will have to look into them a bit more.

[spatman]

Thanks for the info. Those should fit in the bag well. I will have to look into them a bit more.

When will you be needing them next? You could probably borrow mine, if I'm not needing them for a vacation.

[Joshua Smith]

What is this "warm" water you people keep mentioning? Is it like "hot" snow or "dry" rain?

[Nwcid]

spatman that is a great offer. Right now I do not know when we are headed to warm again. If we were closer I might take you up on that offer but in the scheme of things getting my own is not that big of a deal.

[spatman]

What is this "warm" water you people keep mentioning? Is it like "hot" snow or "dry" rain?

It's like your whiskey without ice.

[Joshua Smith]

What is this "warm" water you people keep mentioning? Is it like "hot" snow or "dry" rain?

It's like your whiskey without ice.

Thats not really a problem.

[KneeDeep]

My XLs are about 10.5" wide and 24" long.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk 21360193625.993194.jpg

Spatman, what size are you using in the EXP? Whats your boot size and are you using a wet shoe? (Xmm?)

[spatman]

My XLs are about 10.5" wide and 24" long.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk 21360193625.993194.jpg

Spatman, what size are you using in the EXP? Whats your boot size and are you using a wet shoe? (Xmm?)

My EXPs are XL. They have a big foot pocket, I was using them with my drysuit last spring. They're about the same foot pocket size as my XXL Hollis f1s.

My foot size is 11. I'll be using them in Hawaii soon with my 5mm wet boots, which have a pretty hefty sole. I'm sure they'll do fine.

[Blow-N-Bubbles]

Look at the Hollis F2's, VERY travel friendly and have much of the same characteristics as the F1's. Large boot pocket, standard with adjustable spring strap, very light and are neutral boyuant.

[KneeDeep]

Is there a Dive Rite and a Hollis retailer local (Seattle) to try any of these on?