Split fins vs Traditional fins

[spatman]

i'm getting close to buying my own pair and i was just wondering who likes what fin type and why...

[Joshua Smith]

I was amazed at how much better my Turtles work than the splits I was diving with. I'm never going back. And if you dive doubles, it's interesting to note that NOAA has recently banned splits - at least for diving doubles...maybe for everything, I can't remember, but I'm sure about the doubles. To be fair, lots of very good divers use splits and love them, but for me, I'll never use 'em again.

[spatman]

And if you dive doubles, it's interesting to note that NOAA has recently banned splits...

why would they ban them? not enough power to push extra weight?

[Nwbrewer]

I have some scubapro Razor's and some Jets. The Razor's are gathering dust. Learning how to frog kick with jets made all the difference in my fin preference.....

[Joshua Smith]

And if you dive doubles, it's interesting to note that NOAA has recently banned splits...

why would they ban them? not enough power to push extra weight?

That was my understanding- I think it might have had some connection with the two Coast Guard divers who died last year, too, but I could be wrong about that.

From my own experience, my Apollo pro plus fins were fine in a single tank configuration, but performance seemed to drop a lot when I switched to doubles. I just figured that was normal, but when I switched over to my Turtles, I was amazed at how much faster and more powerfull my kicks seemed.

[Sounder]

I run XL Turtles with my drysuit and XL Jets in the tropics. Mrs. Sounder Runs (the same pair) XL Jets with her drysuit and Med Jets in the tropics.

I, too, think NOAA may have made that rule after the CG incident. It was in the incident report that they were using the wrong fins for this kind of diving (referring to the heavy and bulky gear of cold water diving) and saying they should have used a blade fin.

[Tangfish]

That was my understanding- I think it might have had some connection with the two Coast Guard divers who died last year

"You're coming into the water with those things?! *points at split fins* You're going to get us all killed!!!!"

(I love my Apollo XTs)

[Joshua Smith]

That was my understanding- I think it might have had some connection with the two Coast Guard divers who died last year

"You're coming into the water with those things?! *points at split fins* You're going to get us all killed!!!!"

(I love my Apollo XTs)

Like I said, some good divers use them all the time. So does Calvin.

[Seth T.]

I love my Scubapro Twin Jets. Effortless thrust, less silt stirring, less effort, more speed.

For those hardcore techies that carry huge loads, I can see a traditional paddle fin providing more thrust than a split fin; but for the rest of us, split is the way to go.

[sparky]

I have a couple pairs of jet fins
one pair of Rockets and a pair of Nimrods
just ordered a pair of Scubapro off Ebay for my new dry suit
I usaly take a large but need XL to fit my boot




I tryed a split a long time ago and did not care for them I thought the fin felt soft and lacked any power

but I have a couple buddies that sware by them
then againe how smart can they be they hang out with me right ?


Wife thinks I have too many fins we should talk Spatman

if I have a sise that would fit ya we could work some thing out

[Aquanautchuck]

Wife thinks I have too many fins we should talk Spatman

if I have a sise that would fit ya we could work some thing out

I think fins are like tanks. They breed in the garage when you are not looking. I think I have 5 pairs of fins, (I got rid of two pairs this winter) and now 9 tanks. I just picked up a cute 1961 pair of US Divers double 50's with backpack and manifold. Like new and too cute to turn down for 3/4 of a SU.

I use both. Heavy loads I use my old Jets, everyday diving I love my Scuba Pro Twins.

[spatman]

(I love my Apollo XTs)

quite an endorsement, and a great review! thanks for that, calvin.

[spatman]

I love my Scubapro Twin Jets. Effortless thrust, less silt stirring, less effort, more speed.

seth, do you find that they lack any maneuverability compared to paddle fins?

[spatman]

Wife thinks I have too many fins we should talk Spatman

if I have a sise that would fit ya we could work some thing out

thanks, sparky! when i get my boots, i'll be in touch!

[LCF]

At least for me, there was no question that split fins were easier on my legs. They are what I started out in, because Bud told me I wouldn't get leg cramps if I used them. And I didn't, but it turns out I don't get them in paddle fins, either . . .

When I took Fundies, and tried to learn to frog kick and back kick, it was really obvious that it's very difficult to do those kicks in soft fins. I bought Jets, and the first time I used them, I thought somebody had strapped concrete blocks to my feet. But I could IMMEDIATELY do the required kicks, so I never went back, because not silting out dive sites was very important to me (still is!) Now I use my L Jets for singles and doubles, cold water and warm.

A nice side effect is that they're far cheaper than split fins, too!

[Pinkpadigal]

I have used blade fins and for frog kicking, they are better. However, it takes work for me to use them. However, if I was penatrating a wreck, I would use a blade fin. Comfort is my main concern when I dive, so for most dives, I am sticking to my split fins.

I used Apollo splits for a while but they are just too soft. I could kick well but just found they stirred up the bottom too much. I can actually bend the fin in half.

I have a pair of Tusa Xpert Zooms and they are fine but a bit stiff.

I now have the Atomic Split fin. They are longer, so they give me more power, much stiffer than the Apollo fin yet much more comfortable than the Tusa fin. One of the best features? They FLOAT! I now have springs on them and I love my fins.

I have used the Scuba Pro Twin Jet and it is okay too, but a bit heavy.

Mares has a new split fin out called the Raptor. It looks almost like the Tusa fin. Cheaper than most ($129 MSRP) but the sales rep kept comparing it to the Atomic fin. I think I will stick with my Atomics.

You can always just be like Dennis and take a pair of blade fins and make your own split fin. He told me they worked great for him.

[Joshua Smith]

HERE'S A LINK to a document from NOAA explaining their decision to limit the use of split fins. Basically, they decided that splits weren't meant for "heavy diving", but were OK for lighter diving and snorkelling.

[Seth T.]

I love my Scubapro Twin Jets. Effortless thrust, less silt stirring, less effort, more speed.

seth, do you find that they lack any maneuverability compared to paddle fins?

Not at all. I have found no lack of anything with these fins. I can even frog kick with the best of them. They are awesome for wreck diving as they don't stir up nearly as much silt as paddle fins.

[spatman]

Comfort is my main concern when I dive, so for most dives, I am sticking to my split fins.

so the comfort of split fins being that they are lighter and require less effort?

[dsteding]

They are awesome for wreck diving as they don't stir up nearly as much silt as paddle fins.

Can you explain your reasoning behind this? I'm assuming this is in reference to flutter kicking? I can absolutely guarantee that paddle fins and frog kicking will stir up less silt than splits. But, one shouldn't really be flutter kicking in a wreck anyways.

Just curious on your reasoning here, I think it runs counter to conventional wisdom on the subject.

[Sounder]

They are awesome for wreck diving as they don't stir up nearly as much silt as paddle fins.

Can you explain your reasoning behind this? I'm assuming this is in reference to flutter kicking? I can absolutely guarantee that paddle fins and frog kicking will stir up less silt than splits. But, one shouldn't really be flutter kicking in a wreck anyways.

Just curious on your reasoning here, I think it runs counter to conventional wisdom on the subject.

You beat me to it - I'm also curious what your reasoning is. In my experience, a blade fin frog kick causes far less (or none if you do it correctly) silting than a split fin. Additionally, while you can frog kick in splits, the effort-to-thrust ratio is much less efficient.

[Seth T.]

They are awesome for wreck diving as they don't stir up nearly as much silt as paddle fins.

Can you explain your reasoning behind this? I'm assuming this is in reference to flutter kicking? I can absolutely guarantee that paddle fins and frog kicking will stir up less silt than splits. But, one shouldn't really be flutter kicking in a wreck anyways.

Just curious on your reasoning here, I think it runs counter to conventional wisdom on the subject.

Correct, flutter kicking in a wreck is a no-no. In my experience with wreck diving (or even diving near the floor), my buddies that use paddle fins stir up far more silt than I do with my spit fins, even while frogging. Of course, one could argue that everyone is different and skill varies considerably. Given the same diver using either fins alternatively, I suppose that a paddle fin would theoritically stirr up less crap during frogging due to the single flat blade, as opposed to two separate blades. Further, due to the single blade, a paddle fin would give more thrust while frogging, however I've found that split fins are much more flexible and thus easier to kick leading to less fatigue.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

[dsteding]

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Okay.

[dsteding]

Correct, flutter kicking in a wreck is a no-no. In my experience with wreck diving (or even diving near the floor), my buddies that use paddle fins stir up far more silt than I do with my spit fins, even while frogging.

One last question:

What agency taught you and your buddies to wreck dive using splits? Seems like wreck penetration with splits is also a bit outside accepted norms.

[Joshua Smith]

As far as I know, none of the major dive training organizations mandate a type of fin for wreck or tech diving- PADI, TDI, NAUI, etc.