Scubapro Fins?!?

[sheeper]

i have a pair of gorilla and a pair of the nova. Both are great fins.
first i got the nova. it took several dives to get used to them. very different than my Mares avanti quattro that i loved. After about 6 dives, the novas became a favorite. they are very lightweight but provide excellent power and thrust. On top of that they are HIGHLY maneuverable. I had to modify my standard flutter kick a bit. I'm 6'3" with big powerful legs. The fins would flex enough that i would clip the reef if i were close to the bottom (not with the Mares fins). In some ways the Nova was too powerful until i adjusted my kick. Took a bit to frog kick efficiently. minor adjustment of the lower leg angle makes for a very, very smooth and efficient frog kick.

I recently added the gorilla. it is a stiffer fin woth more power thrust. I use that with doubles and/or drysuit as the extra thrust comes in handy.

great fins and i'm now a huge fan

 

[GameChanger]

One of the only drawbacks to the gorillas is that it only comes in two colors, black and instruct-o-orange. The latter being only available to DM's and instructors.

I am not aware of the instructor/DM requirement for orange. I purchased the orange Scubapro Nova Gorilla's from an authorized Scubapro dealer no questions asked. I am not a DM or Instructor (but I did play one on TV...)

 

[Shotmaster]

Used jets for 40 years, just bought the Novas. Now that I have had them for a while I can give some feedback. They are slightly faster than my jets at moderate finning efforts, but flex too much if pushed hard. I was a little disappointed with the overall performance since I spearfish and need the extra thrust a lot. So after really looking at how the fins flex under load I could see the hinge just bend which is wasted energy. So to counteract that I added plastic shims held in place with electrical tape in the cutouts, Man O' Man, what a difference! Big speed increase and more powerful thrust. Better manueverability too. In my opinion the hydrodynamics of the design were compromised by adding the way too flexible hinge, they most likely did this to make the fins easier to kick for the average diver. The blade itself still flexes a lot under heavy load and but it makes a lot more thrust. I want to do this to a set of Gorillas with the stiffer blade material.

 

[BoltSnap]

I added plastic shims held in place with electrical tape in the cutouts, Man O' Man, what a difference! Big speed increase and more powerful thrust. Better manueverability too. In my opinion the hydrodynamics of the design were compromised by adding the way too flexible hinge, they most likely did this to make the fins easier to kick for the average diver. The blade itself still flexes a lot under heavy load and but it makes a lot more thrust. I want to do this to a set of Gorillas with the stiffer blade material.

Interesting modification

 

[tridacna]

I am not aware of the instructor/DM requirement for orange. I purchased the orange Scubapro Nova Gorilla's from an authorized Scubapro dealer no questions asked. I am not a DM or Instructor (but I did play one on TV...)

It used to be that way. Now available to everyone.

 

[Fossil_Diver]

Jets are probably one of the best all around fins. There are other fins that are better suited for specialized uses like freediving, but the Jets seem to do everything well.
I've tried a lot of fins over the years but not the Gorillas yet so I can't comment on them, but regardless of which differnt fins I try I always end up going back to Jets. They also last forever and can be found in like new but used condition for $50 or less on ebay any day of year.
For price point, durability, versatility and availability Jets win hands down.
I have 3 pairs now. A medium for barefoot or thin socks. A large for thin booties and an extra large for heavier boots. I also got in a trade a pair of like brand new AvantiQuattros with the ABS buckles that I never use. They are good fins but I just don't like the way they kick. I can't seem to give them away on ebay :-( If I listed my Jets I would have no problem selling them. That speaks volumes.
I also have a pair of the original SP Seawings, the ones that are shaped like an octogon. Those suck so bad I won't sell them because I don't need that much bad karma coming back at me lol. I hope the new Seawings are better than those things.

 

[Shotmaster]

I have tested at least one new pair of fins every year. I have always wound up back in my jets, until now, I do see a real performance gain from my modified Novas, and I know I won't be going back to jets for the first time ever.

 

[Fossil_Diver]

Voit is selling Duck Feet and UDT fins again. I think I may get a pair of the UDTs. I have only heard good things about them and they supposedly rival Jets.

 

[Shotmaster]

Good luck with that. LOL I remember how lousy they were.

 

[Fossil_Diver]

That's what I wanted to hear. I suspected that a lot of the praise for the Duck Feet and UDT fins had more to do with nostalgia and less to do with actual functionality.
I reminisce that my old Camaro I had when I was a kid is much better than any new car made today. But the reality is that it was an over powered and under braked rusty heap. Ah, the good old days...