Question travel muck divers - what fins do you use?

[sjkoen]

Heading out in late summer for a dive trip in Indonesia. Beginning the trip in Tulamben - 3 to 4 days of diving. Some of these will be muck dives. This is my first experience muck diving. I've had Mares Avanti Quatro fins forever and they are fine for my regular diving. I've never felt the need to look elsewhere. But I'm nervous about the length/maneuverability. I will not be photographing.

Any recommendations from those that muck dive? I'm not thrilled about getting a second pair of fins (wish I could use my swim trainers!) so would like to find something now and scour used fins.

thanks

 

[xan]

Could you describe more about why/how length/maneuverability are a concern for you?

If your feet drop, that's more likely to be an issue with weight or skills (finning technique) rather than something gear would address. Quattros are fine for back kicks and positioning as well, so with a bit of practice to make sure you keep good trim, and that you use fin kicks that don't stilt the bottom, I bet you don't need new fins for this.

 

[Darnold9999]

If you can back kick in them you will be fine. I use an older full foot version of the Mares Quatro for muck diving. Muck diving requires that you be able to get your face very close to the bottom to have a look at small and strange creatures and then back away without stirring up the sand/silt or ideally pushing off. A back kick is ideal, just breathing in and floating up also works. I have a pair of Mares Volos for dry suit diving which are a bit floppy so I find them a bit tricky to back kick. I only take them if I am going to be in a high current situation or don't want to use my full foot fins for some reason (temperature).

 

[Pressurehead]

Scubapro Go Sport fins for travel and the Go Sport Gorilla fins for local diving.
The Mares fins a good, I have a couple of pair, but for any warm water travel, it's the Go Sport as they pack easy and do the job well.

https://scubapro.johnsonoutdoors.com/us/shop/fins/go-sport-fin?v=97221

 

[sjkoen]

Could you describe more about why/how length/maneuverability are a concern for you?

If your feet drop, that's more likely to be an issue with weight or skills (finning technique) rather than something gear would address. Quattros are fine for back kicks and positioning as well, so with a bit of practice to make sure you keep good trim, and that you use fin kicks that don't stilt the bottom, I bet you don't need new fins for this.

thanks! I don't need to do it frequently, but I'm not great at back finning in my Mares fins - probably technique - I was thinking shorter could make it easier for me, perhaps not enough of a difference?

I do fine maneuvering on coral and wall dives, and sometimes inverting to get a look under crevices, but mostly keep more distance than others from the reef because I'm conservative. Lava pass-throughs have never been a problem. Not being a photographer, my hover buoyancy doesn't get tested much. In Anau Bora Bora a few months ago everyone with the longer fins was kicking up tons of sand. On that dive, I found an out-of-the-way spot to hover, but if I had been mixed in with everyone else, I'm afraid I would have been kicking up the sediment too. I don't want to ruin anyone else's dive.

I'm envisioning muck diving as hovering and then needing to back up to move on. So, it's that backing-up part I'm nervous about.

thanks

 

[Kimela]

I have the Avanti Quattros and they did fine muck diving on my last trip. I think attention/skill/technique is probably more important than the fin you're using. Just be super aware of what your fins are doing when near the silty bottom.

 

[hedonist222]

I'm envisioning muck diving as hovering and then needing to back up to move on. So, it's that backing-up part I'm nervous about.

thanks

You are unlikely to need to back up very often. Not as much as you think.
Although, yes you should possess the skills to reverse when needed.

 

[Kimela]

You are unlikely to need to back up very often. Not as much as you think.
Although, yes you should possess the skills to reverse when needed.

I wish more people would either learn to back up or become aware of 'why' it's so helpful. People will swoop in to look at a critter and then, as they leave, they are unaware of what is happening as they leave. They get a few feet higher and then go head-up and with their fins pointed right down at the critter they kick hard; or they gently turn around and think 'I can't see the critter so I'm in the clear to blast off' and kick hard. Both of those result in the critter and a bunch of silt being kicked to smithereens. I know I'm guilty too - we all miscalculate - but being able to back away from a critter minimizes disturbing it (and others who want to see/photograph it).

 

[Searcaigh]

I've used Mares Quattros in the past but changed many years ago to Hollis F2s to save weight when travelling and continued to use them for diving locally.

First and foremost as @Kimela mentions above b careful with your kicking when leaving the area where you were observing a critter, especially if there are photographers around. Even a kick from two meters above the bottom can cause silting.

I had several issues last September with other divers poor situational awareness resulting in me using my muck stick aggressively to keep other divers' fins from destroying the area around my photographic subjects.

One key bit of advice though, make sure you have decent soled boots for dealing with the rocky entry / exits at most dive sites. Personally I use rock boots.

 

[Kimela]

I had several issues last September with other divers poor situational awareness resulting in me using my muck stick aggressively to keep other divers' fins from destroying the area around my photographic subjects.

This last trip, while muck diving, I found myself using my hands/arms to protect the critter from the incoming silt and turbulence. There were times I'd watch the critter tumble and then wait for it to re-settle and for the silt to calm down to see if I could get a picture.