The twin jet is a happy medium between the jet fin crowd and the split fin crowd...and like the jetfins, they are widely available fairly cheap.
What Open-Heel Fin should I Get?
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Just re read your post James, it appears I may have misunderstood. I guess your purpose for diving and mine are just different.
I have the two extremes. Apollo Splits for warm water (3 mm shorty) and Hollis F1s for the cold and drysuit.
I'm very happy with both
CAPTAIN SINBAD
Contributor
Split-fin hater here. Let me clarify my position. I used split fins for a few dives and here is what I found:
I would be kicking and not moving initially. It would need a few kicks that do not get your anywhere before you actually start to move. Once you do get to move then the speed at which you move is fairly consistent. If you want to go faster, kicking harder wont do it and if you want to go slower then ... good luck! Do they offer a speed advantage? Possible, but it took a few kicks of not going anywhere to get you to move. If you take the late start into account then I do not think they are faster.
Paddle fins: When it comes to these there are two camps. Solid rubber (Jets, Turtles, Hollis F1s etc) and plastic composites (Mares Quattro, etc). I fall in the first camp that prefers heavy solid rubber fins. I have found that the force of the kick is directly proportional to the speed generated. A slow, relaxed kick would cause you to move slowly and a strong push would generate that much thrust. This gives amazing control under water and I have the ability to stop exactly where I would like.
End note: If I was swimming a 3 mile race under water then would I be choosing my jets? No. After a few hundred yards of non-stop kicking, I would experience a greater fatigue with my jets than with the splits.
If I was scuba diving where extremely long distances need not be covered in a non-stop manner then I would go with my jets or F1s.
I would be kicking and not moving initially. It would need a few kicks that do not get your anywhere before you actually start to move. Once you do get to move then the speed at which you move is fairly consistent. If you want to go faster, kicking harder wont do it and if you want to go slower then ... good luck! Do they offer a speed advantage? Possible, but it took a few kicks of not going anywhere to get you to move. If you take the late start into account then I do not think they are faster.
Paddle fins: When it comes to these there are two camps. Solid rubber (Jets, Turtles, Hollis F1s etc) and plastic composites (Mares Quattro, etc). I fall in the first camp that prefers heavy solid rubber fins. I have found that the force of the kick is directly proportional to the speed generated. A slow, relaxed kick would cause you to move slowly and a strong push would generate that much thrust. This gives amazing control under water and I have the ability to stop exactly where I would like.
End note: If I was swimming a 3 mile race under water then would I be choosing my jets? No. After a few hundred yards of non-stop kicking, I would experience a greater fatigue with my jets than with the splits.
If I was scuba diving where extremely long distances need not be covered in a non-stop manner then I would go with my jets or F1s.
That is fine, when we meet for our 2043 dive with AFdoc for our Jet Fin vs OMS Slipstream smack down, I will slow down for you. I am still thinking on the place. Commercial Pier Blvd, Casino Point, ??
I am an into action diver, if I need to go, like the OP, I want to go. That does not mean I shoot around like a comet. If fins are good for going fast, then I can back off the throttle. I usually dive a 63 when most are on 80s or larger. I rarely am the one to call the dive due to air remaining. Efficiency and aerobic fitness are continual goals for me. Y'all can relax, I am here to dive, dive, dive!
See, while not a great shot, you can see what I was going for. And, I was way out of position and only an instant to get into position for the shot. It was GO TIME:
N
maderadiver
Contributor
Fyi to the poster v12s on sale 60ish bucks at leisure pro
I've used a variety of fins over the years. I started out with Tusa split fins because I have knee and ankle problems. They didn't work for me. The added movement of using them they way they're designed to be used was worse on my joints. I went to a Mares fin next. It served me well for a couple of years. When I started into cave and technical diving I moved onto SP Jets. They were good fins and I liked them at the time but they are heavy. I had a similar pair on recently and they felt like bricks on my feet. I also tried to snorkel with the jets once...Once! I couldn't keep my feet on the surface. I moved onto Dive Rite fins, which were great until they changed their design and they would break on me every few months. Dive Rite was great about replacing them but I need dependable fins not fins I'm worried about when they're going to break. I've been diving SEAC fins for the past year and love them. I don't usually swim fast but I can outswim most divers in those fins without even trying and with minimal exertion. I fin about once to every 3 fin kicks of my students and have no issues keeping up. Yes, a big part of that is technique, but technique is nothing with poorly designed fins. And my SEAC fins are also light enough to snorkel with . 
this was more of what I expected when I initially had the question. A ton of favorites, not a "best". I really appreciate all the responses. Dive-aholic, what model SEAC is it that you have? I found 3 open-heels on their site (the GP100 is a good looking fin, with a spring strap for under $100 shipped is a pretty nice sounding value). And Nemrod, while yes, traditional swimming and scuba swimming with fins are 2 very different activities, body surfing with fins uses very little arm effort in swimming as well. Ironically, the Jet fins remind me very much of the more common fins in that area. A similar design to "duck feet" but shorter like the "Churchill". If you guys don't mind, can you give me your top 3 favorite fins and a short description why. I would really appreciate that
For cold water, ScubaPro Jets. For warm water, Dive Rite EXPs. (Mine haven't broken yet!) Although I recently tried a pair of Mares Power Plana fins, and liked them a lot . . . There just isn't one "best" fin.
lmorin
Contributor
I swear by my Mares Avanti Superchannel fins because (1) they work as well as anything I could possibly need; (2) I bought them for only $49 on sale at LeisurePro; and (3) they are red.
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