First set of fins!

[wunat]

Don't even think about jetfins (ugleee).

I actually think the Jets are the coolest looking fin out there.

Anyway, there are lots of good fins out there. Fin preferences can be very subjective. Jets are my favourites. Some other fins which are popular among other divers around me are Mares Avanti Quattro (another fast fin), Mares Volo Power (pretty light fin both in weight and power-I don't like it that much personally), and Atomic Splits (some love the split-but I don't). The newer Mares Quattro Excel is also becoming pretty popular.

For me, it is Jets all the way.

[Scuba Sciences]

I would like to offer a lady diver's perspective on fins.

I started out with a plastic blade fin from Dacor. It worked OK, but as soon as I started building up muscles in my legs I was actually bending the fins in half as I kicked and lost all of my thrust.

Then I went to Jet fins. I really like them. You have to have a pretty good leg strength to kick them, divers seem to get cramps pretty easily if you kick them too fast or too hard. The jets work best with a slow constant kick. I would still use them if I wasn't having knee trouble (it hurts to kick them now )

When the split fins came out I tried them, but didn't like them at first. I didn't feel like I was moving because I couldn't feel any muscle burn or resistance. After 10 dives or so I really liked them. I could swim faster for the long run than any other type of fin because you don't get so tired. I have been using the twin jet fins for over 4 years now (or whenever they first came out) time really flies.

Scubapro must have been listening because they just release a combination fin of Twin Jet / Jet Fin called the Twin Jet Max. It has the benefits of the split with a more dense material (similar to Jet fin). It feels close to a jet fin when you are swimming with it. It comes in 4 colors, blk/red, blk/blu, blk/yel, or blk/gray. I have tried these fins in the pool and I loved them. I'm getting a blk/red pair to match my USIA dry suit (finally, now no one can make fun of the fact that my neon orange twin jets didn't match a black/red dry suit).

Give the Jet Fins, Twin Jets, and Twin Jet Max a look at your LDS.

Tina
Scuba Sciences, Inc.

[Damselfish]

I don't think you can pick fins or mask for someone else. Get a gift certificate, and maybe some accessory where fit and preference are not such an issue so she has something fun to unwrap.

It would be a shame if you got her stuff that isn't quite right (which is fairly likely to happen) and she feels bad about exchanging them so she's stuck with the wrong thing.

[wunat]

Scubapro must have been listening because they just release a combination fin of Twin Jet / Jet Fin called the Twin Jet Max. It has the benefits of the split with a more dense material (similar to Jet fin). It feels close to a jet fin when you are swimming with it. It comes in 4 colors, blk/red, blk/blu, blk/yel, or blk/gray. I have tried these fins in the pool and I loved them. I'm getting a blk/red pair to match my USIA dry suit (finally, now no one can make fun of the fact that my neon orange twin jets didn't match a black/red dry suit).

Got any link to this Twin Jet Max you are referring to?

[CompuDude]

Is she a girlie girl, or a tomboy-type girl? Tusa makes some nice pretty fins that will do just fin, in a variety of colors guaranteed to appeal to the girlie girl. If she's got muscles and wants to power with the big boys and could care less about looks, I'd consider Jet fins for technical diving, Apollo Bio Fins if you want to look at splits (I really love both of these fins, depending on the purpose of my dive), or the Mares Quattro Excels or Mares Plana Avanti Quattro for paddle fins.

Whatever you get, get her spring straps. I like the OEM straps on the Apollos, and "EZ Spring Straps" (get them from www.divesportsonline.com, they come in types for every kind of fin) for every other fin.