Dive Fin Recommendation

I need some advice. I am a new diver, still gaining confidence.

I have a pair of Oceanic Viper fins. My husband has Mares Volos. He can easily leave me 'in the dust'. In addition to being a stronger swimmer, his fins definitely give him a speed advantage.

I'd like to find another fin that will give me more speed.

Maybe the Volo is the way to go for me as well. Just wondering if anybody has a better suggestion.

A major part of your fin choice would depend on your leg strength. Are you not getting enough propulsion because the fin you have is too floppy or are you being left behind because the kick requires more force than your muscle can generate? If it is the latter then you could go got a split fin. Apollo Bio has very good reviews.

assuming that you are not cramping miserably, the fins that you are wearing has little to do with the speed that you can attain. period end of story.

sure there is a difference in comfort, efficiency, maneuverability, air consumption, and a small difference at very high speeds (beyond what you can sustain for more than seconds to a few minutes).

meesier42:

assuming that you are not cramping miserably, the fins that you are wearing has little to do with the speed that you can attain. period end of story.

sure there is a difference in comfort, efficiency, maneuverability, air consumption, and a small difference at very high speeds (beyond what you can sustain for more than seconds to a few minutes).

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now that is interesting. if that were so, why bother and wear fins at all? after all, your feet are somewhat of a miniature fin
Seriously, I don't think this is a true statement. Different fins have different efficiency on converting leg motion to forward thrust.

Problem is that people are different, so there is no single perfect fin for everybody: kicking styles vary, not every fin is equally efficient at every style
bodies are different
strength and endurance is different

what is also a common misperception is that a stiff fin or a fin that gives you a lot of perceivable resistance is a fast fin. Resistance is not equal to creating forward thrust, much of the consumed energy can be lost (e.g. in eddies)

Bottom line: Rent/borrow a few different fin styles, incl. the volo. Try how they are for you. Don't get fooled if a fin feels "too light", it may indeed just be quite efficient!
You don't necesseraly need to scuba for it, many dive shops have pools where you can try equipment.

Of course, other considerations in selecting a fin are cost, durability, weight/bulk.
I had Volos for a while, unfortunately quite expensive and not too durable, started to disintegrate after maybe 50 or 100 dives, don't remember.

I now dive Mares Avanti Quattro for cold water/local, and Oceanic Caribe for warm water/travel (yes, full foot, see my "experience thread").

But there are many choices, reading here will reveal the more popular ones.

Thanks for the information.

To answer several questions - my legs are somewhat strong, but my endurance isn't great.
Also, my kick could use some work. As I said, I am a new diver and our local dive instructor didn't spend a lot of time on 'how' to kick.

I'll talk to the local shop about borrowing some fins. They don't have a pool (we live in a small community), but they do take their students to the court club for classes.

kathyj0:

I need some advice. I am a new diver, still gaining confidence.

I have a pair of Oceanic Viper fins. My husband has Mares Volos. He can easily leave me 'in the dust'. In addition to being a stronger swimmer, his fins definitely give him a speed advantage.

I'd like to find another fin that will give me more speed.

Maybe the Volo is the way to go for me as well. Just wondering if anybody has a better suggestion.

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Tell him it is not a race.

the volo is an extremely easy fin to kick and it provides great propulsion

mainly most dive fins do the same work but getting a different model helps suit your specific needs as a diver and also, in a way, gives you another tool to express yourself in diving.
i dive with normal to bad rental fins almost all the time but i dont have any problem keeping up with the private fancier fin owners (although scuba diving is not a race).

in your case id recommend a fin that isnt too stiff and gives good propulsion (you can check the forums here for some ideas).
take care

kathyj0:

..........I'll talk to the local shop about borrowing some fins. They don't have a pool (we live in a small community), but they do take their students to the court club for classes.

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Ask them to bring a set of paddle fins, a good (but not 'gimmicky') set of split fins, and a set of Force Fins (along with your fins). Keep switching back and forth until you see a clear difference, fine tune from there. Paddle fins and a frog kick are great if you care about silt, splits and a proper flutter kick are great above the bottom. They are all very different fins.

Caution:
If you guys intend to race, keep dropping the secondary reg and recovering it while racing. If you can't get it back in your mouth and cleared in time for that next burning breath, -you were going too fast.:coolingoff:

kathyj0:

I have a pair of Oceanic Viper fins. My husband has Mares Volos. He can easily leave me 'in the dust'. Just wondering if anybody has a better suggestion.

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Ask Mr. Tinkerbell to slow the **** down.

I switched to Force Fins and am very very pleased with the results.