Full Foot Split Fins vs. Full Foot Free Diving Fins

For years I have used full foot Rondine Gara (now Rondine Gara 3000 or Rondine HF) free diving fins for scuba. They offer me a lot of extra power when I need it, and allows me to approach timid marine life with minimal movement (you get more power with less leg movement). I can always leave other divers in the dust, but generally, my goal is very little movement.

Now, I use a Mk 15.5 rebreather and even with my Rondine 2000 HFs, it is a beast to maintain that 75 pound mass--plus the weight of my 40cf bailout bottle--in position with a strong current.

So I have been reading about split fins, and how they can give you more power with less effort. Everyone has their opinion, but I would rather hear from people who have tried both full foot free diving fins and full foot split fins like the Apollo Uni. Note: it is proven that full foot fins always give you more power given an equivalent blade with an open heel.

Since I am in Baghdad until a Galapagos trip in August, I can't test split fins anytime soon.

Has anyone else made the switch from full foot free diving fins to full foot split fins? Please don't give your opinion unless you have used both. Thanks!

you hardly know you are wearing split fins but you go. you really know you are wearing freediving fins but you really go. i use split fins (atomic split-fin) for scuba and free diving fins (jb esclapez green) for freediving. split fins give you power comparable with a conventional scuba fin with less resistance. freediving fins give you amazing power but if you have to kick constantly, say, into a current, you know you are wearing them, although, there is the option of different stiffness fd fins - the garas are a great fd fin and come in a soft version (the LD) and a hard (the HF). I also use mares avanti quattro powers (the full foot avanti quattro). power wise and resistance wise they are somewhere between freediving fins and split fins. in short if you want good power with little resistance the split fins are a good option. if you want extra power and are prepared to face extra resistance, mares avanti quattros are good, in my opinion having used many conventional scuba fins, the quattros are among the best. if you want heaps of power but a relitavely large amount of resistance, then go freediving styles. if the cressis are working well then ask yourself "if it`s good, why change it?"... if you need to know anything else, just ask, hope this post made some sense, it`s 11pm and i`ve been divin all day.

I have tried 3 different split fins and find them to be of no great advantage. I even have a challenge - anyone who can prove that split fins do what they originally claimed, I will offer a free one week vacation on Bonaire! Airfare not included.

I freedive with ...freediving fins, but I scuba with ScubaPro Jet fins. I have tried the Apollo's, ScubaPro twin jets, and the tulsa ones. I still go back to the Jet Fins though they have alot of paddle power and they will give you the force needed to hold up a big rig such as the one that you are diving with.

Thanks you guys. I still have my old Scubapro Jet fins that I purchased back in 1986. I use those when the water is too cold to wear full foot fins. However, those things are heavy and at $3.00 a pound for excess baggage charges, I am not into lugging anything more than I have to to the Galapagos.

I think I will bring my Rondines and a pair of yet-to-be-purchased Atomic split fins (still lighter combined than my Jet fins and booties) and keep up with the squats and leg workouts here in Baghdad.

I am all for saving energy, but if I need to get somewhere pushing 100 pounds of gear, I would hate to have my legs give out before my fins.

I will have to wait on the empirical data myself as to which has the most raw power. But I gather that free-diving fins have the most power, and the split fins have the most efficient use of power?