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I don't know anything about them, so I'm no help there, but they are featured in the ad on the left side of this site. I would imaging that everyone has seen them!
I was diving the other day (second dive of the year) struggling to get my fins over my drysuit boots leaning on my diveflag float, almost falling over a few times. Then I realized as I descended and looked at my wrist I left my computer in my golfcart. So I had to take my fins back off walk back to shore get my computer and then do it all over again. Thats when I remembered seeing these fins. I think I would like to get a pair.
I was talking to my lds owner about them and his opinion on them are that they aren't that good. He said there are issues with getting sand in the clips and not locking. He wasn't trying to push other fins on me, we just happened to be talking about fins since I asked him about the slingshots, which he had tested recently in the pool in the store.
I would love to hear an first hand experience as well, but it does seem gimmicky.
I too would love to hear some first hand experiences with the fins, but for now im afraid im just gonna have to say they are a "gimmick" of sorts, (my own personal opinion of course, but that could change with seeing some positive reviews)
They do bear more than a passing resemblance to a technologically innovative but commercially unsuccessful over-40-year-old design, the Caravelle:
US Divers (now Aqua Lung) passed on being the US rep for the Jet fins because they were at the time committed/ involved in the development of those Caravelle fins.
Someone probably lost their job on that one.
Being completely ignorant on the subject but in turn freely prejudiced it looks like a gimmick to me and an added bit of mechanics with the potential to malfunction.
The benfits seem rather few als well. They snap shut on the downstroke but during beach entry its probably not so different from the traditional beach entry surf dance and for sure they are bound to create drag walking out front first. If you walk backwards into the surf like normal I guess the waves will make them open anyway. If you enter into current it may work against them so they don't open right away. And this whole making it easer walking about on the boat with fins on, how is that a commendable practise in the first place?
Am I being obtuse or is it not just a replacement for proper entry procedures and routine with donning and doffing fins in heavy gear and varied circumstances? Don't mean to sound all relic about it but the old spring strap jets slip right on and off in most conditions and I normally experience no pressing need to promenade the beach and shallows in full gear with fins on my feet.
I see how it leaves your hands free during first part of the entry though, or during the walk to and from the beach but once more I'd rather minimize the amount of junk I'm carrying anyway of make sure that what I bring has a proper "home" in my kit
We have some at the LDS where I work. People look at them with interest, but I have yet to have anyone buy a pair or offer any reports on them.
My honest opinion is that it appears they might be difficult to lock into place once you have entered the water and start to fin. Also, I would be concerned that with plastic fatigue the little mechanism that locks the fin into the swimming position might wear out and break over time. Just my opinion! I don't want any Omega Aquatics reps to spear me.
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For that price, I'll take my fins off and put them on all day long with no problems. I've seen the ads, and to me, I'd find it a little difficult to climb the ladder onto the boat with those on. It looks as though they don't give you very much room, as they are blocking access to the shin area. If you think about it, your best footing on a ladder is when your foot is centered, and I don't think these would allow it. Just my 2 psi...
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Originally Posted by David Wilson
