advice for small and light fins - still good for back kick Hollis F2 or other??

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stargost

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I'm looking for a new pair a fins for traveling to warm water. OMS doesnt do the slipstream, and also i'm looking for a small size (women size 7)

I've looked at the F2 and was curious to see if anyone has tried them, especially interested about easiness for back kick.
Any recommendation would be great!

thanks
 
I've got two sets sitting in my lounge. Bought them for the exact same reason - to save on travel weight. Sorry but I can't give you a usage report as I haven't got them wet yet. If you can wait a couple of weeks I'll give you a report!

If they are anything like the F1's they should be great. I've traveled with the F1's before and while they were great to dive warm, they sucked to pack as they barely fit in the largest suitcase I had, and they weigh a ton.

What I can give some detail on is sizing. The wife is a US size 6/7 and fits into the smallest "small" size fine but WITH a 5mm hard sole boot. Without a boot, or with soft booties they would be way too big. It's one of the common complaints about the F2. They've put dry-suit boot sized foot pockets on a warm water fin...

We like hard sole boots after a painful lesson walking out to the SS President Coolidge across sharp coral and shells and have worn hard soled boots when travelling ever since. It also makes fin ownership easier as we can use the same fin for wet and dry diving. But i know some people like to not wear boots when diving warm, so if that's case I think you will have to look at a different fin.

boot2.jpgboot1.jpg

I think TSandM recommends the DiveRite EXP's for the same original purpose you mentioned - light and come in a size that fits small feet. I simply couldn't find any in Aus to evaluate for our purchases.
 
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For a while I used M Jets for travel, but they don't have enough surface blade to be very effective in current.

Now I travel with the L Jets and just leave the XL Jets at home.

I wear a women s' size 7 ;-).
 
So I thought I should finally report on the fins in action. I've been diving for two weeks with them now. Only open water and some wreck dives, but so far love them. My main fin is an F1 and I can tell that they aren't as powerful, but not significantly so. They work well with all kicks including the back kick just fine.
They are positively buoyant, but only just so, they barely float to the surface with the weight of the spring strap making them almost neutral.
They are also quite a bit shorter than the F1's so are easier in some regards in tight spaces.
I was using them yesterday in a ripping current that was strong enough to move the mask on your face, and I was able to hold position easily enough with just a frog kick.
The wife prefers them to her HOG jet clones and is thinking o f using them as her full time fin going forward.

Oh and the diving in Uepi has spoiled me for quite a while I'm afraid.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
I'm looking for a new pair a fins for traveling to warm water. OMS doesnt do the slipstream, and also i'm looking for a small size (women size 7)

I've looked at the F2 and was curious to see if anyone has tried them, especially interested about easiness for back kick.
Any recommendation would be great!

thanks.

OMS Slipstreams are still available in very limited quantities from several reputable firms who market via the internet. I just acquired a psi of XL's. Let me know if you have issues locating, if you are still seeking...
 
i couldnt locate a small size (or L) pair. Only one i found by then were XL.
Eventually, we went with the small size of the F2 for several reason, weigth/size being a big one.

For warm water diving, they are really great. The foot pocket is big, so you need 5mm shoes.
They are quite efficient and powerfull, and every kicks are possible, easy, working well. It was for my wife originally, but i like tehm as much as the slipstreams.
Now, we were very light (single tank, 3mm suit), and someone recently highlighted that in these conditions, probably any fins will do.
I tried them in cold water recently, and it's of course not as powerfull. The jets or F1 are better when you add drags/weight.

So happy for tropical trips.




OMS Slipstreams are still available in very limited quantities from several reputable firms who market via the internet. I just acquired a psi of XL's. Let me know if you have issues locating, if you are still seeking...
 
https://xf2.scubaboard.com/community/forums/cave-diving.45/

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