Fins for Photographers

[mjgoodman]

Hi All,

Which fins do people prefer for UW photography? I'm looking to buy a new pair. My short list includes; force fins, slingshots, x-streams, jets, and the seawing nova. I'd prefer a pair that are good for longer surface swims and easy on the knees. Thanks.

 

[H2O Photo Pros]

There are many questions you need to answer first.

1. What is your fitness level?

2. Any low back or knee problems?

3. Do you want the ability to white balance off of the fins?

4. Warm water or cold water diving?

 

[TN Traveler]

I would suggest a pair of Force Fin "Hockey" Fins. These are a paddle type fin that Bob Evans is just getting ready to release. I have bad knees and for years dove Apollo BioFins, since they allowed me to swim long distances without straining my knees. About a year and a half ago, I found that the "regular" Force Fin Pros allowed me me better control without any knee problems, but still were not great for frog kicks and back kicks - which is something you need for positioning when taking pictures.

These new "Hockey" Fins have all the advantages of Force Fins, not wearing out your knees/legs and allowing the control you need using a variety of kicks. They are not cheap, but if you look at them as a long term investment, you will never need to buy another pair of fins, the cost is OK.

Lots of folks will tell you to get a pair of Jet Fins - they are cheap, give lots of control - but they will kill your knees/legs on longer swims.

I'm sure you will get lots of advice from others on their favorites.

 

[HerraduraDivers]

I have/had all of the fins below and i rate them:
Jet Fins = bad for your knees but excellent for positioning
Split fins = bad for positioning but excellent for long swims and nice to your knees
Seawing Nova = strange behaviour, good for long swims, bad positioning
Mares Avanti 4 Power= good positioning, good in long swims, still good to your knees
Cressi Reaction Pro: slight stiffer than Avanti Quattro Power
Both are big fins and need strong muscles to avoid nasty cramps

I use the Mares Avanti Quattro Power for long swims and photographing and te jet fins for wreck or other "near" dives and photographing.

Chris

 

[Warmwater Wank]

I know what most photographers should not use--long fins that knock around coral and rummage up the bottom while the shooter remains concentrated on getting the shot. I've seen good diver/photographers with a strong awareness of reef protection do damage that they are unaware of, myself included. (Just ask my wife.) I switched to Force Fins last year and knew easliy if I brushed something, so the reef protection factor improved for me. Still, it's more the diver than the fin length, I'm not trying to turn this into a fin length thread.

There isn't a simple answer and any number of fins could help avoid the contact problem but I suspect they might be the shorter, less flexible types of fins (turtles etc.)? I had been using Apollo splits, loved the fin but you really didn't feel the center area brushing things and that was an issue for me. I know, stay well away etc. but aside from good bouyancy control we do need to watch for fin damage more than other divers because we are going to get in close and we are going to be distracted.

I get good control w/ the Force fins, no problem manuevering and I like the subtle adjustment I get from barely flicking a single fin. I don't feel they are as fast for me as the Apollos were but that's a bit of a non-issue. Surface swimming they are kinda sucky (uh-oh, I can feel the Blair Rays now...) but on a long surface swim I'm swimming on my back anyway so no real problem. I like that a fin change made me a more careful diver and hopefully that becomes part of your decision process too. Whoa, who put that soap box there? I almost kicked it with my fin... // ww

 

[mjgoodman]

There are many questions you need to answer first.

1. What is your fitness level? Very good.

2. Any low back or knee problems? Not really, but my knees ache a little after a long day of surface swims. I'm more worried about preventing knee/lower back problems later in life.

3. Do you want the ability to white balance off of the fins? Never thought about that. Is that something most people want?

4. Warm water or cold water diving?

90% cold. Pacific Northwest. I'd prefer a pair I can travel with.

 

[Alper Angın]

It’s an old topic but i couldn’t find an up-to-date topic anywhere.


I have been using Seawing Nova. I got used to it.

Corral damage, wreck maneuverability: its long and flexible thus silt revoking
For currents, in deep current i kick more so i got short of breath even i am a strong diver.
For photography, i am used to it so i don't know if any other fin will be better. According to the notes above its not recommended.

I tried Aqualung Storm Max recently; its powerful compared to Novas but i couldn't back-fin properly. Maybe I should try slower for this fin.


I'll try again but it seems height of the fin is half of the nova 8 -> 4 inches.

Would you suggest Nova Gorilla or Storm max for performance and maneuverability.

Note: Also will try Mares quattro to be sure.

 

[WS007]

Hi Alper,

I am UW photographer and was in the same situation recently, my choice is, of course, very individual and personal. I ended up with Mares Excite Pro, mostly because of the propulsion they give (e.g. when you have to circumnavigate fish against the current and then let yourself drift with the current towards them to take photos). My wife took Mares Avanti Quattro + that have similar properties, not as much propulsion and are better for many people, depending on physical condition...
When you want fins that are shorter than usual and make special kicking techniques easy, the Hollis F2 may be a good choice...
See the entire tread here, several recommendations by several people, at the end I write a short comparison about the fins I was able test out:

Durable travelers fin?

Hi Zef, This is an interesting post as my wife came to similar conclusions. For the last 17 years of diving she was using Cressi reaction, as they are light (good for travelling) and stiff (providing propulsion, when required). Very good for diving, she liked them a lot... => These Cressi...

scubaboard.com

Wolfgang

 

[happy-diver]