Affordable Travel Fin

[muzikbiz22]

Oceanic Accels or Aeris Accels. Whatever name they are going by now.

 

[ronscuba]

Since the OP slready has boots, open-heel is a much better choice. This is about weight in his bag; This way he can go anywhere with his new fins, not just Coz and Cancun. (In Cancun, you should wear sandals anyway).

It can be a benefit to have a totally different type of fin vs. the same type of fin, just lighter. You own 2 sets of fins, each with different benefits allowing you to choose the fin that best fits the type of diving you will be doing.

Local shore dive, local boat dive, travel to shore dive, travel to boat dive.

Better for one person is not necessarily better for another. 2nd pair of fins: lighter open heel or full foot. Each has their advantages/disadvantages. Which is the better choice ? Personal preference is probably a better description.

 

[CarcharodonCarcharias]

+1 for Oceanic Accel. Great for travel. A bit stiff but it is a great all-around fin.

 

[halocline]

I far prefer full foot fins for Cozumel diving. You can find a pair of mares avanti superchannels or something like that for well under $100 and they work very well. I have occasionally brought those and my jets when traveling to Cozumel and then the mainland for cave diving. The open heel jets are much better for doubles and of course tramping around cave entrances. The full foot mares are much lighter and more fun with a single tank/thin wetsuit/little weight.

You could not pay me to buy fins that have a hinge or some sort of disconnect between the blade and foot pocket.

 

[Tug]

Hands down my two choices are the Deep 6 Eddy Fins or the Oceanic/Aeris Accel's if the Eddy Fins are too big.

 

[buddhasummer]

Scuba Lab recently reviewed the Tusa Hyflex Switch as "testers choice" among the current crop of fins. They feature blades that detach from the foot pocket, and will take up as little as 16" in length for travel. I haven't tried them, and they might not qualify as "affordable". Maybe someone on the board has already checked them out?

My LDS a week ago introduced me to those fins and tried to sell me them, I respectfully declined, if the colour were not bad enough the ability to swap foot pockets switching from wet boots to dry boots looked like an accident waiting to happen, over here the price was laughable.

 

[scrane]

For low current / drift diving in Cozumel and Roatan I had been using APS Mantaray (now Hollis F2) but have recently switched to Standard Force Fins. Both types pack well in my carry on and offer good control underwater. I can't say I prefer one over the other, but the FFs are a little more packable. I got the Force Fins used on Craigslist for $60.

 

[james_bond_007]

... You could not pay me to buy fins that have a hinge or some sort of disconnect between the blade and foot pocket.

I once thought the same thing, regarding " some sort of disconnect between the blade and foot pocket."
However, I tired the TUSA Hyflex Switch fins and even though they have " some sort of disconnect between the blade and foot pocket." while travelling, when assembled they are as solid as any other open-heel fins I have used.

I actually like the design of a seperate foot pocket and blade for travel. I am able to pack them inside a carry-on and save the $50 ($35 each way) baggage fee. They perform well.

You may not realize that thefoot pocket mechanically interlocks with the blade, and then is secured by 2 stainless steel bolts, each with an O-Ring serving as a lock washer.

Honestly, if you didn't know they came apart, you would not be able to tell.

My only concern is that I might loose one of the bolts. Fortunately, I expressed this concern to the TUSA service manager, and he proactively sent me 4 extra sets as spares.

 

[james_bond_007]

Regarding the TUSA Hyflex Switch fins...
I was going to upgrade my fins with a set of spring-straps, for around $40.
I also saw a friend's video of me showinmy current fins bending quite a bit when under force.

I liked the idea of a fin that could be brkendown for travel, but had a hard time swallowing the $200 price tag of these fins.
I eventually bit the bullet and am happy I did.
For warm water diving, I am able to use these fins and stow them and all my other dive equipment in a carry-on bag.
After 4 trips (4x $50 = $25 bag fee each way), I broke even.
One might say, I came out ahead, as I saved the $40 I was going to pay for the sping straps and instad use the 'bungee' straps that came with these fins.

I have done a lot of drift diving in/near Cozumel, and have appresciated the performance of these fins (compared to my old ones).

So, I am pleased with my purchase (even though I STILL think $200 was too high of an MSRP for this product).
But..., they contunue to allow me to enjoy savings each time I don't need to check my gear bag.

 

[Mr. Sunday]

Very happy with my Deep 6 Eddy fins for travel. Just did back to back Thailand and Indonesia liveaboards with them. 9 flights total.