good fins for wetsuit diving
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hazmat
Contributor
84CJ7
Contributor
Its pretty common to have opposite opinions, it totally depends on body type and how you use them.
Hinge fins produce more power from a gentle kick and require zero proper fin technique, you can basically just flop your feet a bit and off you go. You sort of just do half the kick and the hinge bends and then straightens back on its own and does the other half the kick on its own. Its why I initially really liked my Volo fins and so many people like that type of fin.
Eventually though you reach the point where any more kicking gives more flop at the hinge and not really any more power so the power swimmer type divers and anyone needing to move a lot of drag (large gear, current, ect) tend to get frustrated quickly. If you look at the original Volo fins and then the Volo power and later the Volo race you can see they were trying to keep the nice hinge action but add the ability to get more power out of them with a stiffer center and more of a flexible cup design.
As I mentioned I personally could never go back to them not just because I kept over kicking them, but because fine movements with my tech type fins give fine maneuvering and with the hinge or split fins they just flop around and send me off in whatever direction is forward no matter how I am kicking or where I wanted to go.
The Quattros are much stiffer so they don't have the flop but the massive size was just terrible for me for maneuvering and kicking up silt and strangely strained my legs more than my short wide tech fins despite having the same power for the most part. Must be a matter of leverage from the long fins straining the calf muscles.
Hinge fins produce more power from a gentle kick and require zero proper fin technique, you can basically just flop your feet a bit and off you go. You sort of just do half the kick and the hinge bends and then straightens back on its own and does the other half the kick on its own. Its why I initially really liked my Volo fins and so many people like that type of fin.
Eventually though you reach the point where any more kicking gives more flop at the hinge and not really any more power so the power swimmer type divers and anyone needing to move a lot of drag (large gear, current, ect) tend to get frustrated quickly. If you look at the original Volo fins and then the Volo power and later the Volo race you can see they were trying to keep the nice hinge action but add the ability to get more power out of them with a stiffer center and more of a flexible cup design.
As I mentioned I personally could never go back to them not just because I kept over kicking them, but because fine movements with my tech type fins give fine maneuvering and with the hinge or split fins they just flop around and send me off in whatever direction is forward no matter how I am kicking or where I wanted to go.
The Quattros are much stiffer so they don't have the flop but the massive size was just terrible for me for maneuvering and kicking up silt and strangely strained my legs more than my short wide tech fins despite having the same power for the most part. Must be a matter of leverage from the long fins straining the calf muscles.
UFOrb
Contributor
I used to have Mares Avanti Quattro plus, but switched to Apeks RK3 fins.
I liked the Quattro's but, for me, the RK3s just feel much nicer on, like they're an extension of my feet. Being shorter I've found them easier to pack and easier to manoeuvre on a boat before a dive.
I find the spring straps better on the RK3s too. The Quattro Plus bungee straps are better than the standard ones but they can get accidentally knocked off where they're attached to the fin. The RK3 springs are screwed on.
Performance-wise I like both, but for me the RK3s edge it. I would say they have a bit more thrust for flutter kicks and frog kicking a little easier.
I liked the Quattro's but, for me, the RK3s just feel much nicer on, like they're an extension of my feet. Being shorter I've found them easier to pack and easier to manoeuvre on a boat before a dive.
I find the spring straps better on the RK3s too. The Quattro Plus bungee straps are better than the standard ones but they can get accidentally knocked off where they're attached to the fin. The RK3 springs are screwed on.
Performance-wise I like both, but for me the RK3s edge it. I would say they have a bit more thrust for flutter kicks and frog kicking a little easier.
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I've been diving Dive Rite XTs for many years
I really like DiveRite XT fins too.
OP
KentB
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thanks for replies everyone! i'm gonna take my wetsuit boots and go see what fits the best out of the RK3s DR XT and the quattros
The main choice is between fins with straps or with a full feet enclosure.
In warm waters I favour the latter, wearing very thin "neoprene socks", inexpensive protective devices keeping the feet safe from abrasion due to sand between rubber and skin.
If you wear a thin hydrodynamic suit, or even no suit at all (at Maldives you do not really to use any), and you use a single small-size bottle (10 or 12 liters) and a tiny back BCD, you are almost as hydrodynamic as a free diver. That's the reason for which I always employed free-diving fins, such as Cressi Gara (not the longest ones, indeed). They are great in strong currents (a pass at Maldives can have more current than a river), and for jumping on the Dhoni without waiting for the ladder to be free.
But everyone's legs and ankles are different, demanding for different length, stiffness and angle between the shoe and fin. You should test many and find the ones which are perfect for you. And you have to learn the optimal pace and aperture of kicking for your fins. Many people simply do not take care of optimizing the matching between legs and fins, choosing them for aesthetics or for other considerations, while I think that this is something deserving great attention, because it can make diving much more safe and definitely more fun, with less fatigue and larger range of exploration.
In warm waters I favour the latter, wearing very thin "neoprene socks", inexpensive protective devices keeping the feet safe from abrasion due to sand between rubber and skin.
If you wear a thin hydrodynamic suit, or even no suit at all (at Maldives you do not really to use any), and you use a single small-size bottle (10 or 12 liters) and a tiny back BCD, you are almost as hydrodynamic as a free diver. That's the reason for which I always employed free-diving fins, such as Cressi Gara (not the longest ones, indeed). They are great in strong currents (a pass at Maldives can have more current than a river), and for jumping on the Dhoni without waiting for the ladder to be free.
But everyone's legs and ankles are different, demanding for different length, stiffness and angle between the shoe and fin. You should test many and find the ones which are perfect for you. And you have to learn the optimal pace and aperture of kicking for your fins. Many people simply do not take care of optimizing the matching between legs and fins, choosing them for aesthetics or for other considerations, while I think that this is something deserving great attention, because it can make diving much more safe and definitely more fun, with less fatigue and larger range of exploration.
seeker242
Contributor
Scuba pro jetfins XL. Dry, 5mm, 3mm, singles, doubles, They work fine!
Hank49
Contributor
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