Why the hate/ridicule for split fins?

[C P]

I have a set of splits and a set of popular paddle fins for cave diving and I use both regularly. I have practiced with both sets and can do all the kicks people tell you aren't possible with both sets well. Expect a back kick which I can't do at all due to a knee injury and nerve damage which causes cramps in my leg doing about any exercise. But again I have practiced. With the splits the cramps are less often and intense. I've used them both in currents, high flow and with my doubles. I can move along faster than the people I dive with want to move anyway in any of the conditions. (If the speed limit is 70 mph why do I need a car that goes 150 mph as an analogy.) The point is either will probably do anything you want in the long run anyway so it should be your preference. I tell my students to think about what they really want to do with their diving and where they see themselves in 5 years diving. Try different pieces of equipment and get what works for you and then go use it.

 

[Dogbowl]

What fin was the DM using? Keeping up with the group in a current is definitely a common concern.

I used to bring Hollis F2s on trips because they were compact and fit well in my bag, but they couldn't handle currents at all. Freediving fins are too long to pack. And there is no way I'm going to use up 6-1/2 lbs. of that precious 50 lb. airline baggage allowance to bring my Jets, not to mention i don't really enjoy having those concrete slabs on my feet if I don't have to. I am currently using Deep Six Eddys, but haven't had to face any serious currents yet. My holy grail is the lightest, most compact fin that I can get to handle currents.

Hmmm...I don't remember but they were most likely Aqualungs as the Aggressor fleet is associated with that brand. He was a young strong man, which also made a difference I'm sure! The captain wore freediving fins.

My holy grail is your holy grail, but what is it? I wore Mares Excite Pros this time and couldn't keep up. That pair of fins also has a weird "snap" or "click" to it, which really bothers me. It's like I kicked some coral or another diver but it wasn't. It was the fins. I found out the Mares X-stream also does this so I know my mind is not playing tricks on me.

 

[ystrout]

I had no idea there was hate for split fins... Lol.

I knew there was hate for jacket BCDs but I thought that was it....

Edit: apparently they aren't as efficient as paddle fins? Idk. I use them and they work great. One could reasonably assume that the hate for them is pretty much consolidated to this website considering the vast majority of people I see diving on the weekends (rec diving) are using split fins.

 

[Dogbowl]

I had no idea there was hate for split fins... Lol.

I knew there was hate for jacket BCDs but I thought that was it....

There's a lot of hate going around the SBverse LOL.

 

[dmaziuk]

My intention is not to go fast underwater, not at all. I just want a fin that can swim against current well enough to stay with the group, when the DM has chosen to swim against the current for the first half of the dive, as was experienced on a recent liveaboard.

On a recent Curacao trip we had a DM who said "I haven't done this myself before, let's jump in the water over there and drift and see how far we can get. When we're low on gas I'll shoot the SMB and the boat will come pick up up". I sounds to me like you want that DM, not a different pair of fins.

 

[Dogbowl]

On a recent Curacao trip we had a DM who said "I haven't done this myself before, let's jump in the water over there and drift and see how far we can get. When we're low on gas I'll shoot the SMB and the boat will come pick up up". I sounds to me like you want that DM, not a different pair of fins.

Yeah, I think I should just go back to Cozumel, hire a private DM and get picked up by the boat after a drift dive, wherever we might pop up.

But, in an effort to broaden my diving experience, I chose to dive off a moored liveaboard, where we have to make our own way back to the boat. So, as was explained to me, when we dive at a site where there is current, the first half of the dive will be against the current alongside a wall, and then we would turn around and swim with the current, making it easier to get back to the mothership. I never made it to the turn-around point.

 

[Carlos Danger]

Like anything, there are good designs and not so good designs; plus there are always going to be elements that are subjective, personal, and/or dictated by conditions, etc.

I am strictly a tropical warm water recreational diver. I used to have a pair of the 1st generation of Atomic's full-foot split fins. Performance wise; they were great and were perfect for travel, but were not very comfortable. Eventually Atomic reformulated some of the compounds, along with slight changes in the ergonomics to make them more comfortable and better able to hold their shape. Sadly, these 2nd generation versions, which looked essentially the same, were a total disaster IMHO; horrible in just about every way. Also had some open heel Apollo Bio Fin Pros too, which were very good performers (probably the fastest fin I have ever used), but were pretty demanding on the legs and just way too heavy. Tried a few other splits, but never could find anything that worked for me. So, started testing paddles and found that I was having similar problems finding the right combination of traits to suit me. Even tried free diving fins for a time.

After a while I started to notice that no matter what destination I went to, many of the DMs very specifically used the Mares Avanti Quattro Power full-foot. So, gave them a try and haven't looked back. To this day I still get comments from operators and DMs that say these are the best full-foot fins for tropical boat diving ever made, and I have to agree - they are fantastic performers. Despite the fact that they are expensive, large, and not the best for travel, I am so sync'd up with how they perform I don't think I could ever go back to splits, or anything else for that matter. Generally speaking, paddle fins just seem to have a more "connected" feel that I personally prefer.

I guess the bottom line here is there really is no right or wrong when it comes to fin design; it's more about what works for you personally within the context of the conditions you dive in. Opinions and reviews aside, the only true way to find out is to check-out some products that interest you and give them a try in real-world conditions.


Hope this is helpful.

 

[MichaelMc]

I was editing my below post, but adding it here may be better.

Finning against current need not be furious.

There are effective travel friendly fins out there. Picking one of them may help you and your fellow divers.

I dove in Belize against to me only moderate current, but the second dive that day was canceled because of it. I, not in any great shape, had no problem. Most, next to me, were sheltering behind rocks to get back to the boat.

As in my profile, my fins were Force Fin Pros which are slightly negative and fit in a small bag, 3lb. 6.7oz and 17 x 12 x 4.2”. Expensive, yes, but so are plane tickets that lead to canceled dives. I'm sure there are other options, but I've liked these, and do back kick, so so, and helicopter turns, very easy, with them, and at least one technical instructor, side mount instructor Andy Davis, uses them. (Edit: if you get them, best to get the blue, they're a better new 'indigo' material. I have nothing to do with the company.)

 

[Dogbowl]

Like anything, there are good designs and not so good designs; plus there are always going to be elements that are subjective, personal, and/or dictated by conditions, etc.

I am strictly a tropical warm water recreational diver. I used to have a pair of the 1st generation of Atomic's full-foot split fins. Performance wise; they were great and were perfect for travel, but were not very comfortable. Eventually Atomic reformulated some of the compounds, along with slight changes in the ergonomics to make them more comfortable and better able to hold their shape. Sadly, these 2nd generation versions, which looked essentially the same, were a total disaster IMHO; horrible in just about every way. Also had some open heel Apollo Bio Fin Pros too, which were very good performers (probably the fastest fin I have ever used), but were pretty demanding on the legs and just way too heavy. Tried a few other splits, but never could find anything that worked for me. So, started testing paddles and found that I was having similar problems finding the right combination of traits to suit me. Even tried free diving fins for a time.

After a while I started to notice that no matter what destination I went to, many of the DMs very specifically used the Mares Avanti Quattro Power full-foot. So, gave them a try and haven't looked back. To this day I still get comments from operators and DMs that say these are the best full-foot fins for tropical boat diving ever made, and I have to agree - they are fantastic performers. Despite the fact that they are expensive, large, and not the best for travel, I am so sync'd up with how they perform I don't think I could ever go back to splits, or anything else for that matter. Generally speaking, paddle fins just seem to have a more "connected" feel that I personally prefer.

I guess the bottom line here is there really is no right or wrong when it comes to fin design; it's more about what works for you personally within the context of the conditions you dive in. Opinions and reviews aside, the only true way to find out is to find some products that interest you and give them a try in real-world conditions.


Hope this is helpful.

I have also heard great things about Mares Avanti Quattro full foot fins (from a fin manufacturer but I'm not saying who and a lot of DMs).

So, I did buy myself a set of Mares Avanti Quattros (not full foot) but they were just a tad wide for me. My husband wears those now and they fit him fine. I had to get smaller fins so ended up with the Mares Excite Pros. So I'm looking for my 4th pair of fins, after failing my first 3 pairs.

Oh, I do like the ones in your profile pic...want to share with me where you got those?

 

[Dogbowl]

Well that's annoying! It negates one of the best features of Cozumel, drift diving and all that goes with it- effortlessly flying over the reefs, seeing more territory, and not having to worry about finding the boat. Plus, all the dive sites in Cozumel are readily accessible from shore so there's really nothing to be gained from a Cozumel LOB and in fact a lot to lose.

To clarify, the LOB was in Belize, not Cozumel. I was referring to Coz because of it's easy drift diving and not having to make my way back to the boat (as a comparison with the LOB).