Buying Fins
Thinking of Buying?
For the uninitiated, fins all look alike. But that doesn’t mean that they all behave in the same way. When you kick, the fins help to displace water and depending on their shape they will do it differently. Moving from rental to private means that you have fins that are suited to your style of diving. For rental, dive operators may have a standard pair which is based on the lowest common denominator or a mish-mash of fins fins available. Using different fins will mean that for each dive you will have to get used the fins and the way in which they work. Not a big problem if you go infrequently, bearing in mind that a good set of fins will be expensive.
Fin Selection
As I mentioned before, fins take on different shapes and sizes. Your choice of fin will depend greatly on what style of diving you plan on doing and what diving conditions you are most likely to be in. Some fins are designed for speed while others are designed for efficiency. Essentially, picking the right fin for the job will ensure that your own exertion is at the right level. Be sure to get fins that are for scuba diving – there are fins that are primarily used for surface swimming (snorkelling) and they may not be suitable for scuba.
What I Have
I use Black Extra Force Fins. These are great and look good too. Aside from looking good, their shape is designed to better channel the water through the blades when you kick – giving you better thrust and efficiency. Extra Force Fins come with a Force Wings which attach to your blades to give you added control over how your fins work. Mine are fitted with with Whiskers which I think are useful for most types of diving. By adjusting them in different positions, you can adjust the way the fins work dependent on the water conditions and style of diving. These are expensive, but well worth it. A point to note though is that you will probably have to use a flutter kick rather than the usually kicking motion. Ask your intstructor how to do this.
