Fin, fins and more fins *boggle*

[Chadwick]

Ok, I am looking at fins and cannot wade through the marketing hype. I could use some help...
Power fins, Force fins, paddle fins, etc...
I grew up with an old stiff rubber pair with slits in them, turbo fins I think they were called. They seemed to work very well for me and I could get more power out of them for the same kick.
I don't know which type would be best for me. I do plan to try different types before buying, but a little help wading through would be greatly appreciated.
I was looking at a pair of mares fins, then I saw these turtle paddle fins. I plan to do a wide variety of diving, from lake to ocean to even caves and wrecks.
Can anyone tell me the pros and cons of each of these types?
Thanks in advance,
-Chad

[Freedive WI]

A standard pair of Turtle fins, rubber paddle type fins, will do almost anything you want for a lot less money than the rest of the stuff that is "hyped" out there.

IF you dive warm water with a lot of current you may want to look into a pair of freediving fins. Nothing beats them when it comes to fighting current.

Jon

[LKunze]

I currently use Turtles and really like them. I used Mares Quattros before the Turtles when I was diving wet and liked them as well but the foot pockets weren't big enough for my rockboots now that I dive dry. I have found the Turtles to cause a little less leg fatique most likely due to the fin blade being shorter. With the less fatique of Turtles comes a little less speed as well but when I am scuba diving the last thing I want to do is fin fast and waste all my air. I much prefer a slower pace and a frog kick and Turtles are great for that.

[Groovekitty]

Chad,

I agree - Turtle fins are definitely the way to go, and preferably with spring heel straps. I have really small feet so I had to go with IDI fins (almost identical to Turtle fins). Turtle fins only come in extra large, so IDI or Scubapro are the next best thing. I am able to use them dry and with my wet suit booties no problem.

Once you try these type of fins again you won;t even consider anything else. In my opinion there really is no alternative.

As far as spring heel staps - ditto! They are the best - ease of doning, durability, comfort, etc...

SD&T carries both IDI and Turtle fins - you can figure out which fits you best. They also carry spring heel straps.

~groovekitty*

[tcjtn0]

Chad:
Cudos on those spring straps!!! They are the cats meow.

Jean