Scuba Pro’s Jet Fins have been around for over 50 years so chances are good that you’ve probably worn a pair if you’ve spent anytime in the water, diving or swimming. For years they were available in any color as long as it was Black but recently, they’ve introduced a wide variety of colors. Now, they can do patterns and what you see below is a mixture of their Green and Black. It was just an experiment to see what the attendees at Warrior West thought, but I asked if I could share it the readers of SSD as well. So what do you think?
I’d also like to share that the Jet Fins are no longer made overseas but production has been moved to Los Angeles, California. It’s nice to see manufacturing moved here for a change.
Like it
Live that they are made in USA!
If they produce the camo ones, I’ll buy a set. The Jet fin is simply the best bang for the buck in a durable fin.
At the risk of being Cpt. Obvious here, why not just rattle can paint them like some of us used to do back in the day? Yeah it wears off, but its usually good for a few swims. Other than that, decent fins for what they are used for and the durability. What they should make standard is the brass grommet in the blade of the fin for those who jump with them, IMO.
Remember fashioning “Fin leashes” out of 550 that were secured through the “jets”? Lol
I’m no hydrodynamicist, let alone a combat diver, but my very rough guess is that doing ANYTHING, like implanting a grommet, which interrupts the designed fluid flow right at the TIP (presumably the fastest moving wetted surface) would create massive drag (for it’s size), perhaps exponentially more than placing your grommet almost anywhere else on the fin. The grommet area might seem tiny, but ALL drag quickly adds up!
AbnMedOps, based on your comment,you obviously haven’t jumped with fins. The grommet is there to tie a piece of 1/4″ cotton webbing to your shin and hold the fin blade(s) up,so you can walk over the ramp and out of the aircraft, while wearing your fins. If you are concerned with the nuances of hydrodynamics and drag then we wouldn’t even be discussing these fins, as they are the equivalent of having 2 boards strapped to your feet compared to other fins that are available.
That’s the best damn explanation of what wearing these is like.
+5
Hydrodynamic is not in the combat diver vernacular, if it was you wouldn’t be swimming/diving a rucksack, rifle, web gear etc.
@PLiner: Thanks! You are correct, I’ve never jumped with fins, and no clue about the cotton webbing thing. I was thinking the grommet was simply an additional security retention point. Now it makes more sense to me.
Well it’s nostalgic to see them but I distinctly remember how much I hated these damn fins after years of use. No offense to the company but once we switched to split fins not only was I faster but my ankles were too.
I hated how easily the fasteners came loose and well I hated them and the Turttles too. Lol. I have to side on technology, it was the bane of my existence when doing those long movements with a ruck and full combat equipment.
Just saying.
Split fins fit in my purse too.
Agreed, i hated these fins too.
The rubber around the foot is was(still is?) way to hard, making your feet hurt like crazy, making them not fit well and also making them wear excessively on the drysuit boots. They are also very heavy and the stiffness of the rubber really kills your ancles. That same weight and stiffness also made them a total bitch to wear when being stacked up for a static jump, altho it was less of a problem later when we started taking the fins off completly and taping them to the calf and then just putting them on in the water..
The Biofin splitting types solved all these problems for me as well, its just an overall better alternative in my opinion..
These were available for sale at a recent dive expo held here in Singapore. There was also a three color camo pattern version.
Those would look so right sitting in a kit bag. Daddy needs some new fins.
They are also some of the best fins for cave diving/overhead environments as well. Trying to do a frog kick with split fins just feels like a football bat.
This. Can’t speak to the utility for military swimmers, but for wreck/cave diving, Jet or Turtle fins with a set of spring straps are hard to beat.