Retro fins

[Britmarine]

The "Whither Pinocchio?" thread suggested that there might be some interest in "retro-looking" fins that are currently in production, so I thought I might start a new thread to share some of my online research about what is available worldwide. I'll limit myself to full-foot models in this new thread because that's my current area of interest and the fins I'll showcase will all be readily available through online retailers. I have bought such fins in the past from these sources, but I hasten to add that I have no commercial interest whatsoever in bringing these fins to your attention.

First in line are Najade Standard fins, which are manufactured in Hungary and retailed internationally from their website at https://www.najadefins.org/products/en/ ... -fins.html

They come in five sizes: US 1-3, 3-5, 5-7, 7-9 and 10-12. The size table helpfully provides the outer and inner dimensions of these fins as well as shoe sizes:

NajadeDims.jpg

According to the site, Najade Standard fins are:
• marketed and manufactured in Hungary by NajadeFins.com (http://www.najadefins.com/) and Hódgumi respectively.
• recommended for teaching purposes for all clubs dealing with any kind of water sports (swimming, fin swimming, triathlon, pentathlon etc.), as well as for classical diving from the age of six.
• considered suitable for use in teaching swimming and improving technique; competitive swimmers may use them to strengthen kicking when practising freestyle, back and butterfly strokes.
• designed to be light, while offering flexibility and speed; because they are made exclusively of rubber without plastic elements, they are more flexible and durable than plastic fins.
• approved for competition at all the rounds of the CMAS World Cup, and all the International Finswimming competitions, including Junior World Championships and Senior European Championships, Asian Championships and Pan-American Games.

Najade Standard fins come with an interesting history:
• Prior to the reunification of Germany, the VEB Guwelin company of (East) Berlin manufactured heavy black rubber Najade fins (below) in five sizes,

numbered 0 to 4, for recreational and military divers in the German Democratic Republic. These GDR-made fins can often be seen on the eBay online auction site. With their closed toes, small drain hole on the top of the foot pocket and ribbed blade, they also resemble modern Russian Дельфин (Dolphin) fins.
• When production later moved to Hungary, Najade Standard fins were still made in five sizes, also numbered 0 to 4. A lighter rubber blend was used, however. Green and blue options were introduced to complement the original black version, but now black again appears to be the sole colour available. Debrecen Diving Club markets Najade Standard fins via their NajadeFins.com website, while the Hódgumi rubber company of Hódmezővásárhely manufactures them.

The fins cost between 35 and 81 euros (roughly 40 to 92 US dollars), depending on size, and they ship worldwide. The terms and conditions are all explained, in English, here: https://www.najadefins.org/content/en/t ... tions.html

I do have a pair in my collection and I've tried them out when snorkelling in the North Sea. They have stiff blades and the soft foot pockets are very comfortable for my long, broad feet. Instead of a toe opening, the fins come with a soft toe cap that can be cut away if you need extra space for your toes. Closed toes are a historical feature of German, East European and Russian full-foot fins, but they do exist elsewhere, notably Voit Vikings in the USA.

In a week's time I'll showcase another currently and readily available "new production" retro fin. Please feel free to comment or to discuss your own preference when it comes to retro fins.

David

[Bryan]

I have been eyeballing those East German fins for years......And with the link you provided I have no reason not to buy a pair.....Other than the fact that I have 1/2 dozen pair of perfectly good fins that I will never wear out in my lifetime
Another great post David.....Keep em coming!

[Bronze06]

Hey Britmarine,

Great site. and thanks for posting it. I'll probably get some of their UW fins as they really look vintage from the 1950s. As an alternative, try the Amron International website at:
http://www.amronintl.com/rubber-full-foot-fins.html

The Scubapro full foot fins available there are of new construction, but gives the look and feel of classic fins from Scubapro's inventory of the mid 1960s. I use them when I dive and they are extremely comfortable and at $26.00 USD no one can beat the price. Even with the cost of shipping world wide they are a REAL bargain and you are not using your vintage fins on the coral heads. Just FYI.

[8dust]

Great info, boys. Thanks and keep it coming!

[Britmarine]

Thanks, Bryan, for the encouragement, and thank you, Russ, for the full-foot Scubapro fin recommendation. Those Scubapro "resort fins" are a real bargain and certainly look the part as retro fins. In my collection I have a pair of Subgear fins that are made to the same design. They are very comfortable and do what they're supposed to do when I snorkel with them in the North Sea:

Jelly.jpg

This fin design is sold worldwide under a variety of brand names:

Arena AQUAAF02

http://spo-land.co.kr/product/detail.ht ... uct_no=438

Aropec F-JS802

http://www.childsplaysurf.co.uk/index.p ... uct_id=129

Mad Wave

http://www.aiyoh.com.my/watersport/long ... 10129.html

Poseidon

http://www.poseidon.com/products/masks- ... keling-fin

Problue

http://www.spearfishing.com.au/problue- ... lling-fins

Selex

http://palmiyespor.com/index.php?route= ... uct_id=251

If you want to see the fins in action, watch the following videos of a diver wearing them to perform underwater drills at the bottom of the pool:
[video]https://youtu.be/GqMaJzE74GI[/video]
[video]https://youtu.be/izT5Utw3FuE[/video]

[Britmarine]

We're getting into our stride now and I have in mind half a dozen different closed-heel models that fit the criteria of being currently manufactured, looking retro and being relatively easily purchased online. In a way I'm bending these rules a little with the third fin in the series because I don't think it's available outside the USA. I got my light-blue pair via eBay and had to persuade the previous US owner to make an exception for me and sell his goods internationally. The fin in question is the Oceanways "Aquapro" Professional:


which comes in a traditional printed cardboard fin carton, like in the old days. These days, you may have to make do with a black pair:

http://www.amazon.com/Oceanways-Aquapro ... B00L9GRLNS
As you can tell, black Aquapros can be ordered from Amazon.com (Sadly not from Amazon.co.uk, however!). They cost $54.95. There are 7 sizes, from size 2 to 16. You can order them from the original dealer, Onlinescuba of Las Vegas, for $46.95 at http://www.onlinescuba.com/Oceanways-Aq ... P2384.aspx
Aquapros are good, solid fins with stiffer blades and have proved to be popular as rental "resort fins" in places like Hawaii:


http://www.justjared.com/2008/11/29/hel ... en-hawaii/
The fins take their inspiration from the world's first full-foot fin, Italy's Cressi Rondine, with the swallow emblem ("Rondine" in Italian) on the blades and foot pockets:

If they're good enough for Helen Mirren, the star of the movie "The Queen" who was vacationing in Hawaii, they're worthy of some consideration

I'll finish again with a video, this one showing how Oceanways Aquapros are moulded, trimmed, washed and packed in the Pacific Molding plant of Corona, CA:
[video]https://youtu.be/mFI2aT3B_SA[/video]
If you watch carefully, you'll see Scubapro Jet Fins being made there too!

[Britmarine]

I've a little spare time on my hands, so I'll move on to retro fin number 4. Like the Scubapro resort fin, this fin comes with a multitude of brands, but the original manufacturer is Principal Win of Malaysia, which lists the benefits of their SF158 Marlin fins thus:

• Ideal for swimming in the pool or snorkelling in the open sea;
• A high natural-rubber content; the comfortable soft rubber material allows the user’s foot to bend and expand naturally, reducing fatigue;
• REACH-, SVHC- and RoHS-compliant; all materials, including pigments, are non-toxic and safe;
• Foot pockets made of soft comfortable rubber and designed for comfort; their ergonomic design forms to the user’s feet for maximum comfort; they are designed to decrease friction within the foot pocket, preventing any chance of blisters;
• Slip resistant, non-marking soles, providing good traction;
• Specially designed heel tabs, allowing easy fitting and removal of fins in and out of the water;
• Blades designed for optimum flexibility and effectiveness; long, flexible fin blade engineered to convert light kick into maximum thrust;
• Extended side ribs, giving maximum efficiency by converting the power of the user’s kick into forward thrust; they also give control over direction of strokes and prevent fishtailing from side to side;
• Centre rib at the bottom of the fin, reinforcing the shape of the fin to take the strain off toes to improve comfort.

In the United States, the commonest version is the Head Corda:

You can purchase them from Leisurepro at http://www.leisurepro.com/p-hedcrf/head ... fins-black. They come in black only, in 8 sizes, from Child 11-13 to Adult 13-15, and cost between $26.95 and $34.95.
If you want a two-tone fin, there's the A3 Performance Pro:

[video]https://youtu.be/e8Jvvm1gLrc[/video]
The fin is available in 9 sizes from All American Aquatics at https://www.all-americanaquatics.com/pr ... t=24&man=2 for $24.95.

In Europe they are available as Beco Long Rubber fins:
[video]https://youtu.be/7UlrvoTzQCM[/video]
which come in 9 sizes and a choice of blue, orange and black at swim stores such as Fit4Swimming at http://www.fit4swimming.co.uk/products/ ... -fins-blue.

In Australia, the swim gear supplier Eyeline has recently changed its basic rubber fin line to this model using the name EF50 for the range:

http://www.eyeline.com.au/Shop/Search.aspx?cid=605
There these fins come in 10 sizes and retail for between AU$21.50 and AU$41.

[Bryan]

I carried the Oceanways fins for a while but they were not a big seller for me.

Have you seen a source for all black Churchill fins in XL anywhere lately? A few years ago they were making them but last I looked I could not find them again.

[Britmarine]

Here are the original Churchills in black:

and the information at http://www.churchillfinsreview.com/is-t ... ns-colors/ led me to the Churchill Hubb model as the newest version of the black. According to http://guide.alibaba.com/shop/churchill ... 83324.html, these fins

"only come in 3 different sizes: medium medium/large and large." The Churchill Makapuus in other colours appear to be available in XL.

[8dust]

Great stuff!

Here are the Rondine in blue: http://www.big5sportinggoods.com/store/ ... ginVW5vDgE

Don't know anything about the store(s) but it looks like a chain in the western half of the US.

I really really like my blue pair and each of us in the family has a set. Many a good beach memory in those blue birds.

Just an FYI for anyone thinking about a pair. I think they run a little small. I wear a 9-9.5 shoe and the Oceanways 8-10 fin is super tight, where as the 10-12 fin is noticeably loose... so at the beach, with my feet a little swollen and sunburnt anyway, I usually go with the bigger pair. Sand washes into the foot pocket pretty easily when standing up, but then washes out just as easily when you're in float-mode. If I squeeze on my wife's smaller pair, it keeps most of the sand out, but what does work its way in really saws the hell out of your skin.

[Britmarine]

Thank you for the personal experiences of fitting and using the Aquapros. Here's a picture of the original Italian design, a pair of light blue Cressi Rondine Extras from the late 1960s. Later versions had longer blades. It's a shame Cressi doesn't still offer these timeless full-foots today, in the same way as it continues to offer its Pinocchio mask.

$_60a.JPG

I'll now move on to the fifth item in my list of fins with a retro look that are relatively easy to get hold of nowadays. The fins in question are IST Sports' Sea Diver model.

http://www.amazon.com/IST-classic-rubbe ... B0034KUM7E
They are available in black in 8 sizes from Amazon ($37.99) and other dealers. They are described thus:

* Durable and Comfortable Rubber fins
* Very flexible and Powerful and Easy to Maneuver
* Open Toe Design for Quick Drainage
* Broad Size Selections for All Divers, from Kids to Adult!
* Made with High Quality Rubber

I would add that they have very stiff blades. I've noticed from pictures on the Web that they are often hired out as a "resort fin" in snorkelling and diving spots. They've been around for quite a while and during that time they have been sold in a variety of colours:

1681983370.jpg

8adb06d9-fce9-4791-b3fd-da45752a99c4_F.jpg

However, I haven't discovered any versions on sale at the moment in a colour other than black.

[Britmarine]

Moving on to the final component in my sextet of retro fins, I'm heading to the Far East and more particularly the products of the Gull Marine Sports division of Japan's Kinugawa Rubber Industrial Company Limited. Gull fins were until recent years beyond the reach of western divers and anybody emailing the company was likely to find their messages unanswered. I know because I tried. However, Gull fins are now available through online retailers prepared to ship internationally. One source is CanAm Underwater Hockey at http://www.canamuwhgear.com/ which retails Gull Hard Mew full-foot Fins:

http://www.canamuwhgear.com/Gull-Mew-Ha ... ullmew.htm
However, the company appears to be out of stock at the moment. Nil desperandum, though, because there is a very reliable source of Gull fins in the shape of Hong Kong based international diving equipment retailer Marinetone at http://www.marinetone.com/. Their website offers several different models at http://www.marinetone.com/locale/en-US/ ... oot%20Fins:

Gull Mew

http://www.marinetone.com/locale/en-US/ ... 7eb4656a2f
Price: US$ 97. There's a good range of colours available: Black(BK): S, MS, M, L, XL; Burgundy(BUR): S, M, L, XL; Aqua(Aqua): S, MS, M; Blue(BLU): M, L, XL; Pink(PNK): S, MS, M, L, XL; Lemon(LMN): S, MS, M, L, XL; White(WHT): S, MS, M, L, XL; Green(GRN): S, MS, M, L, XL. This model is the classic product of the full foot fin series of GULL; High performance with minimal exertion, increase your propulsion with minimum effort; Light in weight; Soft and comfortable foot pocket which to give you comfort, fit and exceptional performance; High quality elastic blade for maximum power and efficiency.

Gull Hard Mew

http://www.marinetone.com/locale/en-US/ ... 84dfd04d8f
Price: US$ 101. Another version of the classic product of the full foot fin series of GULL; High quality HARDER elastic blade for maximum power and greater propellent which suitable for powerful divers; Light in weight; Soft and comfortable foot pocket, which gives you comfort, fit and exceptional performance; 1 color is avaliable: White(WHI). Sizes: S, MS, M, L, XL.

Gull Soft Mew

http://www.marinetone.com/locale/en-US/ ... 6192b1eefb
Price: US$ 101. Another version of the classic product of the full foot fin series of GULL. High quality SOFTER elastic blade which suitable for "less powerful divers"; Light in weight; Soft and comfortable foot pocket which togive you comfort, fit and exceptional performance; 1 color is avaliable: White(WH). Sizes: S, MS, M.

Gull Safe Mew

http://www.marinetone.com/locale/en-US/ ... d6ca7c8b42
Price: US$ 101. Special version of the classic product of the full foot fin series of GULL. High quality SLIGHTLY HARDER elastic blade; Light in weight; Special design with RESCUE cross printed at the back of the blade; Soft and comfortable foot pocket which give you comfort, fit and exceptional performance; 1 color is avaliable: Orange(OR); Sizes: S, MS, M, L, XL.

Gull Supermew

http://www.marinetone.com/locale/en-US/ ... e6a29a2767
Price: US$ 167. One of the most popular item of mew fin series; Cut line at the tip of the blade shortened righting time; The new rib shape and blade design gives you extreme speed and well balanced torque; 3D design fin pocket gives you excellent fitting feeling; The well balanced blade angle between knee and ankle for maximum kick power with minimum exertion; 8 colors are avaliable: Black(BLK); MN Blue(BLU); Aqua(AQU); Orange(ORG); White(WHT); Burgundy(BUR); M Pink(PNK); Lemon(LMN); Sizes: S; M; L; XL.

Gull Barracuda

http://www.marinetone.com/locale/en-US/ ... 6694471313
Price: US$ 397. The longest rubber fin in the world; Designed for skin diving and scuba diving; Longer blade gives you excellent proplusion with minimum effort; Soft and comfortable foot pocket which gives you comfort, fit and exceptional performance; 3 colors are avaliable: Black(BK); White(WH); Orange(OR); Sizes: M: Mew Boot: 24cm; Barefoot: 25-26cm; L: Mew Boot: 26cm; Barefoot: 27-28cm.

Gull Bio-Fin

http://www.marinetone.com/locale/en-US/ ... df37ae4cf7
Price: US$ 160. 100% rubber provides a soft comfortable foot pocket and the perfect amount of weight and flexibility for top speed with the least amount of effort and strain on your body; 20 angle of blade ensures that the fin works with the natural resting angles of ankle and knee; More power and less effort than any other fin; Split fin design allows for increased maximum speed and reduced fatigue; Consistently rated as the fastest fin in the water; Foot pocket is soft and pliable; Can also be worn with boots; SIZES M-25~26cm, L-26~27cm,XL-27~28cm. And yes, I know, "split-blade" fins aren't vintage, but I thought I'd include them to cover Gull's range comprehensively.

So I make that 7 models of fins in the Gull range. Marinetone ships very quiickly, or at least they did in my case a few years ago. Gull fins are all more expensive than the other fins I've mentioned, but they do the job admirably and they are very popular fins with divers in the Far East, who seem to prefer classic rubber full-foots to "modern" open-heel composite plastic-bladed fins. 7 plus the 5 originally showcased makes 12 different fin models, twice the half-dozen I promised when I began this series. I hope I've given some food for thought in the retro fin area.

[Bryan]

Several years ago in Hawaii we noticed that divers from Japan were extremely conscious of color coordination of their gear. If they had a white mask the color continued to wetsuit, BCD, fins etc. It was the first time I saw white Jet Fins. Pastel colors were very popular.