Would these be a good quality pair of flippers to wear while scuba diving?

Question

I'm on a tight budget and I need flippers, a mask and a snorkel and this looks like a good deal. The seller has great feed back on the them. Does anyone know if I could wear these with boots?

Cheers!

Shane

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&Item=230242888693&Category=71162&_trksid=p3907.m29

Answer 1

US Diver fins are decent...you'll be upgrading to a more expensive set in the future,but they'll last you a least a couple years.

And they're open heel, so you can wear boots if the water's cold, but you can also use them on bear feet in warm water.

Answer 2

Not for scuba. I'll explain why.

The fins:

Fine for snorkeling but the blades aren't going to deliver much thrust. You'll need something that can propel you and your gear. It's not weight of gear so much as the drag it creates. Your legs will be kicking at a furious pace in those little things. Open heel though, is something you ought to think about looking for in a proper fin. It gives you the ability to wear booties. Closed heel won't and that's no good if you ever plan a cold water dive. Open heel and booties are great all around. Warm or cold.

Mask:

Never buy a mask without trying it on. Impossible to do online unless you find that same model mask in a shop and try it there. If the mask doesn't fit properly ( we all have different face shapes and masks come in different shapes too), it'll flood. If it floods..it's almost actually worse than not having a mask in the first place. Now you have to constantly deal with clearing it when you should be concentrating on other things, like where your buddy is, how much air left in your tank, how deep you are and what a pretty fish that was...I think, not sure because my mask is flooding. Get the picture? Try before you buy is important here.

Snorkel:

The snorkel looks fine. You don't need any bells or whistles, just a tube that clears easily, a comfortable mouthpiece and something that has a shape that stays close to your head ( like that curve in the tube). The message here is you want something functional and streamlined to your body (head) so that it doesn't get caught on things and is streamlined to reduce drag, which means less work for your legs.

Great deal for a snorkeling set and USD is actually an excellent manufacturer ( I own a wet suit from them that I sometimes ice dive with).

The bottom line? Not good for diving unless you can be sure that mask will fit properly by trying one on at a shop. Ask a store staff to help you determine fit, there is a simple test to try and if the mask passes, buy the set onlne, use the mask and snorkel but give those fins to a kid that needs them for the pool. You'll save a little money, not much but some, since a properly fitting dive mask usually runs between 75-150 bucks. You'll still need fins.

Answer 3

looks good or you can search on diving sits for new like www.primescuba.com or www.leisurepro.com

Answer 4

yeah they look!!!!!!! you should buy them!!!!!

Answer 5

Hi, Shane

They look OK. You're getting a good deal, I'd say. These fins(not flippers, which are what seals clap with!) need to be worn with boots from the look of the picture.

Good luck!