Triton-Mahtlinnie
01-22-2015, 03:09 AM
So, at the final night of Merfest, I happened to win myself a Finis Aquarius in raffle. Since it's a relatively new fin and not a lot of mers have had a chance to try it out, I thought I'd make a review about it. I didn't expect myself to like this fin, but I ended up being rather fond of it.
The Aquarius is an adult size fin, said to fit Shoe Size: male 4-10, or female 5-11 (Euro sizes 36-43). I wear a Men's 9/Women's 11, so I am right at the upper range for this fin. This is what causes most of my problems with the fin. I find the footpockets to be rather uncomfortable.
The footpockets are a triangular shape with both feet side-by-side separated by a thin piece of rubber. This forces my big toe into the hole at the front of the pocket, while all my other toes have to curl under. I also can't have both feet perfectly against eachother, I always swim with one foot slightly above the other. After one swim, I actually managed to warp the footpockets due to this habit.
26843
The other big issue is the footstrap, which slips off very easily. I couldn't manage a lap without it coming off. So, I came up with a fix. I tied a piece of elastic to the strap. My feet go between the elastic and the strap, so the elastic runs across the topside of my foot and holds the strap up. Voila, no more strap slipping off while swimming. Easy, low cost fix. Didn't even require glue or sewing.
26842
I find while swimming, all the pressure of a downstroke goes to the bridge of my foot, where my toes meet my foot. It's slightly uncomfortable, and I did get a cramp when I tried to race full speed in it. I did lose some skin as well, with a blister on each foot after an hour of swimming despite my lycra swim socks. Neoprene booties are a good idea, especially for someone with larger feet like me.
On the positive side, this fin is very agile, allowing twists and turns I can't do with my Hydra. Despite this it still manages to give a decent amount of push across the pool, though obviously not as much as a larger fin. I took a short video of me swimming in it.
http://youtu.be/XPhowK-pQys
Size comparison between Aquarius and an Uncut Rapid
26844 26845
In conclusion: Though I have some problems with it, I still think this is a great little fin and intend to keep using it. I wouldn't put it in a silicone or latex tail due to some of the problems with the footpockets, but I fully intend to put it inside the fluke of my fabric tail to replace the bi-fins in there now. I think this fin is a great low-cost option for adult mers who want something a little prettier than a foil in their tails, and plan to use it whenever I don't have the time or space to get out my latex tail.
I like how agile I can be in it, but still get good propulsion from it when I want to get across the pool quickly.
The Aquarius is an adult size fin, said to fit Shoe Size: male 4-10, or female 5-11 (Euro sizes 36-43). I wear a Men's 9/Women's 11, so I am right at the upper range for this fin. This is what causes most of my problems with the fin. I find the footpockets to be rather uncomfortable.
The footpockets are a triangular shape with both feet side-by-side separated by a thin piece of rubber. This forces my big toe into the hole at the front of the pocket, while all my other toes have to curl under. I also can't have both feet perfectly against eachother, I always swim with one foot slightly above the other. After one swim, I actually managed to warp the footpockets due to this habit.
26843
The other big issue is the footstrap, which slips off very easily. I couldn't manage a lap without it coming off. So, I came up with a fix. I tied a piece of elastic to the strap. My feet go between the elastic and the strap, so the elastic runs across the topside of my foot and holds the strap up. Voila, no more strap slipping off while swimming. Easy, low cost fix. Didn't even require glue or sewing.
26842
I find while swimming, all the pressure of a downstroke goes to the bridge of my foot, where my toes meet my foot. It's slightly uncomfortable, and I did get a cramp when I tried to race full speed in it. I did lose some skin as well, with a blister on each foot after an hour of swimming despite my lycra swim socks. Neoprene booties are a good idea, especially for someone with larger feet like me.
On the positive side, this fin is very agile, allowing twists and turns I can't do with my Hydra. Despite this it still manages to give a decent amount of push across the pool, though obviously not as much as a larger fin. I took a short video of me swimming in it.
http://youtu.be/XPhowK-pQys
Size comparison between Aquarius and an Uncut Rapid
26844 26845
In conclusion: Though I have some problems with it, I still think this is a great little fin and intend to keep using it. I wouldn't put it in a silicone or latex tail due to some of the problems with the footpockets, but I fully intend to put it inside the fluke of my fabric tail to replace the bi-fins in there now. I think this fin is a great low-cost option for adult mers who want something a little prettier than a foil in their tails, and plan to use it whenever I don't have the time or space to get out my latex tail.
I like how agile I can be in it, but still get good propulsion from it when I want to get across the pool quickly.