On a recent trip to the US I managed to pick myself up a set of Scubapro Seawing Nova Gorilla fins which were discounted as they had been used once for a demo.
These are an updated version of the Seawing Nova with a slight increase in stiffness and snap. Made of Monprene®, slightly positive buoyant, they are virtually indestructible, and feature a wing-shaped blade that connects to the foot pocket via an articulated joint. Scubapro’s website suggests.
They give you more power, more speed and even better frog-kick-ability while at the same time ensuring they still offer the legendary comfort and efficiency of Seawings!
So far I have just 8 dives on them, but i’m enjoying them a lot, the ergonomic foot pocket and extended heel plate makes them feel comfortable and really snug on the foot. This snug fit ensures all the power is transmitted to the fin via the articulated joints which pivot. This pivot control technology ensures an efficient angle of the entire fins blade no matter you kick hard or soft, generating thrust without drag or wasted energy. I have found this translates to a fin which does not leave you feeling leg or ankle strain, yet you are able to accelerate quickly and power through the water at speed, or glide along slow and efficiently.
The blade itself is clean with wings pointing upwards at the sides, allowing water to flow freely with less drag while feeling stable in even at high speed.
Donning and doffing is a breeze, the Seawings are fitted with a bungee heel strap with a molded heel which includes a finger loop. A quick tug of the strap to pull on and your done, and the reverse to remove. I found this feature especially convenient in the surf.
Take Away
In short this is a great fin, its fast, it has a good amount of power, good acceleration, very stable, maneuverable, works with different kicks, does not stress the legs and is fast to don/doff.
In 2010 it was Scubalabs testers choice, and the only fin to earn top scores in “Power vs. Stress,” “Acceleration” and “Alternate Kicks” categories. Their testers said it best “These fins are fun. I don’t want to take them off!”
Leave A Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.