EXTRA FINS INTRO COMPARISON TABLE

APOLLO BIOFIN PRO* Unusually made of natural rubber and with heavy side struts, this fin was the first to use the Nature's Wing approach and gave notice of the impending revolution in fin design back in 1999, when it equalled the other best performer in our test. Average maximum speed was better than 4kmph. If you want a pair, you will probably have to get them from the USA.
APOLLO BIOFIN PRO XT* A more rigid version of its high-performance brother. XT stands for the extra torque which revealed itself in the figures achieved by those who could use it. The only fin to break the 5kmph barrier during the tests (with Chris Boardman), its averaged-out performance over the five team members was better than 4.2 kmph.
AQUA-LUNG BLADE 2 HF This is a big shovel among fin designs. It gave a good performance at an averaged maximum speed of 3.8kmph but was unable quite to match the best tested alongside it. Everyone loved the novel strap-release, unusually positioned as it was in the centre of the heel to allow hands-free (HF) operation. One of the better-value fins featured here.
BEAVER PHANTOM A fairly rigid conventional fin with a performance that proved average in this exalted company. The price was average, too. Every one of our test team seemed to get about the same maximum speed, proving that this is a fin that will adequately suit most styles of finning. Averaged maximum, 3.5kmph.
BEAVER VELOCITY This is the sort of cheap fin you buy when you first take up scuba-diving. It amazed us all by doing slightly better, overall, than its sibling rival. With an averaged maximum of 3.55kmph, it proved that any fin was better than no fin at all, and is available at an expected bargain retail price.
BEUCHAT ACTIVA A very smart-looking, beautifully crafted, rigid paddle-fin with rubber-like side struts that, alas, delivered only average results. These fins exactly reflected the level of fitness and experience of each of the team members, revealing that they needed no particular technique to get the best result. A mid-price-range fin, it averaged a maximum speed of 3.5kmph.
BEUCHAT JETFIN This is how fins used to be; heavyweight, natural black rubber with a short foot-pocket that puts a lot of uncomfortable loading onto the diver's ankles. Natural rubber is expensive, which is reflected in the price. Our strongest test team member beat the 4kmph barrier with the Jetfins but two of the others failed to make 3kmph. The averaged maximum speed was an uncomfortable 3.45kmph. Someone said: "They were like planks of wood on your feet but they did exactly what you wanted!"
CRESSI-SUB MASTER FROG We were really surprised not to get higher speeds out of this fin design, with its massive, rigid-over-its-width, water-flicking blade. We put this down to the need to have a very disciplined finning style combined with the ankles of an ice-skater to keep the blade presented accurately to the water. Only Alex, our most heavily-muscled diver, managed to get well past 4kmph. The averaged maximum speed was 3.65kmph.
CRESSI-SUB PROLITE Another big disappointment from what looks like a superbly manufactured fin at a mid-range price and available in a wide range of sizes. Similar in effect to the Master Frog, we believe it is the tendency for the fin to slice sideways through the water as the diver applies the pressure on to the blade that makes the difference between what a human tester and a machine can do. Mean average maximum 3.5kmph.
FORCE ACCELERATOR From avant-garde Californian fin designer Bob Evans, these polyurethane fins, with their adjustable hydrofoils set to an average position, need getting used to. However, all of our test team were able to adjust their techniques quickly to suit. Nicely made, these fins are hugely expensive at £238 per pair. They employed the typical Force elasticated heel-strap and averaged a maximum speed up with some of the best performers at 4.0kmph.
FORCE PRO This, the original, expensive, solid-polyurethane Force fin, needs some getting used to and certainly attracts unwelcome comments from bystanders, often with references to duck's webs. The fitter members of the test team put up some good speeds but the average came down to slightly less quick than its more sophisticated Accelerator sibling. This fin has an interesting elasticated heel-strap which functions a lot better than it looks. Averaged maximum speed was 3.8kmph.
IST TALARIA* A neat little fin which appears to be an unashamed copy of the TUSA X-Pert Zoom in every way, including a blade that dips away from the foot-pocket at around 20¡. If anything slightly more flexible, it retails at a more attainable price, but it was no surprise that it delivered identical results, which were first-division at 4kmph.
MARES PLANA AVANTI QUATTRO ABS A previous winner, and a firm favourite with dive-guides worldwide, this four-channel "scooping"-style fin continues to be the one by which others are judged. The individual speeds achieved uncannily reflected the ages and perceived fitness of the testers. It used to be considered an expensive fin at £82 per pair but now, in competition with much more expensive products, it is relegated to a mid-price range. However, it maintains its place at the front of the grid with an average of 4kmph. It has great ABS strap-buckles too.
MARES PLANA AVANTI X3 A three-channel version of the successful and ever-popular Plana Avanti range, these fins proved consistently good performers regardless of whose feet they were on, but failed to equal the best with an average maximum speed of 3.85kmph. A lot cheaper than the Quattros and only slightly less effective, they could be a good choice for those who want top performance on a budget, and they have good strap-buckles that proved easy to close up.
OCEANIC VIPA This is a pretty basic-looking one-piece fin that delivered a pretty basic performance but, that said, at a very basic price. Even our Olympic champion was not able to race ahead of the others with a pair of these, and the averaged maximum speed of the whole team was a rather modest 3.35kmph.
OCEANIC VORTEX V12* All our test team thought these soft and flexible split-fins, made in a mixture of thermoplastic and natural rubber, to be very sexy in their shiny black finish. Results were slightly disappointing in that they did not quite break the 4kmph barrier. The maximum speed achieved averaged 3.9kmph. They come with a snazzy tennis-racquet-style bag, which you will need to protect the big investment you will make if you buy them.
SCUBAPRO TWINSPEED* Several of the test team were impressed by these big fins during the test and we were surprised at the mid-range price. TwinSpeeds are a good-looking design with fairly rigid side-struts and long split-blades. Those strong enough to apply them well got good top speeds and the average put this design up there with the best. Averaged top speed 4.0kmph.
SCUBAPRO TWINJET* Obviously designed more for comfort than performance, these very floppy short fins, made from some kind of soft silicone rubber, still did much better than was expected of them, with an average exceeding 3.5kmph. They certainly take up little room in the dive bag. In marketing areas other than the UK, Scubapro sells a more rigid and hence more efficient black version. An expensive fin.
SEACSUB We don't know why but this good-looking Italian-made "scooping" fin managed to deliver only below-average results for each member of the test team. It distinguished itself by delivering the poorest result of all the fins tested alongside it, at only 3kmph. Someone always has to come last.
SPORASUB MATRIX A rather dull-looking fin design that betrays its low retail price. It did little to impress any of our test team before they tried it, but it still gave a reasonably average result with 3.5kmph.
SPORASUB TWINNS Surprise performer, this HTM product is in fact a replica of the original Mares Plana Avanti two-channel "scooping" fin (no longer available in the UK) but with conventional quick-release buckles. Four out of five of our test team achieved speeds well in excess of 4kmph and this £33 bargain was one of the two outright winners of the competition, with an averaged maximum speed of 4.2kmph.
TECHNISUB IDEA3 With a good "scooping" design, well-liked for its comfort by all the members of the test team, these fins achieved results that reflected the fitness of each user. These fins are as curvaceous as the bonnet of an Aston Martin and look much more expensive than they really are, averaging a very respectable 3.8kmph top speed.
TUSA IMPREX A firm favourite with those who like a "water-scooping" blade, these sensibly priced fins were used equally well by each test team member and results were good enough to put it close to the first division with a mean average maximum speed of 3.8kmph.
TUSA X-PERT ZOOM* One of the best-looking and more expensive fins in the line-up of contenders, with a blade that dips away from the angle of the foot-pocket and strong side-struts. This Taiwanese-made, US-marketed fin got close to the number one spot, with an average maximum speed of 4kmph.
TYPHOON HURRICANE An old-fashioned vented-fin design now manufactured in a modern thermoplastic rather than the traditional natural black rubber, and at a very attainable price. A small foot-pocket puts quite a load on to the ankle of the user and our test-team members each expressed a disliking for it. Unsurprisingly, it recorded a poor averaged maximum of only 3.4kmph.
TYPHOON TIGULLIO ANGEL A pretty, rigid, Italian-made thermoplastic fin at a very ordinary price, it gave each of our test divers very ordinary performance and a similar result in each case to average a maximum of 3.7kmph.

FINS INTRO
COMPARISON TABLE