Wednesday, 16 December 2009
Diving Masks - snorkel set, snorkeling
I ordered 2 sets of US Divers Sea Lion Fins, sizes "S and ML mens". The products themselves are excellent:soft flexible,lightweight rubber. The only MAJOR COMPLAINT was the SIZING. These were labeled as men's sizes, but were really in the boy's category (or sized for small Malaysian men where manufactured.)My boys wear shoe sizes 6 and 9 mens. Turns out the ML fit my younger son and my size 9 son should have gotten the XL/XXL. U.S. Divers Sea Lion Fin (Yellow/Blue, Medium Large 8-10)
I agree with the review by Macy. Wish I'd paid attention to that review. I had a pair of these before and loved them, but alas, they flew out of a rental scooter somewhere! So I ordered another pair. I wear a Men's size 10, always have, so I specified Medium-Large (9-11 stamped on them). When they came I could barely get them on and immediately my feet began swelling. I returned them to Amazon and ordered Large (11 to 13) and they work. I'm a long time diver/snorkeler/Boogie-boarder and have had numerous fins over the years of various makes and types. My serious cold water (in CA) fins are high-dollar type with spring heel straps etc. But unless you plan heavy duty swimming against a current, need thick booties or whatever, these "cheapos" work great. On a live-aboard dive boat you are constantly gearing up and doffing stuff and these slip-ons are the ticket. By the way; Amazon rules. You probably know of their righteous prices, promptness, shipping options and variety and stock of many cool goodies. This is the first time I've returned anything to them and it was easy and slick. They felt it was their fault about the published sizes and picked up all costs including return UPS.
These are a case of simple lower cost fins that work great.I am getting older but I have used fins many years in Hawaii for free diving & Body surfing using specialized fins.I used these for swimming in the ocean crawl,backstrock,sidestroke.They have good power for their size & are easy on legs and feet.Just a great pair of fins that work.
A good sturdy fin for those that are on the go. Its a medium size fin that I find works well for those that enjoy both lap swimming and snorkeling. Not big enough to be a true scuba fin. its sort of a jack of all trades but master of none.
I love these fins. I own a pair and noticed they were getting a bit worn. When I went looking in local sport stores carrying U.S Diver products, they seemed to only carry fins with heel straps. These full foot fins are far more comfortable for me. I was thrilled to find them online.
The sizing on these fins created some confusion. I read many of the reviews and most of them eluded to these fins being sized inappropriately. The advice given was to order fins a size larger than needed. So I followed suit and ordered two sets of fins; one set for my wife and one set for myself. My wife is a size 9 so I ordered the Large 10-11 since the consensus was that these fins run small. Well, size 10-11 were actually 10-11.
Perhaps the manufacturer has adjusted the sizing since the reviews were written as I can not imagine so many reviewers being wrong. As far as my fins were concerned, I am a size 12 so I ordered the 14-16. Hard to say whether these fit as I received the wrong size; size 15-17. This was a little crazy since 15-17 wasn't even a size option when I ordered the fins. These things could have fit a medium sized Sasquatch they were so large.
I tried on the Large 10-11 fins and actually they weren't too bad but were a little too snug for snorkeling comfort. In the end I should have ordered the Medium-Large 8-10 for my wife and the X-Large 11-13 for myself.
Though I was dissappointed the fins did not work out for our trip, the product quality met my expectations and the shipping was fast. I just wish I could have tried these fins out in the water.
After spending 30 minutes reading ALL the reviews and making notes to try to determine the correct size for me I came up with Medium Large 8-10... I wear a women's size 8 (8 1/2 in a running shoe) ... I'm happy to say they fit perfectly and the rubber is very soft and comfy. I've tested them in the swimming pool as my holiday to Oahu is still two months away. They felt wonderful in the pool and I can't wait to take them into the beautiful Pacific waters. The absence of a size chart for these fins is just silly... a size chart is an essential here... please do something Amazon. :) - Snorkeling - Snorkel Set - Snorkel - Diving Masks'
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