Apollo Bio-Fin Pro XT

While some fins are good for a certain diving task and diving conditions they must not perform as well in other conditions or diving styles. The fins that I’ve considered and tried in the water before choosing the Apollo’s were: Scubapro Twin Jet fins, Atomic Aquatics SplitFin, Tusa X-Pert Zoom fins and I even tried a pair of Oceanic split fins (don’t even remember the exact name). For the Oceanic’s I didn’t care at all, they were heavy in the water and altered my entire balance. Besides, the performance wasn’t any good. Among the other fins that I’ve mentioned the once that I liked the most were the Apollo’s and the Atomics.

When I’ve narrowed down my list to Apollo and Atomic (with a tendency towards the Apollo’s) there was another tough decision to make. That is because the Apollo Bio-Fins Pro come in 2 different versions – the soft ones and the hard ones, which are called Apollo Bio-Fins Pro XT (Extra Torque). The different between the Soft Bio-Fins and the XT’s is in the hardness of the rubber (which is called durometer). The soft ones have a 65 degrees durometer, and the hard ones have 75. That’s a huge difference! I’ve tried both versions in the water and have found that they behave differently. The softer fins give better performance in relaxed recreational dives with no currents. And they are just amazing. You really put a lot less effort than with conventional fins and you get much more power and speed. My dive buddy had some real trouble keeping up with me. However, the price that you pay for the softness is reduced maneuverability. It’s hard to turn around yourself or to swim backwards or make a sudden stop using the fins. The XT version, on the other hand, also has great speed performance. Also it requires putting in more effort than with the soft Bio-Fins Pro’s. But the maneuverability of the XT’s is awesome. You can do whatever you want in the water with it. And it’s also good in strong currents. That’s why the XT is more recommended for technical divers.

To sum up, both versions of the Apollo Bio-Fins Pro give amazing performance and are both outstanding fins. If you can spare the money you should probably get both versions and use whatever fits best to each and every dive you make. I myself decided to go with the XT’s. That’s because I plan on doing a technical diving course in the near future and don’t want to find myself looking for new fins anytime soon. The ones I got, by the way, are the C-Series. This means that instead of the normal strap, they got a stainless steal spring strap. You can get this kind of strap for most brands of high-end fins, but in the Apollo Bio-Fins Pro C-Series it’s screwed inside the fin, which makes it more reliable.

Here are the main feature of the Bio-Fins PRO XT, according to the manufacturer:

BIO-FIN PRO XT

• 20° angled blade for a fin shape that works with the natural resting angles of ankle and knee - very low strain
• 100% rubber material for optimum weight and flexibility
• Up to 40% reduction in muscle fatigue, energy use, and air consumption; longest recorded bottom times during testing
• Increasing durometer to 75 rather than changing base material creates a stiffer blade that retains a high degree of the comfort and performance found in our original bio-fin pro.
• Increased control and added leverage for technical divers
• Works as well or better than paddle fins with any kicking style
• Foot pocket is open at the toe for added comfort
• Easy quick release system with finger loop for easy access
• Sizes: m, l, and xl (LL) Color: Charcoal Gray

Apollo Bio Fin PRO XT

And this is the link to the manufacturer’s website.