FEATURED FIN TALES


Daylon Walton, TDI / Trimix, Random Photography, www.daylon.us

I just wanted to give you guys some kudos on your fins. I recently switched from using my XXL Scubapro Jets to your White Lightning APS Mantaray fins. I was skeptical at first that something that looked so short and stubby (and light!) could perform as well as my freakishly heavy Jets.

I’m an avid tech diver, and when using double 85’s or 108’s with stage bottles and a full Aquatica rig with strobes, getting the most out of a fin kick can be very important.

I tested them out during my extended range / trimix training and was very impressed – not only did they provide much more thrust than I expected (getting me and my rig 100 yards out to a surface buoy with nominal effort) but they felt like I was wearing next to nothing on my feet.

Recently I had the pleasure of diving with John Chatterton in the Dominican Republic, and he was curious to hear my opinion on their performance – I told him that for travel, visibility and thrust underwater, I was sold on these fins.

During some of our deeper dives (below 200’) we had some bad viz, and everyone on the dive told me that when viz got to be bad, if they could see nothing else, they could at least see my fins in the gloom.

I’m sold on your product, and will be recommending them to other divers I meet!

Thanks again!

 

Scott Friesen, Former Clearance Diver in the Canadian Navy, SDI/TDI Instructor, Alpha Diver Services

"As a dive instructor and scuba shop owner, I tend to use my dive gear on a daily basis. You know what gear works well under all conditions and what you can rely on....former job as a Clearance Diver in the Canadian Navy.... On my next several dives I tried various fins we had in stock and in rental but couldn't find any to my liking. I mentioned my fin woes to one of my suppliers one day and he suggested trying out a pair of Mantarays.... I decided it wouldn't hurt to give them a try. I was very comfortable diving with these fins right from the first dive. I was amazed at how much forward thrust was achieved with such a small blade. They worked great even when diving with doubles and carrying multiple stage bottles. They have just the right amount of flex and are so light it feels like you are not wearing any fins at all. The smaller blade size makes it easier to climb up dive boat ladders as well. I have about 250 dives on Mantaray Fins now and wouldn't think of using anything else. Congratulations on a well designed fin."

Full Endorsement Letter

 

Jeremiah B., U.S. Coast Guard's Maritime Safety & Security Team Law
Enforcement/Force Protection Boarding Team Member

"I am also a member of our unit’s specialized dive team....where I underwent rigorous training cycles, which included timed fin-swims in low temperature waters. Again, I had the opportunity to use various types of fins.... I had the opportunity to try the Mantaray Dive Fin design.  The word that came to mind was ‘effortless’ giving me the propulsion I needed while consuming less energy. Anyone who does any type of military scuba diving knows that consuming less energy equates to consuming less air, therefore longer bottom times, and as a result, more productivity.  I now use the Mantaray fins for both military and recreational dives."

Full Endorsement Letter

 

Richard Thomas, Owner, International Scuba

I have fallen in love with the performance and features of the APS Mantaray Dive fins, but many divers believe they were only good for tech diving. There is no doubt they are great technical diving fins, but recreational divers can benefit from the radical design also.... What makes the fin unique is that its shorter than most fins. This allows for better maneuverability in close quarters.... Packing these fins is a breeze due to the shorter size. The first thing that stands out about these fins is the system of vents running along the blade, with a channel along the top. This patented dual water channeling system has proven to stabilize the fin making it much more efficient and provides a thrust of power in the optimum direction.... Another nice feature is that you can utilize any kick style. The Mantaray fin has received numerous awards.... All of our tech oriented instructors in our shop own and love the fin."

Full Endorsement Letter

 

DAVID FELDMAN, M.D.

We purchased our fins from you prior to our trip to Honduras. We were looking for fins that weren't as heavy or as large as our Apollo or ScubaPro fins. As we have a friend who uses your fins here in California we were excited to give the Mantaray a try. Well we are very pleased, besides being light weight and comparatively small they performed beautifully with a variety of kicks, flutter, frog and helicopter, and in a variety of conditions. We have shelved our other fins and plan on using the Mantaray exclusively  for all of our diving.

Thank you,
David Feldman, M.D

Full Endorsement Letter

 

JOEL M. (SEAL TEAM THREE)

To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing this letter in regards to the APS Mantaray fins that I have tested. My experience in diving has been as a Navy Seal, in where I have spent....where I have accumulated over fifteen hundred hours of bottom time. I have owned and tested a number of fins before testing the APS Mantaray dive fin. I was fortunate enough to be given the chance to experiment with the fins....while test diving Navy electronics. I used the fins for two fifteen hundred yard dives where I was wearing twin 80's. I was quite impressed by the fins, they were very mobile with excellent thrust. Also I noticed....my legs were not nearly as fatigued as when I used my personal fins....I was equally impressed with them on the surface. They gave me excellent thrust and were very navigable in shallow water. Through my experimentation with these fins I have found them to be one of the best I have ever used. Also it is very rare that I have found a fin that is equally comfortable on the surface as it is diving. I highly recommend the opportunity to anyone who is an avid diver or surface swimmer to examine these fins.

Full Endorsement Letter

 

NICK N. (U.S. NAVY SEAL, RET.)

I have been a SCUBA diver since 1968 and was a career Navy SEAL....I have had the opportunity to evaluate a wide variety of fin types and styles.  Of all the fins I have used, none have provided me the performance equal to the APS Mantaray.... During several dives using both open and closed circuit SCUBA, I found the Mantaray would provide me with better speed and less fatigue than any fin I had used before or have used since.... It was the Mantaray that I chose to take while evaluating water proofed electronics....because by that time it was the only fin that I used, either surface or subsurface.... The swims conducted for the evaluation of the electronics consisted of several surface swims of between fifteen hundred and two thousand yards.  There were also dives of over two thousand yards....the Mantaray is the only fin that I use for SCUBA and free diving.  The function is equally superior in both surface and subsurface swimming.  I would recommend that anyone in search of a fin that functions well for all swimming evolutions should contact APS Mantaray and arrange an opportunity to try this fin.

Full Endorsement Letter