Mares Avanti Quattro Plus Review by Diving Squad
Diving Squad Rating:
Mares Avanti Quattro Plus fins are an extremely common site as rental equipment at dive centres and on liveaboards all around the world.
You’ve almost definitely seen these dive fins before even if you didn’t realise it!
This in itself lends testimony to the reliability and all-round versatility of these traditional paddle-fins which are comfortable, powerful and easy to use.
In this review, we’ll be diving into the Mares Avanti Quattro Plus scuba fins a little deeper – what makes them so successful, the design that they follow and if there’s any room for improvement.
Let’s do this!
PROS
- Channels reduce drag and increase thrust
- Powerful fins
- Comfortable
- Easy to use
- Spring heel strap automatically adjusts tightness in response to pressure changes
CONS
- They are a little on the heavy side.
- No drainage in the foot pocket means it can fill with water.
I remember when I first started scuba diving and I was using rental equipment.
Every dive centre I went, I got the same fins over and over again…they were so comfortable and powerful. Nothing out of the ordinary, just plain and simple, high quality scuba fins.
When it came to the time that I was ready to buy my own dive equipment I’d memorised their name – Mares Avanti Quattro Plus!
They served me so well when I was renting equipment that I decided to buy my own pair and I’m stoked that I did.
These fins are ultra durable, strong, comfortable and easy to use. I’m glad I got mine in the rare turquoise colour”!
^ Gery rocking her Avanti Quattro fins whilst diving in the Maldives – where she first met Diving Squad!
Geraldine Wilde: Diving Squad Contributor
Features:
Other Specs:
- Available in a wide range of colours
- Stabilisers within each channel
- High-flex material construction
FEATURES:
1) Four Channels on Paddle-Style Blades:
There’s nothing weird or fancy about the overall design of the Mares Avanti Quattro Plus fins – they feature a traditional paddle-style blade that’s been used by dive fins for decades.
That said, where they do differ ever-so slightly is the incorporation of four channels (grooves or troughs) running vertically up from their tips.
These channels reduce drag and in doing so provide considerable extra thrusting power which is what makes them such powerful fins. You get a lot of propulsion from them with minimal kicking effort.
Stabilising tabs within each channel also mean that they’ll provide a smoother motion when you kick.
They’re constructed using hi-flex material so they won’t feel stiff or rigid when you’re using them which means minimal strain is exerted against the calf muscles.
The result is that you get more power with less effort and so won’t tire yourself out so much – ultimately this will mean your air consumption is less and you can dive for longer!
2) Spring Heel Strap:
These fins feature a spring heel strap made from highly flexible, ocean-grade bungee which automatically adjusts to changing pressure which increases as you descend.
What this means is that as you go deeper, your Avanti Quattro Plus fins won’t feel like they’re getting tighter around your feet – which dive fins without spring heel straps are notorious for doing!
This is a game-changer when it comes to comfort – the last thing you want to have to deal with on a dive is your feet feeling like they’re getting squashed – especially during the deepest part!
Fortunately, with the Mares Avanti Quattro Plus’s this wont ever happen.
The spring heel straps also feature a finger loop at the end which makes them easy to pull back for effortless donning and doffing (which is scuba-talk for taking on and off!).
3) Ergonomic Foot-Pocket:
The foot pocket (where you put your feet in, derp!) is both comfortable and ergonomic in that its anatomy performs an excellent job of transferring energy down to the blade when you kick.
As you can see from the image, it also features ridges which keep your foot still – this is extremely handy especially when you’re trying to put the fins on in a moving boat.
One minor frustration is that the foot pockets don’t feature any drainage which means that if your fins are even slightly too big they could fill up with water over the course of a dive which will make them slightly heavier.
The key to avoiding this is making sure you get exactly the right size of fins for your feet!
FINAL VERDICT:
Powerful, durable and easy to use, the Mares Avanti Quattro Plus are one of the most successful models of mid-priced scuba fins currently out there.
They’re incredibly common around the world; in dive centres, on liveaboards and as the dive fins of choice for scuba divers with their own equipment.
In many ways the popularity of these fins can be attributed to the fact that they’ve maintained a mostly traditional design but have incorporated a few minor tweaks; the four channels with stabilizers which greatly improve effectiveness and performance.
These are seriously attractive and pragmatic dive fins. It’d be nice if they were a tiny bit lighter – it’d make them a little easier to travel with – but no piece of scuba gear is perfect!
However, these scuba fins certainly do come close…
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