Apollo Bio Fin fit question

[Souvy]

So I just received a pair of the bio fins that I have been eagerly anticipating all week. I tried them on with my booties and I was wondering if they were too small. Basically, I can't really get my bootie all the way until I put the spring strap on (probably due to the friction of the bootie against the rubber). When my bootie is all the way in, the foot pocket, particularly the edge closest to my ankle, is snug (not tight enough to cause cramps or anything, but just a bit more than flush if that makes any sense).

I guess my question is whether it is a perfect fit or too small and whether or not repeated stretching of the foot pocket will wear it out and possibly cause it to tear or will the foot pocket just stretch slightly and adapt. Also, as my bootie size is an 8,I fall right between the small and medium, would the medium be too loose?

Thank you very much in advance, I appreciate the help. Cheers

[thor]

Did you have this problem on water or land? I have the Bio fins and they are extremely pliable, which is why people love them or hate them, but it sounds like they are small. I have a 9 foot and I believe I use a medium. I'll have to check

[Rascal1933]

Hey There Souvy,
Mmmm Tough call without seeing in person..
As stated by thor in previous post the Apollo Bios have a very soft,comfortable foot pocket.

I wear a size 9 wide foot and my pair of Mediums fit like a glove with a 3mm boot.
I can also wear certain manufacturers styles of 5mm boots and still get a great fit.

My next question is what thickness is your dive boot?
*If you are using a heavy boot plus having to work that hard to get your boot into fin pocket I would probally say to move up in the fin size.

Did you buy from a local dive store in your area?
Maybe you can go back and try on that medium fin with your boots on?

Regards,
Rascal

[slingshot]

Mens or womens size 8? Size 8 mens 3mm boots work with the medium apollos, but thicker boots with heavy soles will be tougher. My Bare 6.5mm boots can squeeze in given the pliable foot pocket, but they are hard to get off again.

Slingshot

[Souvy]

Slingshot, my boots are size 8 mens and they are hard soled (not like the big rock boots for dry suits). I'd say they're 5mm.

Rascal1933, I bought them from Scubatoys. I might give them a ring just to get their opinion, they're always extremely helpful. There is a local dive shop that sells them, but I can never make it there before they close during the week and I travel on weekends)

Thor, I just received them today, so I haven't tried them on in the water yet. This is only my initial land-based experience.

Thanks for the help everyone, you guys are great!!! Also, not sure if it matters at all, but the boots are Tusa brand. Thanks again, cheers.

[CompuDude]

I have size 9 Henderson InstaDry 7mm booties, and I had to go from a size L to size LL Apollo bio-fin. The L's fit, but they were snug, and ended up giving me very bad foot cramps after about 30 minutes in the water. No problems once I moved to LL.

I'd go with the larger size, personally.

[Rascal1933]

Hi again Souvy,

Heres a size chart from Apollo Website:
Recommended Size Chart
XS 6-7 Mens
S 7-8 Mens
M 8-9 Mens
L 9-10 Mens
LL(XL) 11 wide - 13+

* Your Size 8 puts you in the gray area right between a Small and Medium

That's why I was wondering/asked about the type boot that you were using.
A soft sole v.s a hard sole boot,the shape of boot (Example > a rounder broad toe area boot),the overall style will all factor in on a correct fit with the Bio fins.

Not a expert,nor do I claim to be one... but First impressions is if you are diving with a 5mm Hard Sole Tusa boot a larger fin may be a better fit.

Lucky You...You did buy from ScubaToys> so they have your back on the gear/fin purchase!
Yep I would give the real experts a ring at ScubaToy's.

Cheers,
Rascal

[deepdiver47]

I am planning on getting these as well and fall in the middle as I am a 7 and wear a 3 mm soft sole boot. My first thought was to order a small rather than a XS. By reading this post it sounds like they are running on the small side.

[Souvy]

Thanks again Rascal1933 and CompuDude. I'll give ST a shout tomorrow and see what they say. I know it was kind of a PIA question since it's nearly impossible to say for sure without actually seeing the fit, the boot, and the 2 sizes of fins. Thanks again for the help, I really appreciate it.

CompuDude, your impressions of the XTs were definitely a big factor in the decision to try these out, these boards are really a great resource. Cheers

[Souvy]

deepdiver47, I had the impression from some posts that they ran a little large, but I guess I failed to consider the hard soled boot factor. I have a set of Tusa Xpert Zooms and was right between sizes with those. I got both pairs and the size up ended up being way too wide. The smaller size ended up being close to perfect, but slightly on the snug side.

With the Small size Apollo's, I can tell you that the toe area is plenty roomy, but the area closest to the ankle is quite snug. Hope that helps some. Cheers