Mares Avanti Quattro Plus Honest Review: Is a Premium Fin Worth It for a Recreational Diver?

I bought the Mares Avanti Quattro + fins about 12 months ago, after my Cressi boots had already been in service for around six months. I had put it off. My old open heel fins were about 26 inches long with buckle straps, and I knew exactly how to fight them. What I did not know was whether a stiffer, four-channel fin would earn its place for the diving I actually do. I am 61, I live in Tavernier, and I dive 20 to 60 feet, mostly warm water, a lot of sand, and the odd morning charter. Sixty dives later, here is the honest version, including the parts the listing leaves out.

The short answer is that the Mares fin is a good tool for a recreational diver who wants power and a strap that does not fight back. It is not a fin for every leg, every budget or every kind of dive. If you want a soft fin for long surface swims, this is not it. If you want a fin that feels normal by the third dive, it probably is.

What Nobody Tells You Before You Buy

Nobody tells you that a fin like this changes how you plan a dive. With my old pair I could kick all day and not think about it, because I had long since stopped noticing how stiff that blade was. With the Mares I feel the blade load on the downstroke and release on the upstroke. That is the point of the four-channel design and the Channel Thrust inserts. It moves water. It also asks your legs to do the work. On a 45 minute charter dive at 40 feet, that trade is fine. On a long surface swim against a current, it is not fine, and I turn around before I get tired.

Nobody tells you that the foot pocket and the boot matter as much as the blade. I wear the Cressi boots, 3mm, on every scuba dive. The Mares foot pocket is perforated, which the listing calls anti-parachute. In plain terms, it lets water pass instead of trapping it. I noticed less drag on the kick and less ballooning on the entry. The pocket fits my boot without slop. If your boot is thicker or your foot is wide, try before you buy. A loose pocket wastes the blade.

Nobody tells you that the bungee is not a small detail. It is the reason I stopped dreading the gear-up. My old fins had buckle straps. I would sit on the bench, line up the buckle, pull the strap, and feel it slip. The Mares bungee pulls on and off and stays where I put it. I made one strap adjustment on the first dive and nothing since. It felt normal by the third dive. If you have stiff hands or a bad shoulder, this is the feature that earns the purchase.

How I've Used the Mares Avanti Quattro +

I have about 60 dives on these fins. That is not a lifetime, but it is enough to know where they rub and where they do not. They have been on charter boats out of Tavernier, on shore entries over limestone, and on sand hunts in 10 to 20 feet. They have been in salt water and rinsed at the carport tub after every trip. Nothing has cracked, stretched out or come loose. The blade still has its shape. The foot pocket still fits the boots. The bungee still holds.

On a charter I sit on the bench or the swim step to put them on. I never stand up in fins. On a shore entry I walk in wearing boots and put the fins on in waist deep water. I take them off in the water, pass them up, and climb the ladder in boots. I never climb a ladder in fins. The Mares bungee makes that routine easier when my hands are wet and the boat is moving. That is not a marketing point. It is the difference between a calm exit and a clumsy one.

I also use them for sand hunting when the water is deeper than waist deep. I use a slow frog kick and kneel on the sand to dig. The fins are not in the way, but they are not invisible either. A stiff blade can stir the bottom if you kick hard. I learned to keep my kicks small. If you hunt, that is worth knowing before you buy. The fin rewards control. It punishes a heavy kick.

The Bungee Strap Is the Reason I Switched

I learned on buckle straps. My old pair had them, and I thought that was just how fins worked. You sit down, you line up the buckle, you pull, and you hope it holds. The Mares bungee is a different routine. It is one pull on, one pull off. I am 61. My hands are not what they were at 40. On a winter morning, with a 3mm boot and a wet deck, a buckle strap is a small fight that happens twice a dive. The bungee is not a fight. It has not slipped. It has not loosened in the water.

The listing says closure type buckle, but the bungee is what does the work. Rinse it and treat it well. A bungee is simple. There is not much to fail.

The one thing I would tell a friend is to set the strap on the first dive and then leave it. I did. I have not moved it since. A tight strap is not better. It should sit snug and hold the pocket on the heel. If it is too loose, the fin will wobble. If it is too tight, your foot will ache. That is true of any open heel fin, not just this one.

A good fin strap should disappear. The Mares bungee did, and that is the highest praise I can give a piece of gear.

The Four-Channel Blade and the Work It Adds

The blade has four channels and a four-rib structure. The Channel Thrust inserts sit in those channels and push water rearward. I am not an engineer, but I can tell you what it feels like. A shorter, sharper kick gets the same distance as a longer, harder kick on my old fins. In sand, that matters. When I am hunting a swim beach in 15 to 20 feet, I want slow control, not a big engine. The Mares can do slow, but it likes a firm stroke. If I get lazy, the fin lets me know.

On the surface, the same blade is more work. My calves feel it after 20 minutes of steady kicking. In January, when the water is about 71 degrees, I notice that more than I did at 50. If your plan is a long surface swim, take a soft snorkel fin. If your plan is a dive, the blade is an asset. That is the trade. There is no fin that is best at both.

I have not had a cramp in these fins, but I have felt the start of one on a long kick back to the ladder. I slowed down and it passed. That is not the fin's fault. It is the fin telling me I was working harder than I needed to. A recreational diver at my age should listen to that. The Mares fin is not a cheat. It is a tool that rewards a steady, compact kick.

The Foot Pocket, the Boots and the Fit

The foot pocket is perforated and takes a 3mm boot well. I would not wear these barefoot. The pocket is built for a boot, and the bungee holds the heel. With the Cressi boots, the fit is firm without pinching. I have a regular foot and I had no hot spot. That is my foot, not yours. If you have a thick sole or a high instep, try the fin on with your boot before you commit. A fin that does not fit is not a good fin at any budget.

The pocket has no heel pull tab. That is a small fault. On a boat, a pull tab helps you get the fin off fast. The bungee does most of the work, so I do not miss it much. But if you are used to a tab, you will notice. The listing does not promise one. I am telling you because it is the kind of thing you only find out on the boat.

The fin is not light. I carry it from the car to the charter, and I notice it. If you pack small, these take up room. If you walk a long way to a shore entry, you will feel them in your hand before you put them on. That is the cost of a stiff blade. It is not a travel fin.

What the Mares Fin Does Not Do

It does not make me a better diver. It does not fix a weak kick. It does not replace buoyancy control. I see divers buy a powerful fin and then scull with their hands and drag their knees. The fin cannot help that. It also does not love a long surface swim. If your plan is a mile of surface swimming, take a soft snorkel fin. If your plan is a dive, it is the right kind of tool.

It does not come with a heel pull tab. It does not come with a travel bag. The bungee is not covered for replacement under the warranty note I read. The manufacturer warranty is described as full, but I have not had to use it. I rinse the fin in fresh water after every trip and let it dry out of the sun. That is all I have done. Sixty dives in, it still looks used but not worn out.

How It Compares With a Cheaper Open Heel Fin

I have not owned the Cressi Pro Light. I have only read its listing, and I say that plainly. The listing describes a dual material blade of polypropylene and soft elastomer, full length side rails, an elastomer foot pocket, and quick release buckles. It is made in Italy and carries a 2 year limited warranty. By the listing, it comes in below the Mares. I cannot tell you how it kicks. I can tell you that if I were buying for two trips a year, I would look hard at it.

For 60 dives a year, the Mares bungee and the four-channel blade are worth the difference to me. The bungee alone saves me a small fight twice a dive. The blade gives me more push with less kick. That is what I wanted. If you want a soft fin for snorkeling, the Pro Light or a full foot fin makes more sense. If you want a fin for scuba from a boat, the Mares is the one I reach for.

Who This Is For

The Mares Avanti Quattro + is for the recreational diver who dives from charter boats and shore, 20 to 60 feet, 20 to 60 dives a year. It is for the diver who wants a firm blade, a bungee strap and a pocket that takes a 3mm boot. It is for the diver who is tired of fighting buckles on a wet deck. It is also for the diver who does not mind a little extra weight in the bag in exchange for push in the water.

If you are 61 like me, or 31, the question is the same. How much work do you want to do? The Mares asks for a steady kick. It gives back distance. If you are willing to learn that trade, it is a good fin. If you want a fin that is soft and forgettable, keep looking.

Who Should Skip It

Skip it if you snorkel more than you dive. Skip it if you do long surface swims. Skip it if you have calf cramps or knee trouble that a stiff blade makes worse. Skip it if you travel with one small bag. Skip it if you want a fin you can wear barefoot. Skip it if you are on a tight budget and a basic open heel fin will get you in the water. A fin is not a status symbol. It is a tool.

I like the Mares fin. I do not think everyone needs it. I bought it after the boots, and I have used it on every scuba dive since. That is a real endorsement, not a slogan. It has a few faults, and I have listed them. If those faults do not matter to you, you will probably be happy. If they do, save your money and buy the right fin for your dive.