NEW CRESSI FINS (Gara Professional)

[hteas]

Gaz D,
How cold was the water?
I used my Imersion greens on New Year's day in 39F (3.5C) and was happy with them, (and can wear them with 5 mm socks to keep my toes working). Any plastic blade stiffens up in cold water. If you want a flexible blade in cold water check the Omer winter blades, or look at fiberglass blades, but make sure the footpockets fit. When it's cold, fit becomes really important. Too tight ( a common problem with most footpockets) and you get no blood flow to your feet. Too loose and fin keepers are mandatory. The Imersions are big enough I either wear the 5 mm socks for winter diving, and use fin keepers and 3 mm socks for summer and the odd winter trip to Hawaii.
You may also have access to Imersion blues in the UK. They are supposed to be softer than the greens, so would work better in cold water.

[lulazz]

Hi own the professional and I have to say that yesterday I found them a bit stiff while I find them ok in warmer water.
Tomorrow I am going to use omer rekord even in shallow water

[Gaz D]

Hteas,

My dive watch is out of action, so not sure of water temp (but somwhere around the 8 deg celcius, I would guess).

I'm aware that the temp can affect the performace of fins - just a bit surprised if it can make them almost unusable.

Thanks for the pointers on the Omer winter blades. I might look into that - trouble is, in the UK, it is virtually impossible to walk into a shop and handle any spearfishing equipment (other than the odd place that sells Cressi). Almost everything has to be ordered online - so there is little opportunity to get 'hands-on' kit, until it arrives from abroad in the mail; quite often this is the first opportunity you get to see if something is suitable for you.

I guess you would advise getting a set of Omer foot pockets and changing the blades according to the season/type of fishing you are doing?

Sounds obvious, now I have typed it. Don't know why I haven't gone down this route before. Do you know if Omer do a standard foot pocket into which all their blades can be fitted?

By the way, I've got a set of 7mm open cell picasso socks heading my way in the mail as I type. They should keep my feet toastie, and if the Gara Professionals don't fit with them on then they will be going on e-bay sooner, rather than later.

All the best,

Gaz D

[hteas]

Gaz D,
All Omer blades should fit into the Omer standard footpocket, as well as a lot of custom blades if you choose to go upscale at some point. Some divers never change from the winter blades, so you may not need to. I think Spaghetti said that's what he uses. It just takes adjusting your kick (more push and less straight leg) to get back to the air when using softer blades.
Howard

[Gaz D]

Howard,

That's actually my natural style anyway - so maybe I should go down the soft blade route.

Do you know if the Omer winter blades (which I've never handled) are softer than the Omer Ice blades (which I have handled).

Many thanks for your pointers so far. I'll get to where I need to be - eventually!

All the best,

Gaz

[hteas]

Sorry, but I've never handled the Ice blades. Somebody out there has got to have tried them both. The winters are pretty soft, but very comfortable to use to at least 18 m. Since the Omer footpockets are fairly narrow (compared to the Dessaults, Spettons, Picassos and Esclapez footpockets I have at home-I have to buy and try, since I'm a long way from a freediving shop), if you like the Cressis you should find them very comfortable.
Howard

[Gaz D]

Blimey Howard, are you any relation of Imelda Marcos?!!

Mind you, at the rate I'm going I can see that I am going to end up with as many sets of fins as you - maybe we should open a shop together to sell off all the unsuitable gear that we have bought online.

All the best,

Gaz

[Janner]

Gaz, i have been through the whole buying lots of pair of fins as you can't try before you buy over here. I started off with a pair of Imersion/ Black fins, they were absolutely crap, a ridiculously soft footpocket with a very stiff blade a very bad combo. Then i bought the omer ice fins, great for shallow shore dives with lots of surface swimming involved but not great below 10m if your wearing allot of lead (im 6ft3 and 15 1/2 stone, so need a fin with a bit more push). I then moved on to a pair of medium hard xxone fiberglass fins which i found to be perfect for my UK diving, plenty of push for deep dives yet soft enough for surface swimming. I've also got a pair of C4 Falcon 40's (yet another fin i bought in error) which are way to stiff for me, there great coming up from a 25m dive in current but far to stiff for anything else in my opinion.

If i were you i would stick with the cressi fins till you have racked up a good few hours in them and if you still find them too stiff give the omer ice/ winter fins a try. Or speak to Dave Thomasson at Spearguns by Spearo uk ltd finest supplier of speargun, monofins, speargun and freediving equipment and ask him if he sells a soft plastic blade.

Cheers Ian

[Gaz D]

Janner,

Cheers Ian,

I've been looking through the forums tonight, and buying excessive amounts of fins seems to be be a common thread - which is reassuring, as I was beginning to think there might be something wrong with me!

I've actually been back in the shop again today, flexing the Omer Ice fins and comparing them to all the others (for the third time this week - think the owner is beginning to get a bit concerned about me, acting a bit odd in the corner of his shop).

I've already got a pair of Picasso team blacks in the post, which I ordered after a rather chance conversation with someone. If they don't work out for me then I'll go with the Omer's - just need to know which are the smoothest, the Winters or the Ice, as that is what I'm convinced I need for my style of hunting (a lot of time on the surface swimming, up to 6 hrs, often in currents, and rarely diving below 15 meters).

I'll persevere with the Cressis for a while and see how I get on - but I definately feel that they are too stiff for me at the moment (maybe better in the summer?)

All of this is born out of frustration, not madness - I just want to get on with the hunting, and not worry about the planks attached to my feet.

By the way, I know and trust Dave from Spearo UK, and often buy stuff from him, but I'm not convinced about the seatech fins.

Thanks for your input mate,

Gaz D

[hudasmt]

Hi Gaz,

I'm also a newbie looking for good sets of fins. Try to give it more time on the fins and see how it goes before buying another one. My first long fins is a Beuchat Carbon and it felt like a wooden board attached to my feet, but after 3 to 4 sessions with it, it felt like a natural extensions of my legs. Now i bought 2 more fins which is much longer than my first one and it seems just like 2 hours before i got the hang of it. If things really doesnt work out, try custom made fins that will be made accordingly to your preferences. I have a custom made Spierre Pure Carbon Fins that i really love right now which i tried today for the first time and it really blew my mind. If i was to compare my Beuchat Carbon to the Spierre, the Spierre is like a Formula 1 and the Beuchat like a Toyota Sedan. I also have a DiveR which i think is equal to the Spierre but in Fiberglass especially made for Spearfishing. All the 3 fins i have are all different footpockets, lenght and angles but all in medium stiffness. So i get to compare and choose which 1 i need for a certain scenario of diving. I hope you find what you are looking for.

Hey Janner did you go for the XX One Anax?

Cheers

Elvis

[Gaz D]

Hudasmt,

Thanks for the advice - I'll persevere for a while longer (might try to get out tomorrow, if the weather is ok)

Gaz

[Janner]

Gaz,

I think the omer winter fins are the softest fin omer produce. The ice fin will be plenty soft enough for you, i wouldn't want a softer fin thats for sure. One of my dive buddys uses an old pair of seatec plastic fins he bought from spearo. They are red in colour and are definitely stiffer than the omer ice fins. I know the feeling though mate, the more time you have to think about buying gear the more you convince yourself you need it! haha


Elvis,

I havent ordered them yet. I really would like to try the pathos footpockets as i have only ever used omer and imersion footpockets. But i am loathe to buy such a top end fin that will only fit pathos pockets if i find out the pathos footpockets aren't for me. I think i will end up ordering the anax next month and stick them on omer pockets. (if it ain't broke don't fix it)

Cheers Ian

[Gaz D]

Thanks everyone for the pointers and advice,

I was out with my new Gara Pros again this weekend. Beginning to get used to them now, but still finding them a bit too stiff; they even gave me a bit of cramp at one stage - I was quite far out and didn't relish the idea of a long swim back. But took it easy and managed to get back in without too many dramas (and I always had the option of scaling the cliffs, if I really needed to).

I'm flush for money at the moment, so almost certainly going to get those Omer Ice fins, and maybe put the cressis aside until the summer, or maybe just keep as a back-up.

Hteas: Spaghetti says that the Winters are softer than the Ice - he uses the Ice as his main fin, and the Winters as a back-up.

Janner: That was Polhawn, Whitsand Bay, that I was out in. Excellent vis (up to 10m in places), but bugger-all fish.


Thanks again everyone for the information (big help),

Gaz