Fin question

[GaraTreter]

Hi folks, Im new here and this is my first thread so just a simple question for the beginning.

Which stiffness Grade of the C4 fins is equal to the stiffness of the Cressi Gara 3000 fins?

Im using the Gara´s now but im planning on getting some C4´s but I have no clue which stiffness I should use?


Thanks in advance for the help!

[SanderP]

Hi GaraTreter, welcome to the forums!

It depends what model of the 3000s you have and what model of C4s you want to get. As far as I know, the different C4 models are all available in different stiffnesses.

Do you have the Gara 3000 LD (gray) or HF (black)?

[Hugh.]

Hey GaraTreter, I have a pair of C4 flap 30's that are good for my body size ( 6' and 175 lbs). The Gara 3000 LD are very soft- relatively, while the HF's are pretty stiff. If you're bigger/ stronger than I am or like stiff fins I'd recommend C4 Falcon 40's or Flap 80's.

[Bill]

I started with 40s about 5 years ago. In my opinion.....
80s..much better on the surface, best for dynamic, great for deep dives after you learn the wide kick required, length could be a pain on the boat or travelling.
40s..best if you have the legs and dive 50+ meters.
30s..best all round, deep dive takes me 5% longer but maybe less energy (if you're diving 50+ get a better opinion or a mono), work well while learning monofin stroke.
25s..seem to work well for smaller divers and maybe dynamic (never tried).
Mustangs need to be one size bigger than most of us think.

[GaraTreter]

Thanks for all the replys!

I Have the Black Gara 3000 now, the first model of the Gara series. From my experience with them until now I would say I could need a stiffer blade.

So now I have to chose which model i should take? Flaps 80 or Mustang 80? The Mustang would be more comfortable cause of the new footpocket I think?

Does anyone here know a european dealer which has the Flaps 80 in stock? I could´nt find them anywhere?

[spaghetti]

Acquasport in Italy (Tuscany) has in catalogue the Flap 80 for 226 euro (blades only) and Mustang 80 for 340 euro. I can highly recommend this shop.
for info and orders send a mail at info@acquasport.com (but keep it simple: italians understand english only as far as it spoken...simple).
website: Acquasport - Pesca subacquea - Apnea - ARA (no english version, no "karts" for buying)

[Hugh.]

I only have experience with the Flaps, so I'll only give advice about them. They are a very good, efficient, fast fin. The only downside is that they have the "flap" hanging off the end, which is prone to wear/tear if hit on the bottom. For freediving in open ocean, I'd go with the flaps, but for spearfishing where you could be hitting off the bottom, I'd go with something different.
Good luck.

[GaraTreter]

I was at the pool yesterday and tested around with the garas again after some long time of being out of the water only doing dry training. From all the time hanging out at the gym in the past I got quite good legs now and feel the garas even softer than they felt before.

So last big question now is, Is a Mustang 80 or Flap 80 harder than the gara or is it softer, I wish I had the chance to try those fins out but unfortunately theres no shop here near me who sells this kind of fins.

[ulysses]

IMHO it appears odd to compare the Garas and the Falcon/Mustang 80 with reference to hardness. These fins are worlds apart as to the finning technique required and their usage ... Anyway, if stiffness is your only concern the Falcon/Mustang 80s are soft, comparable/identical to the Falcon 25 (plus some 10 cm blade length).

Cheers

[osusim]

I'm in process of traning from Gara 3000 to C4 Mustang hard. Well, C4 are smaller (shorter and narrower) but faster. With same legs performance I saves 1-2 circles per 25m pool. C4 requires more underwater space, even in 1.8m pool I feels the bottom with fins. So, I don't feel comfortable with C4 in a pool and waiting for summer.
C4 producers are a bit slow in response for S&H. For me it took extra 1.5 month of waiting.