Fins <(((>(

[visser]

hi all i am thinking off getting a new set of fins so what fins do ppl use out there and what do u think of them

[miles]

Hiya Visser

Pull up a chair, pour yourself some coffee, get some sandwhich's and start reading!! This thread probably contains more information on fins than you need!!

http://forums.deeperblue.net/showthr...ghlight=hybrid

Regards
miles

[deep thinker]

Hi there, theres a few things to consider when hunting for new fins. Firstly and most importantly id say is fit, of the footpocket that is, different makes and models has different pockets eg if u have wide flat feet like me id say go for either cressi garas or picassos, both of these have wide pockets. I personally went with Picasso Black teams as they have a comfortable fit and suited my budget.
Next thing is blade stiffness, here you have to take in consideration your leg strenth, will you be able to swim with a very stiff blade or are you too strong for a soft blade, depth you plan to dive also plays a role here.
If you have a diveshop that is willing to let you test a few pairs of fins in a pool that would be ideal as you can then take a one or two pairs your comfortable with and actually see how they perform.
Also cruise around the forum there is alot of this type of threads around wich will help you decide, starting with the one miles mentioned of coarse
Good luck and save diving

[visser]

thanks for the replys
i was thinking of getting the Cressi Gara 3000's . these fins will be use'd for spearfishing . in melb it is hard to get free diveing fins so i can not get them to let me have a go at some fins and how will i go with the gara i am about 110kg

[deep thinker]

Good choice, most of the heavier guys at our club swears by them. Very good propulsion capacity and a nice strong blade, Ive seen garas 5 years old still going strong and if I could have afforded them at the time I bought my fins I would have got them too, I am very happy with my black teams though, they work well for me and you can change the blades at a later stage which is a bonus

[Mr. X]

Originally Posted by deep thinker

if u have wide flat feet like me id say go for either cressi garas or picassos, both of these have wide pockets. I personally went with Picasso Black teams as they have a comfortable fit and suited my budget.

I have wide feet with short toes (pretty common in the UK apparently) and I am currently using Beuchat Competition fins, which nobody mentions much. They seem to be a remarkably good fit (in fact all fins that I have tried seem to fit quite well). They are low end (relatively inexpensive) long fin with changeable blade, which is much tougher than it looks.

I haven't used other long fins so can't compare but I have a pair of 12 year old Zoomers (for swim training), a 30 year old pair of short/medium length fins & medium/long pair of Speedo fins (don't laugh, they are good). They all work well. The long Beauchat's don't make a noticeable difference to speed as I had expected, however, they do allow me to go at a similar speed using a much slower kick (in fact you can't kick them fast - you have to use a slower cadence).

I like the look of the Cressi Gara 3000 LD - but can't swap blades (although fins seems to last ages anyway, like I said, 30 years). I also like the look of the Omer BATs & the Omer Ice (clear ones) seem like the business (although similar to the Beauchat in construction). Not familiar with the Picasso range. Seacsub have some too.

[deep thinker]

Originally Posted by Mr. X

The long Beauchat's don't make a noticeable difference to speed as I had expected, however, they do allow me to go at a similar speed using a much slower kick (in fact you can't kick them fast - you have to use a slower cadence).

I dont think the longer fins were made to enable us to swim faster, I think they are made to cover a larger area with less effort, slower kick = less oxygen use = longer down time. I have done the speed test in a pool though and allthough you take longer to build to a speed once reached they help you go much faster than the normal shorties. Shorties have good acceleration though, good if you play u/w hockey.

[podge]

Originally Posted by Mr. X

I
I like the look of the Cressi Gara 3000 LD - but can't swap blades (although fins seems to last ages anyway, like I said, 30 years). I also like the look of the Omer BATs & the Omer Ice (clear ones) seem like the business (although similar to the Beauchat in construction). Not familiar with the Picasso range. Seacsub have some too.

Cressi Gara 3000 are the way forward great fins although I did need a size bigger than normal to get the width comfortable.

[stuckinsurrey]

Originally Posted by visser

thanks for the replys
i was thinking of getting the Cressi Gara 3000's . these fins will be use'd for spearfishing . in melb it is hard to get free diveing fins so i can not get them to let me have a go at some fins and how will i go with the gara i am about 110kg

I have just bought a set of these fins, initial impressions are that they are very good. They seem a very popular fin and were recommended to us by somebody who does loads of spearfishing so there must be something special about them. I was amazed how much more mellow my action became when using them which has got to be a good thing for reducing oxygen demand as Deep Thinker says, it also seemed to have a less frightening effect upon the fish as i had quite a few hang around me for alot longer than usual when trying them out, usually the fish rocket off!
Jim

[SEDATE]

Originally Posted by miles

Hiya Visser

Pull up a chair, pour yourself some coffee, get some sandwhich's and start reading!! This thread probably contains more information on fins than you need!!
Regards
miles

all life long , the best thing works the best!