Advice on freediving fins please !

[MarkEvs]

I live in Devon (UK) and learnt to freedive last year. I now regularly snorkel and freedive in the uk (and occasionally overseas) and want to buy some new fins. Can anybody recommend any ? I have been advised that the Cressi 3000 LD, Scubapro Kinetix or Beaver Prodigy might be good ? Would really appreciate some advice on what to buy, and what I should be looking for please.

Cheers !

 

[cutajarcharles]

Good evening I am cutajarcharles Iam on Freediving the best fins are with long blade and open from the back side and soft like Aqualung or Beuchat goldfin or Omar, GOOD luck form cutajarcharles Malta

 

[TheDude]

For a narrow foot take Cressi Gara, which one depends on what you plan to do with it, LD for shallow easy diving, the regular ones for more serious stuff. If you have wider foot than Omer Milleniums. Same thing with the type.

I have the Milleniums, the blade is a bit too wide - the fins quite often bump into each other. But maybe thats just my bad style . I tried the Garas and they were pretty good, but too narrow footpocket for me and uncomfortable to wear.

These are both entry level fins, just plain plastic, basically on the bottom of the performance ladder. If you want something more decent, laminate is the way to go. There are lot more options then, I heard Captain Nemo is quite good.

 

[fcallagy]

as a work horse fin the garas are hard to beat there are better fins out there no doubt bu the garas you can abuse quite a lot. You don't have to worry about them like you would carbon fins etc so if its mainly recreational I would go for garas.

 

[dave]

Most of the plastic freediving fins are pretty similiar really. The Garas have a very comfy footpocket ( if you have narrow feet) but do not have removable blades if you later want to upgrade to carbon or fibreglass. If you are using them in the UK you will need to wear socks, so a harder footpocket is not a problem.
The scubapro and Beaver fins you mention are not really freedive fins and are best avoided (as is the freediving advice of anyone who recomended them)
Other good options are Omer, Esclapez, Seatec or Dessault. It is unlikely that the first set of freedive fins you buy will be the last, so just get a pair you like the look of, get used to using them and you will be in a more informed position for your next set
cheers
dave
Spearguns by Spearo uk ltd finest supplier of speargun, monofins, speargun and freediving equipment

 

[naiad]

Hi Mark, welcome aboard.

The Cressi Gara fins are very good, most people find the foot pockets comfortable and they are easy to use. Omer are also good.

 

[Gail_Berke]

Forget bifins and get the fin that will give you the most fun per kick -- a MONOFIN !

I have both the Nemo bi-fins and monofin and their foot pockets are comfortable, but get fin keepers too.

 

[naiad]

I think bi-fins are much better for recreational diving. A few recreational divers use monofins, but not many.

 

[Gail_Berke]

naiad, are you saying bi-fins are much better for recreational diving because they are more fun to swim with than a monofin?

 

[naiad]

No, I think the monofin may be more fun to swim with. I was thinking more of bi-fins being more able to make small movements, therefore better for looking at fish, photography, spearing etc. Also probably much better for rescuing someone, so I would say it is safer to use bi-fins for most recreational diving.