any suggestions- what to look for in fins?

[kelp princess]

Since you're in Cali can't you just walk into a dive shop and try on some fins? Here in Wisconsin it's mostly geeky scuba freaks - No freediving or spearing stuff is available at any dive shop that I know of.

If YOU ARE going to Kona for the PFI course pretty soon I'd just wait 'til I got there...Then I'd visit ALL of the OVERPRICED diveshops there and try on ALL of the gear and feel up & caress all polespears and spearguns I can't afford....Yet!!!

you'd think somebody would have those darned cressi's - but they don't!
4 bay area shops later and no luck - but rslomkow was nice enough to find me a friend near monterey who has some i can try on this wknd. and i know all about leisure pro! i love it too my sales guy is charly - i've even been to their showroom in nyc on west 18th - it's a trip!

i just want that "try it on first" thing tho, and of course i want to play with the fins before i get to the course, but i may need to be patient.

kp

 

[Lockedin]

Hi Kelpie!

Down South (Ventura Co.), I find that OMER Ice are great fins, though getting a footpocket that fit was a bit of a chore (I wear 3mm booties with 'em, and had to buy 3 sizes large - 1 size for each mm, I guess ).

I would say (as others have) try as many as you can. Some will immediately work, some might take some work :hmm. Some just won't work. :vangry

I am currently on 3 sets - 1 generic loaner (first fins I ever had, they kinda suck, but I don't care if a newbie bangs 'em on the rocks)

Force Fin adjustables - Love 'em for SCUBA, hate 'em for freediving, don't care if I bang 'em on rocks. (I let friends freedive 'em)

Omer Ice - No comparison! These get me deeper, quicker, more efficiently than anything I've ever tried! Bonus - the blades are invisible underwater! My friends hate being too close when I have 'em on! The only downside is that I'm paranoid about bangin' 'em on the rocks.

It sounds like you have a good general pair (split fins). But once you've tried a god set of freedive fins, you may find your splits hanging in reserve...

Next for me - monofin (I just can't seem to justify ANOTHER fin with my Wife. Maybe if they were for HER...:naughty)

Above all, be safe, have fun!

 

[covert]

i tried the OMER milleniums size 38/40 on with a 4 mil sock and it fit but was not super comfy - perhaps i'll get used to that...
kp

Not sure how old this thread is? but...... NEVER buy a fin that only fits halfway, you will get more fun diving with bodyboarding fins than freediving fins that don't fit. Be patient try as many as you can.

Comfort is the most important thing when diving, If i am not comfortable with any of my gear, I never have a good experience. If the fins dont fit, you will

A waste your money
B End up with blisters or really sore tendons maybe even damage them)
C A really bad freediving experience.

forget about brand, make, model, price, go with anything that fits perfectly, If the blades are interchangeable that is a bonus.

I tried every fin on the market, and like the masks almost nothing fit, I ran across a make that isn't that popular here in South Africa Immersion Carbons and I havent looked back yet, I am happy as can be. It did take me months to find the right equipment.

some through trial and error and obviously allot of money wasted. But now that i have all my gear and I am happy with it, I am literally buying everything in double so I always have a backup.

 

[DRW]

> forget about brand, make, model, price, go with anything that fits perfectly<

Precisely! As I said in my own message earlier in this thread:

"I sometimes get the impression when reading messages on freediving and scuba forums that a few fashionistas choose fins because of the brand name and not because they match the dimensions of their feet. They are prepared to put up with short-term cramps or blisters and to risk possible long-term tendon damage because they have to be seen wearing the "coolest" pair of fins on the market or the beach."

Selecting gear is a problem-solving exercise. Too many people leap to solutions without fully defining the initial problem. In the case of fins, the starting point has to be foot length and width, which means trying on lots of fins, most of which will be either too loose or too tight.

I particularly enjoy swimming with the Yingfa long-bladed fins illustrated below because they fit perfectly, holding my feet firmly without exerting overdue pressure anywhere. When I wear them, they are effectively an extension of my feet and I almost forget I have them on.



However, I refrain from recommending these fins as a universal solution because other people's feet aren't the same length and width as mine. You can't hurry fin selection. You need to try them out in the store and swim with them in the pool to narrow the choice. Like Covert, I needed lots of time and patience before I eventually tracked down a pair of fins that fit me perfectly.

 

[covert]

here is what i dive with love these babies
Fins JB Esclapez

 

[azapa]

hey covert, those greens with the full footpocket are exactly what I use and love. They seem perfect in my colder (11 C) waters. I have used them every weekend for 1 year and they are holding up great. I don't go deep mind, 20M max.

 

[kelp princess]

I tried every fin on the market, and like the masks almost nothing fit, I ran across a make that isn't that popular here in South Africa Immersion Carbons and I havent looked back yet, I am happy as can be. It did take me months to find the right equipment.

some through trial and error and obviously allot of money wasted. But now that i have all my gear and I am happy with it, I am literally buying everything in double so I always have a backup.

thanks covert - that's what i found as well, i am just trying and re-trying everything. even going back to things i first thought were out of the question and re-examining size in the pool.

finning them in the pool is key.

i will let you all know what i end up with (soon i hope!)

onward!



kp

 

[covert]

hey covert, those greens with the full footpocket are exactly what I use and love. They seem perfect in my colder (11 C) waters. I have used them every weekend for 1 year and they are holding up great. I don't go deep mind, 20M max.

Yeah i use the blacks, maximum power does make surface swimming a little odd at times and i have the green's on order, Ill give a review as soon as they arrive. :inlove

Keep us updated KP :t

 

[Lockedin]

You might also try using different kick styles / cycles when in the pool.
Just .02 on the fins I have and have tried:

Split / Forcefins seem to like a shallow, rapid cycle, they just slowed down when I slowed / widened my kick.

OMER, Cressi, Esclapez excel with a long, wide, relaxed cycle, and will resist the short shallow cycle.

Also, what type of diving do you do?

I've learned to NEVER bring my OMERs on beach dives (with a few exceptions), and not on Lobster dives either.:head But I always bring them on the boat, even for SCUBA.

The Forcefins are excellent for beach diving / hunting in tight rocky areas (where I don't want to bang the above on the rocks!) Great fins for lobster hunting!

Again, that's just my preference.

Above all, be safe, and have fun (and it sounds like you are! )

 

[Fondueset]

Oh, generally I look for things to take pictures of, mostly fish. Looking for women in fins can be interesting if you have tremendous patience. Sometimes, in my monofin, I look for nothing at all; which is harder to find than you might imagine.

That brings to mind things that are found in fins. But that's another topic.

 

[jacques shuran]

Hi,
I'm planning to buy my first ''real'' freediving fins. But i can't decide between cressi ''gara 3000'' and ''dolphin FRD'' monofin from 'specialfins' ( specialfins.com ).
I really like that monofin but it's twice as expensive than cressi's are and i'd have to order it online. If you have any good advices or experiences with any of those fins please help.

Thanks in advance

 

[kelp princess]

hello jacques,

IF and where you can i would suggest trying these different types in the water before purchase IF you can. If you have friends or colleagues who have the fins you want to try grab them and get in the water.

I obviously was looking for some advice myself and gleaned wonderful and useful info here on this thread, and am eternally grateful for it, but then the physical experience of trying them on in water that is what gave me my true answers.

so covert, azapa, lockedin, everyone else ya'll rule for your guidance and suggestions :thankyou

i ended up realizing that with a 3 mil (not too snug) neoprene sock with rubberized bottom that the smallest of the Omer footpockets work best for me. i might end up getting a pair of waterways footpockets to serve as my cold-water footpocket since they run bigger and i will need more coverage in a thicker sock.

simple fin keepers are a MUST! and even though i have a small foot ( size 6.5 womens) i got the Large sized fin keepers.

Jacques - if you get bi-fins get fin keepers - they'll make yoour life so much easier and feet much happier.


i was fortunate to be able to try mandy-rae's carbon fiber c-4 40's which were some special extra stiffness - Not for me! i'm going to get a softer blade and progress nice and slow

also Jacques - even if the fins or foot pocket fit you nicely you will get a few sore on your 2nd and 3rd toes from using your foot in a new way so i'd suggest putting small band-aids on those toes (around the knuckles/joints) to pre- prevent rubbing.

and Jacques it seems that the mono-fin is the way to go IF you are trying to go deeper on target dives, as opposed to ab diving or spearfishing where you may need more maneuverability to frog kick & hover with bi-fins.

happy shopping!

:chatup

cheers,

kp

 

[jacques shuran]

Thanks princess.
I posted that thread few weeks ago so i have already bought Cressi's gara 3000 and they're perfect. i wore them without socks and i didn't feel any discomfort. actually i had bought 5 mm neoprene socks but didn't have a chance to try them out yet.
this is the first time i heard about fin keepers- what exactly are they used for?


Thanks!

 

[DRW]

Fin keepers, also known as fin retainers and fin grips, were invented in France, where they are known as "fixe-palmes", in the early 1960s. They are triangular rubber straps, worn over the ankle, arch and instep of each foot to keep full-foot fins secure. They're popular with underwater hockey players and also with drysuit wearers who have found that they keep their boots free of surplus air.

Here's a picture of a pair of fin grips:



Here's how they're worn and the range of colours available:



Click on the above image to take a closer look.

 

[jacques shuran]

thanks drw!

so they're used to keep your fin in the right place, to prevent it from falling of or do they have another purpose?

Thanks in advance!

by the way, does anybody know anything about hands free equalisation?

 

[DRW]

They're multi-purpose devices, Jacques.

• You can use them to keep full-foot fins on your feet in strong currents.
• They will make loose-fitting full-foot fins more secure.
• They are used by underwater hockey playes who do not want their fins to be dislodged in the rough and tumble of a game.
• They are used by some drysuit wearers to keep surplus air out of the foot area when wearing open-heel fins.

You might find this thread of interest:

Fin Retainers - ScubaBoard

David

 

[jacques shuran]

Thanks David, you've been really helpful!

I don't think i really need 'em, but i know how to make 'em if i ever do!rofl

Thanks again!!

 

[kelp princess]

thanks drw!


by the way, does anybody know anything about hands free equalisation?

hi JS - try checking out the frenzel technique advice here:

http://forums.deeperblue.net/beginn...ficulty-clearing-using-frenzel-technique.html

good luck and be patient w/ yourself!



kp

 

[jacques shuran]

Hi Princess!

I've been looking for info on HANDS FREE equalisation and the link you posted is based on the frenzel tehnique, but thanks a lot, i appreciate your help! Actually i found that info few days ago!

Thanks again! :wave

Jakov

 

[kelp princess]

here's another interesting article on equalizing that may be of use to you:

Practical Ear "Clearing"

good luck in your endeavors!



kp