Awesome fins

[Erik]

Yesterday I went fdiving, to look for a deep spot in the lake, and to practice with my new speargun. I had a blast with the gun, but besides that, there's another side story. I happened to have my wife's freediving fins in my bag, and decided to give them a try. Freediver 48 and I have been whimpering about our soft fins; I have Blue Cressi's and he uses Picasso Black Team. I figured I would try my wife's fins, even though they are a bit small. Well, I could not believe the difference! I hit depth so easily I was wondering why I was having to equalise so much on the first dive. I thought that maybe I was congested, but it was actually caused by the speed at which I was descending.
The fins are the OMER Tuna Ice, they are clear blades that are very close to carbon in resilience and dynamics. They will not crack like carbon, and are pretty interesting to look at underwater, since the blades are almost invisible. Very good for spearos apparently, since the diver's profile is reduced in the eye of the fish.
I bought these for my wife last December, and they were under 200$US, so I assume that they are still priced accordingly, and am going to order some for me. Mark Labocceta, the distributor for OMER, is a great guy who gave me quick and outstanding service a few times last year. OMER is at www.spearfishing.com .
Cheers, Erik (Apparently a "posting guru" now)

 

[Jura]

Hi,

I went to buy my first freediving fins just last week. I had seen
a favourable review of the Omer Tuna Ice fins somewhere, so I was looking for them. However, the lady in the shop told me that there has been some durability problems with them, and Omer has discontinued shipping them for now. So I bought Picasso BlackTeams (black blade) instead. I used them last weekend, and they felt rather stiff and hard to use on surface (while diving they were great). Well, I guess they will start to feel better after couple of times.

BTW, Omer has changed the name Omer Tuna to Omer Millennium. Again, according to the lady in the shop the blades are the same but the foot pockets are redesigned.

Jura

 

[Cliff Etzel]

Omer and Picasso Fins - First hand experiences

I can lend some insight into both manufacturers fins.

Picasso Fins: In my opinion, no one else can touch them in terms of quality, durablility, and price. Their foot pockets are the most comfortable I have worn, and I have tested virtually all of the fins on the market. I have wide, flat feet, and the Picasso's are the only ones that fit comfortably. Regarding the Black Team Fins - I am almsot 6 feet and 210 lbs, and I find that even these are a little soft at times, but I think that if I were limited to one fin, this would be the one. If you are needing a softer blade, you can go with the Starts - I bought my son a pair and he loves them.

Omer Fins: No offense to Mark Labbocetta, but I really did not care for any of their fins. They always felt like I had a board strapped to my feet, and their foot pocket was odd, wide at the heel and narrow at the toes. I could never wear them for very long without foot cramping - and that was with everything from 1mm socks to 5mm socks. I tested the Tuna, Tuna Comps and Tuna Winter. I just sold them to someone who is very happy with them, so take my opinions for what it's worth - an opinion.

I hope this clears up any questions you may have regarding this topic.

Safe diving...

 

[Angus]

Skinny feet

I also have Picasso BT but unlike Cliff I have very narrow feet. Which points out how well constructed the cold molded foot pocket is to be able to accomodate these extremes yet we both find them comfortable. And, as you know if you have read any of my other equipement posts, comfort is very important to me. Angus

 

[Jura]

Thanks for your info Cliff. I read through (couple of times) your fin review, before I went out buying. So I was aware of the possible problems of too narrow foot pockets (I'm not quite sure if my feet qualify as wide, but flat they are ). In the the shop I compared the Omer Millenniums and Picasso BTs. I twisted my foot in them and tried to imagine how they would feel while kicking. The Picassos were the winners, the foot pocket felt a bit wider than in the Omers. And they felt just right when I tried them in the water. The reason for them feeling bit hard must be that the last time I used fins was about three years ago.

Well, hopefully the weather is good tomorrow, so that I can go out to do some more diving.

Happy diving everyone,
Jura

 

[Erik]

Ok, Ok!

Alright, now I'm having second thoughts. I have no doubt about the OMER blade, but am concerned about the foot pocket. I don't have the luxury of a shop to try on a pair, I'd have to order them across the border. My Cressi's are extremely comfortable, and I don't want to give up comfort, but as you know, the foot pocket is molded to the blade. I received my Freediver mag in the mail yesterday, and Kirk Krack did a carbon fin review,which didn't really say what was good and what wasn't, but has me thinking that maybe I should wait until I can afford a set. I could use the carbon fins for performance, and use the Cressi's for recreational diving if the carbons were a little uncomfortable. Freediver 48 says that I can get Sporasub fins in Vancouver, and they do make a carbon fin, so I'm wondering if anyone has some experience with their carbon fin, and how comfortable the foot pockets are. I notice that the Sporasub carbon fins are dirt-cheap at diveinn.com, which makes me think that they might be crap compared to a C-4, OMER, or Picasso carbon. Any info about Sporasub would be appreciated, I've never seen a pair.
Thanks, Erik

 

[Cliff Etzel]

I'm considering a pair of the Picasso Carbono's as my next pair for serious open water diving. I am using my Black Teams in the pool for my dynamic apnea and fin swimming training, and they are starting to show some wear on the tips of the blades. One of the best features of the Picasso Fins line is that the blades can be replaced. And Roger Yazbeck is so good at serving his customers that he will do all he can to meet your needs in helping you get the right fin for the job, or warranty replacement ASAP. If the Sporasub foot pockets are like the old fins that AB Biller use to sell here in this country by Dessault, I found the pocket to be fairly flexible, not as bad as the Esclapez which were the worst offenders, but I felt like the transference of energy from my legs to the fin was lost some what due to the compliancy of the foot pocket.

You may here me extol the Picasso line of equipment - I have tried just about every major brand of fins, masks, etc out there since starting this venture over 5 years ago, and I can tell you that I consider their products the standard by which all others are measured.

I know that Angus will probably agree with me on many of these points.

Safe diving...

 

[Erik]

Picasso

Originally posted by Cliff Etzel
You may here me extol the Picasso line of equipment - I have tried just about every major brand of fins, masks, etc out there since starting this venture over 5 years ago, and I can tell you that I consider their products the standard by which all others are measured.

I know that Angus will probably agree with me on many of these points.

Safe diving... [/B]

Thanks Cliff, I do trust your opinion. I have a 5mm Hombra Bio Termic, and I love it. Freediver 48 told me I'd be nuts to order anything else. I took it out for it's first dive in May, in the mountains, when the water was 2 to 4Celsius, and the ice was still on the edge of the lake.
Roger is indeed very gracious and helpful. Believe me, I was surprised when he phoned me to explain the semi-custom suit that I would need, instead of sending me the one I ordered online , and not charging me 10% extra for the 52 Long (I'm skinny).
I'm going to look at all the carbon fins as best as I can before I make a decision, I know that Picasso would be great, but I want to make sure that I get a world class carbon blade.
Cheers, Erik

 

[JMD]

I just picked up a pair of the Omer Tunas today and after an hour in the pool I agree with Erics first post, what an incredible difference. I can't wait to get into open water with them. My last pair was a set of open healed Cresci Superfrogs, and these are night and day. As for fit they were a perfect match for my feet. However I wear the largest size and have size 12 feet so its possible the different foot pockets may not fit everyone the same.

Also, I just wanted to comment on the blade problems. The subject came up on the freedivelist about a month ago and Mark indicated that the problem had been solved and anyone affected would have their fins replaced. I thought it related to the new plastic compound used on the Ice fins but might be misremembering.

At the end of the day I'm not sure it matters what brand you buy as long as they fit your particular foot properly, the Tunas just happened to work the best for me.

James Dahl
Soon to be Calgary, Alberta, Canada

 

[Erik]

Impatient

Allright, I was going to wait until I could afford them, but my credit card got the better of me. I contacted Mandy-Rae Cruickshank, a world class freediver who works at a dive shop in Vancouver Canada called Rowand's Reef. Mandy was on Team Canada last year at Nice, where our ladies did very well. She is the top female freediver in Canada, and third overall, at last count. Since FD48 put me in touch with her, she has been a big help regarding training, and now gear. I spoke to her asking about a world-class stiff carbon fin for competition, and she has sent me a pair of Sporasub Pure carbon fins. They cost 450$ Canadian, which is around 30$ US....just kidding. That's about 300$US. If I order fins internationally, I will get charged shipping and duty, so they would cost me at least that no matter where they came from. I expect them tommorrow, will try them this weekend, and will post a review on this thread.
Incidentally, Mandy will be doing a freedive clinic at the end of this month in Victoria; I will post the date when she emails me. She is trained by Kirk Krack, by the way.
Cheers, Erik

 

[JMD]

WOW you have some deep pockets my friend. For money like that do the fins hold your breath for you?

Its nice to hear theres someone relatively local to get equipment at. Do they care omer, picasso or cresci? Do they have a website.

I probably won't make Victoria the end of this month, but my sister is moving there for University so if she has one this time next year that would be awesome.

 

[Sickboy]

Congrats on getting the new fins Erik. Please let us know how they are.

I don't mean to rain on your parade, but I just checked out DiveInn online store (www.Scubastore.com) which is based in Europe (Spain I think) and which carry a lot of sporasub stuff. They sell the Pure Carbon fins for US$156, plus US$18 for DHL shipping to Canada. Tax is not included, but I doubt you guys have 100% sales tax?

The prices for European equipment seems extremly attractive at DiveInn. Please don't get me wrong, I'm not advertising for them, and I don't work for them, I'm just impressed. I'm going to get a pair of Sporasub H.Dessault fins from them, and with DHL to Hong Kong, they're still way cheaper than anything else I've found.

They've also been helpful in answering my questions promptly, which is nice for an online store. I guess it's cos they sell Freediving stuff!!

Happy diving!

Terry

 

[apnea newbie]

Hi there !

The prices for European equipment seems extremly attractive at DiveInn. Please don't get me wrong, I'm not advertising for them, and I don't work for them, I'm just impressed. I'm going to get a pair of Sporasub H.Dessault fins from them, and with DHL to Hong Kong, they're still way cheaper than anything else I've found.

Well i have been braggin about Diveinn.com ever since I bought my fins there to. I dont work there either and I dont try to give them free advertisment, what I did do was to tell u guys about them cause I got really really good service and good price.

Cheers Apnea Newbie

 

[apnea newbie]

ERIK ! Im Drooling

Erik, I think u made a very good choice in fins, I heard so much good about those pure carbon fins.

You got to tell us about them as soon as you get em, im quite curious


Happy Diving / APnea Newbie

 

[JMD]

Eric,

I noticed an intersting side effect of training with my new Tunas this morning. After two days of using them for my pool workouts instead of my old scuba fins my legs are killing me!!!

But a little soreness is well worth it. Can't wait to see those new carbon fins of yours!

 

[Cliff Etzel]

Welcome to my world!

LOL!

I haven't touched my Cressi Master Frogs in over a year and a half. I don't miss them either

Just about to head out to the pool and do my fin swimming after doing my powerlung workout (ugghh!)

Stay with it - you'll find that your ankles will be sore and so will your legs, but if you get past the initial soreness, your kick will be MUCH stronger...

I now look at scuba fins and think "they didn't make them long enough"

Well, off for the morning workout before work...

 

[Erik]

$$$$

I don't mean to rain on your parade, but I just checked out DiveInn online store (www.Scubastore.com) which is based in Europe (Spain I think) and which carry a lot of sporasub stuff. They sell the Pure Carbon fins for US$156, plus US$18 for DHL shipping to Canada. Tax is not included, but I doubt you guys have 100% sales tax?

Thanks for the concern, Terry.
By the time I got those fins broght into Canada, they would cost me approximately 400$ Can. That is a little less than what I've paid here, but being that I bought the fins reasonably locally, from someone I trust, I know that I will be looked after if there are problems with fit and warranty very quickly. Shipping stuff internationally gets expensive. When I worked in a dive shop, I advised people to buy drysuits that were made in Canada, as close as possible to home for that reason. DUI suits are great suits, but so are some of the top-end White's , Brooks, Bare, and Sea-Tux drysuits, which are made around the west coast of Canada.
I have found that a few exta bucks to the right store can save money in the long run.
Cheers, Erik

 

[Sickboy]

Erik, I agree that it's worth paying a bit more to have personalised service and support, as freediving equipment can be 'tempermental', as in different stuff suits different people.

I really wish there was more interest in freediving in Hong Kong. Of all the dive shops I've been to here (about 8), I have only seen 2 pairs of freediving fins; the Mares Attacks (expensive, short) and some brand I had never heard of before.

There is such a lack of exposure to freediving that my friend who I am going scubadiving with started laughing his head off when I told him I would probably freedive while they scuba dive, and after that I would use my freedive fins when I start scuba diving. I tried explaining how it is a whole level above scuba, but he wouldn't really understand because he probably wouldn't even scuba dive if it requred more then minimal effort!

I'm just glad we have this resource to communicate with other practitioners of this great activity.

Dive deep.

Terry

 

[freediver48]

Sporasub fins

Hi all, this is Erik writing from fd48's computor. I am out here on the west coast of Canada to dive, camp, and spearfish.
I ended up getting the Sporasub Radical fin, which is a blend of carbon and polymers. apparently, the Pure carbon fins are no stiffer than these, and there have been a lot of breakage problems.
Yesterday, Doug, my wife,and me went out for a late dive. I dove to 25 metres with no problem (the bottom), and feel that I can easily dive much deeper. The fins are fantastic, requiring a different frequency of the kick cycle that took a few days to get used to.
Also, I was wearing a big 2 window scuba mask, but had no problem equalizing at that depth. In fresh water it starts to get difficult for me there, probably because it's 4C and pitch black. I'm sure that with the Bandit mask and my new fins I can hit some PB's this week!
Tonight, fd48 and I are going out spearfishing. We'll let you know how it goes.
Cheers,
Erik

 

[Sickboy]

Hi Erik writing from fd48's computor. Glad to hear you got your fins and that they're good.

I just ordered a pair of Sporasub H.Dessault Pros (arriving Saturday). These will be my first ever freediving fins, so I'm really excited.

Erik could you let us know what you think about the durability of the Radical blades? As they are not carbon on the outside, does that mean they are less prone to chipping and cracking? Are you avoiding pushing off the bottom, or do you have confidence in their strength? I'm already thinking about what to get next, and I am considering getting the radical blades to replace my regular black ones in the future.

I hope to get the fins by Saturday morning, as I'm leaving for Malaysia that afternoon for a diving trip, and so I'd really like to give my new fins a good work out.

Happy diving and spearing!!

Terry