Best fins for spearfishing?

[Ted Budion]

Dessault Force Carbon DS-Maxx, F-1

 

[DRW]

The best fins for any aquatic activity are those that match the wearer's foot dimensions best, not only in terms of length but also width and arch height. Fins that are too loose will rub and fall off in currents, those that are too tight will restrict circulation and generate cramps.

This said, I thought I would add some potential spearfishing fins to the list. I have in mind several that are listed for this purpose but that have a more traditional design than those mentioned so far. Although I expect everybody else is a fan of modern fin materials, I am not. The first two are of Greek origin, the third Turkish.

1. Balco Dynamic

http://www.kalaitzis.gr/
Κλασσικό πτερύγιο κλειστού τύπου από φυσικό καουτσούκ. Από τα δημοφιλέστερα επαγγελματικά πτερύγια. Κατάλληλα και για ψαροτούφεκο. [Classic fin manufactured from natural rubber. A very popular professional fin. Suitable for spearfishing.] Sizes: 38-40;40-42; 42-44; 44-46.
2. Balco Hydrodyn

http://www.kalaitzis.gr/
Κλασσικό πτερύγιο κλειστού τύπου από φυσικό καουτσούκ. Από τα δημοφιλέστερα επαγγελματικά πτερύγια. Διαθέτει θυρίδες διαφυγής του νερού για ξεκούραστη κολύμβηση. Κατάλληλα και για ψαροτούφεκο. [Classic fin manufactured from natural rubber. A very popular professional fin. Suitable for spearfishing.] Sizes: 40-42; 42-44; 44-46.
3. Adalilar Concorde

[FONT=&quot]Mc av marketi ; olta makina misina av malzemeleri online sat
[/FONT] Concorde Jet avci paleti özellikle zipkin avciliği yapanlarin tercih ettiği bu ürün uzun yillar kullanabileceğiniz kaliteli kauçuk malzemeden imal edilmiştir. [Concorde Jet hunting fins have been a particular preference of Japanese harpoon hunters for many years. This product is manufactured using quality rubber.] Sizes: 38-40; 40-42; 42-44; 44-46; 46-48.

Hope the above is of interest to somebody.

 

[Ted Budion]

Seriously; with all due respect, to use fins like this today would be like driving a VW beetle from the 50s. You may look cool but comfort and performance simply aren't there. Their only advantage compared to modern fins is that they were made of hot-pressed rubber (elastomer), too expensive to manufacture today, because just one small fin takes ~10 minutes to make. Nowadays, most foot-pockets are made of injected thermoplastic rubber (plastomer), with few exceptions like H. Dessault and Picasso, among few others, that are injected rubber (elastomer). Elastomers have better mechanical properties for fin's foot-pockets than plastomers. Whereas composites are much, much superior than plastomers (polyethylene) and rubber for blades.

Also, the latter model may be made in Turkey today, but those are the noted Mares Concorde (Scarpatti line). I used them in 1976 and 1977! You've read correctly: 35 years ago...

 

[DRW]

Ted, I preceded my message with the words "Although I expect everybody else is a fan of modern fin materials, I am not" so I made it clear that my own position was a different, perhaps even unique perspective. What I want from swimming gear manufacturers is choice, not a single solution. Personally, as somebody in their sixties, I would also rue the day when the last VW from the 1950s disappears from our roads. Diversity is the spice of life and the older I get the more determined I am to make my own mind up rather than have it made up for me by technologists who "know best". I contribute to several vintage diving forums where the members prefer equipment the way it used to be, however long it took to be made by the manufacturer and however inefficient it may be perceived by non-vintage divers. Doing things the old-fashioned way shouldn't be perceived as a threat to those who only want the latest technology: the combination of "something old, something new" is what life is about.

 

[Don Paul]

Pursuit med Carbon C-90's in H dessault foot pockets for me. I have beaten them hard on shore dives and offshore for over a year and they are like new.
I can even beat my water dog in the pool.

Cheers, Don Paul

 

[Ted Budion]

DRW, I wasn't putting your option down. I had a beetle myself in the late 80s early 90s (years after they had stopped making them) and had good memories from it. My point was that in some cases, it doesn't make much sense to stick to old concepts. And fins in spearfishing is one of them, IMHO. Evidently I'm not pushing the use of 250 euro plus carbon fins like today. On the contrary, I think that for the vast majority of spearfishers of the world, a pair of regular long plastic blades fins would be just perfect. I, for one, had only switched to carbon fins six years ago, when I finally found a type that fit my spearfishing style just perfect: they really did the difference. But before that, I had been using my regular Sporasub H.Dessault plastic fins for nearly 25 years (and the Concorde before them!)

Finally, I know exactly what you mean. I've been toying with a pole spear lately and find it lots of fun and a huge challenge to use. More and more, I'm becoming to understand what Hans Hass once said that using a pole spear and freediving was the only environmentally sustainable method of spearfishing, but that's another story.

 

[ifishanyweather]

i would recommend the gara 3000ld's i use them they are cheap durable and its like strapping rockets to your feet.

 

[dimges]

Seriously; with all due respect, to use fins like this today would be like driving a VW beetle from the 50s. You may look cool but comfort and performance simply aren't there. Their only advantage compared to modern fins is that they were made of hot-pressed rubber (elastomer), too expensive to manufacture today, because just one small fin takes ~10 minutes to make. Nowadays, most foot-pockets are made of injected thermoplastic rubber (plastomer), with few exceptions like H. Dessault and Picasso, among few others, that are injected rubber (elastomer). Elastomers have better mechanical properties for fin's foot-pockets than plastomers. Whereas composites are much, much superior than plastomers (polyethylene) and rubber for blades.

Also, the latter model may be made in Turkey today, but those are the noted Mares Concorde (Scarpatti line). I used them in 1976 and 1977! You've read correctly: 35 years ago...

I hunting fish with a rifle from late 60's; in my memories are Concave fins from 1972, short Tigullio rubber fins Manta.

especially interesting were the shortest one-way fins Tigullio BOND 008,

http://forums.deeperblue.com/freediving-equipment/82178-looking-fins-2.html#post785189 with which you can swim and dive for hours at an easy pace, the less depth of 5-6m , fishing in the rocks. 1985 I bought in Greece Glaros epiplenta, I think that is a clone of Mares Seaking from the 70's. I have them today, but they are already at the stage of decomposition, so I think to buy from Turkey the same short rubber fins Super Jet and for my son long rubber fins Concorde.

 

[DRW]

1985 I bought in Greece Glaros epiplenta, I think that is a clone of Mares Seaking from the 70's. I have them today, but they are already at the stage of decomposition, so I think to buy from Turkey the same short rubber fins Super Jet and for my son long rubber fins Concorde.

Keep us informed, Dimges, if you decide to go ahead and purchase the Adalilar Kauçuk Süper Jets and Concordes. I'm curious about how easy these fins are to get hold of and how they compare with the Glaros and the Tigullio Mantas you mention. As I said before on this thread, I'm a big fan of vintage diving gear.

 

[jtkwest]

does anyone make a carbon fiber or fiberglass fins without removable foot pockets? they constantly come apart on all my friends cf fins.
it has become sort of a joke on the boat= the more expensive your new fins are, the more likely they are gonna come apart and you will be wearing your cressis again,(or driving the boat the rest of the day since you cant dive anymore cause your fins are broken again) besides dave mullins did that test where he wore like 15 different types of fins and did the same dive over and over to see which ones were the best.
what he discovered was that there was almost no difference in performance between any of them.
the plastic cressis worked just as well as the c4s.
stop wasting your money people. cf just SOUNDS cool.
it doesnt help you.
maybe it helps YOU, but it doesnt help dave mullins , and he would know.
thats my point.

 

[jtkwest]

i got a little sidetracked on that, sorry.
does anyone make a fin that is 1 piece cf or fiberglass?
what i mean is: permanent foot pockets?
or an option to have the foot pockets glued in place from the factory?

barring that, has anyone ever owned a pair of cf or fbgl fins
that NEVER ever separated? under heavy use?
presumably spearfishing, where abrasion is an issue?

my one good friend is on his 3rdpair of cf fins.
the first 2 pair kept coming apart over and over.
so a friend of ours got a pair of blades from greece for him
(i cant think of the name)
and some salvi foot pockets (the nicest i have ever tried on!)
and they were so nice, just beautiful!
they came apart after 1 month! , the foot pocket came loose
upon further inspection, it was discovered that the holes drilled through
the blade,(for the screws,?the plastic grommet things)
were wallowed out to a much larger size , and the plastic plate
that was on the bottom is missing.(on the broken one)
plus there were cracks starting where the angles of the blade
intersected,(on both pair of blades)
both his other pair were flat blades, (no angle),so they didnt crack
they separated at the rails constantly- i finally used a sh%t ton of
5200 marine adhesive on them after scrubbing with acetone. i also crimped some metal rings,( instead of those cheap plastic clips) onto the bottom of the rails. THOSE are still together, but they look pretty ghetto, considering they are supposed to be cf-high end fins.

seems like they should just glue it at the factory somewhere.
anyone know where?
i dont own any personally. i just find myself with the task of trying to fix them for friends. if i could find a pair that stayed together,i might be tempted

 

[cdavis]

I own a pair of specialfin kelpie mediums(fiberglass with an angle) in Sporasub pockets. These were designed for spearfishing. I got'em well used and have had them for about 5 years, moderate use, but I sure don't baby them. The foot pockets have died of age on me, but the blades seem bullet proof. They have a thin rubber edge that has come loose at the tip a couple of times, easy to reglue. Never any problems with the blades coming out of the pockets, nothing that would impede a diving day. I'd say they are not as durable overall as my cressi's, but plenty good enough and my legs sure think they are better.

Connor

Oh yeah, you are dead right on the problems caused by too long breathups. Shorter dives, shorter recovery makes more sense shooting fish where I come from, part of the reason I like FRC.

 

[hteas]

Imersion makes both cf and fiberglass fins that come permanently attached. I've been using my Imersion E-carbons for 2 years and so far they are great. I don't baby them, but also don't seriously abuse them.

I have had various footpockets with my SpecialFin fiberglass blades for 7 years. The side ribs used to pop off with Picasso footpockets, but I ahve had no problem with either Omer or the present Dessault footpockets. On the present set up I use tie-wraps instead of the attachment kit that comes with the footpockets. They hold as well, and they don't tear up the holes in the blades.

I use the dessault/SpecialFins in Hawaii each winter for a couple of weeks, and the E-carbons in Alaska year-round. They don't change stiffness with temperature and they are the easiest footpockets to get on (important when it's cold out). They also stay on very well without fin keepers.

 

[Don Paul]

I shore dive with my Pursuit C-90 meds in H.Dessault foot pockets. They look new despite the heavy use by me and the friends I loan them to. They are the best fin I have owed in thirty years.

Cheers, Don

 

[martin366]

I use "Leaderfins Waves Carbon", costs only 130€ LeaderFins.com
And these are very good!
Before i used "Beuchat Mundial Competiton" fins, which is honestly said - bulls*it, to compared Leaderfins
Leaderfins (like also Specialfins) is Estonian company. Little country, but well made fins

 

[dimges]

Keep us informed, Dimges, if you decide to go ahead and purchase the Adalilar Kauçuk Süper Jets and Concordes. I'm curious about how easy these fins are to get hold of and how they compare with the Glaros and the Tigullio Mantas you mention. As I said before on this thread, I'm a big fan of vintage diving gear.

[FONT=&quot]few day before from Ankara was returned my son. He had no time and conditions to order fins on-line, he only managed to find a cheap rubber fins Jetta 39-41, for me. FREE-SUB CHAMPION JETTA PALET YZME PALET | Dal Malzemeleri| Palet| Freesub Palet
Probably fins Concorde can be found only in Izmit (Ana Sayfa store), (Istanbul peripherals), or in Izmir. Especially because this period isn't the season and was long religious holidays.

fins are soft and elastic, for that price are much better than the Chinese fins, and particularly correspond to me short fins
[/FONT]

 

[fabioccastilho]

where I can find C4 fins in london?
online shop...
thanks

 

[martin366]

where I can find C4 fins in london?
online shop...
thanks

C4 Fins Free diving . Scubastore.com, buy, offers

 

[DRW]

[FONT=&quot]few day before from Ankara was returned my son. He had no time and conditions to order fins on-line, he only managed to find a cheap rubber fins Jetta 39-41, for me. FREE-SUB CHAMPION JETTA PALET YZME PALET | Dal Malzemeleri| Palet| Freesub Palet
Probably fins Concorde can be found only in Izmit (Ana Sayfa store), (Istanbul peripherals), or in Izmir. Especially because this period isn't the season and was long religious holidays.

fins are soft and elastic, for that price are much better than the Chinese fins, and particularly correspond to me short fins
[/FONT]

Wonderful! Thanks for this, dimges. I've never seen the underside of these fins before, they only show the topside on Turkish online retailing websites. I enjoy snorkelling with fins like these and I must try and get hold of a pair of these Champion Jetta fins, size 44-46.

 

[jtkwest]

are you guys diving with fins like these?


fins have improved dramatically since the 1960's
you may want to look into something a little more modern.

those look designed for a pool, a long time ago.