Cressi Gara Modular Fins for beginner

[CatalinaSPS]

Hello all,
I am taking a Level 1 Freediving course in May and am purchasing my first pair of fins. I am a womens size 7 1/2 to 8, and am having trouble finding fins my size. I am thinking of buying the Cressi Gara Modular fins from Divers Supply (online) because they come in size 5/6 and I heard Cressi is good for narrow feet. I am also prepared to buy neoprene socks to fill in any extra space. Are these a good option? I am mainly buying them because of the size, I haven't been able to find many reviews about how they actually perform. I would love some input from you all. Thanks in advance!

 

[Tim B.]

Hello all,
I am taking a Level 1 Freediving course in May and am purchasing my first pair of fins. I am a womens size 7 1/2 to 8, and am having trouble finding fins my size. I am thinking of buying the Cressi Gara Modular fins from Divers Supply (online) because they come in size 5/6 and I heard Cressi is good for narrow feet. I am also prepared to buy neoprene socks to fill in any extra space. Are these a good option? I am mainly buying them because of the size, I haven't been able to find many reviews about how they actually perform. I would love some input from you all. Thanks in advance!

The Gara Series is a very popular choice, especially for beginners with A LOT of coverage here on the board.
I suggest you search https://forums.deeperblue.com/search/362296/?q=gara&o=date&c[node]=14 and read the first few threads that come up.
That being said: I do own the Cressi Gara Modular LD. I bought them as my first pair of fins and I think they live up to their reputation.
Every other information about them is to be found in the numerous threads about fins in general and Gara fins in particular.

Everybody will have a different opinion, and when you start to look into 'fin performance' a whole abyss of different opinions will open up.
General consensus is the same though: Buy soft fins with a pocket that is comfortable for you. I personally would always go with a pocket size that allows/needs socks because you can always go bigger with socks but not smaller (when you need them due to temperature).
Especially as a beginner you really do not need to worry about 'performance' of a fin. If you go with a soft plastic fin fitting your budget and foot you will be happy for quite some time.
And the Garas fit that bill pretty well.

Regarding the size: Is that a US 7.5/8?
As far as I know pretty much all the bigger manufacturers go down to at least size 7. Which of course does not mean that two pockets of the same nominal size are the same size... ;-)