Equipment for the BEGINNER

[roy_nexus_6]

If you were to buy your first freediving fins, mask and the wet suite, for the first time (like when you just started free diving) all over again.

Which model and which manufacturer would you choose for the mask, fins, suite, and why ?


I am a beginner in freediving totally hooked and want to avoid the "upgrade" battle yet I don't want to buy something that is too advanced that would work only for very experianced diver.


Any advice ?


Thanks in advance.

 

[Pablo]

Put your money on a good suit... Elios seem to work well for the price: see the thread about "the custom wetsuit" (open cell & nylon lining). Is your baby and you should take care of it.

Fins: plastic to learn medium to hard (depending on your legs) long blade. I like the ezcalpez and the gara 2000/3000. Never try omer, but the reports are good. Ask a good diver to buy his old plastic ones, and once you know how to use them properly (a couple of years of good trashing) and you want to get deeper go for fiberblades.

Don't lessen the sales men: get a simple flexible snorkell, and a normal black silicon mask with transparent tempered glass (try the best shape for you). This should last for ever if proper care is taken.

Cheap botties (they get a hard time anyways) and good gloves if you can affront them (anything comfy from the DIY shop works too).

Rubber belt with "marsellaise" buckle. buy the bouckle and build the belt with 2 glued layers of an truck wheel tube (the one is inside the tyre) if $$$ are an isue.

boy: and old yellow big plastic container with your mother laundry rope (a thick one...)

Knife: a correct sized (understand small!) thick blade kitchen stainless blade, and make your own sealth: copy any design out there with some heated PVC pipe (easy to glue!). Blind the tip to don't kill yourself...

An old piece of aluminum TV antenna and some old nylon from a big game boat provide me for years on fish threaders.

I first get a monster gun and a killer knife... but I freeze my balls for a few! until I could save for a proper wet suit. Get an old scrappy gun from a friend, and learn first to swim, dive, stealth and approach the fish; that will be my first advise!

Spend a few buck on drinks and lot's of good karma on your diving buddies to make sure they look good after you. That will be my best advice!

Use the search function (the top button with a loupe on it) is a more practical advice: you have many lives long experience on this threads... lessen to them!

Take care
Pab

 

[efattah]

I would have purchased:

- Elios 3mm or 5mm heiwa suit, smooth outside, open cell inside, high waist pants (not farmer john)
- Matrix fins (equivalent to waterway fiberglass blades with sporasub footpockets; you should switch to a monofin once you are comfortable diving)
- Technisub sphera mask
- US Divers Impulse 2 snorkel (don't attach to your mask, hold in your hand)
- Nylon weight belt with picasso 1kg weights (or home made super stretchy rubber belt; I don't like the non-stretchy rubber belts)
- 3mm neoprene socks
- Depth computer: no low cost reliable computers exist, try either a suunto D3 (malfunction prone), or a citizen hyperaqualand (more of a scuba computer)
- Picasso 3mm bio-termic gloves

Eventually switch to a waterway monofin.


Eric Fattah
BC, Canada

 

[Pablo]

Upsss freediving no hunting... read pablo, read! :duh

 

[roy_nexus_6]

efatah and pablo

thank you guys for the advise!
Will check on your reco's.


More equipment for the beginner advice is welcome !

 

[thud]

If your pretty sure your going to stay with the sport, pay more and pick good stuff. Its not really a sport where you have to be better to use the better performing equipment. But if you buy cheap stuff, you will be wanting better soon.
Drew

 

[Seal]

Why is everybody recommending the "Sphera" mask is it really that good? And why?

I got the Cressi Minima and it has exellent fit, and good view allround.

I started out very cheap back in the days (2 Years ago
) And it's true you don't save anything going cheap, you'll end up getting hooked and wanting good gear.

As for the "Cressi Gara 3000" I can say that this is a very good buy, I started out with a pair of very exspensive Carbon fins, and I craked them on some rocks.

Also get the Rubber belt

I wouldn't recommend going for the monofin untill someone sets a record with it. Simple as that. As a Swedish finswimming coach once said "I let them monokick with the bi-fins untill they get it right"

 

[efattah]

Originally posted by Seal
Why is everybody recommending the "Sphera" mask is it really that good? And why?

I got the Cressi Minima and it has exellent fit, and good view allround.


I wouldn't recommend going for the monofin untill someone sets a record with it. Simple as that. "

????

What do you mean 'until someone sets a record with it?'

All records are currently set with mono; men's CW, women's CW, men's dynamic and women's dynamic? What more could you want?

The minima has a flimsy strap which breaks easily, and the field of view is extremely poor.

My opinion.


Eric Fattah
BC, Canada

 

[Lambis]

My first Equipment was and still is:
A Minima (becauce it fit exelent) but I have replace the strap.

About fins I have some old Cressi Frog
I have a Specialfins monofin (The Blue One) But I am thinking to
pursale a Waterway to.
Specialfins monofin´have the Omer footpockets that are great but tis monofin is more for Constant and not for pool or Dynamic .

I was thinking to pursale C4 Fins but I think I invest beter the Money to a Monofin.

Rubber belt and Picasso weigts (BTW Eric where can I pursale online Picasso weights?) are o.K:

Elios Suit Smothskin /Superelastic inside 3mmm low Density
I have Order now a 5mm Smothskin /Open Cell low Density
One West 2mm for pooltraining or under the suit if the weater is very cold.

 

[roy_nexus_6]

motionsync, how much did you pay for

your ELIOS suits ?
I looked at their website and can't find pricing info.

I get cold very fast. When I scubadive in 80F water I get cold wearing a 3mm wetsuit with a hooded jacket after about 45 minutes of diving.

Should I go for 5mm, or stay with 3mm as I understand freediving suits seal much better then scubadiving suits and hence much warmer ?

 

[Russell]

Where can I get a Sphera in the USA online?

Hi There:

I ordinarily use a Cressi SuperOchio (Sp??). Good mask. Reliable. Had mine for several years, but it is starting to leak and needs to be replaced. This is a good mask that I can confidently recommend.

However, I would like to try a Spera, so I would very much appreicate if anybody could give me a stear to where i can purchase a sphera online in the USA?

In terms of good starting bi-fin's for novice divers ... I like Picasso Team Black. Had several pairs and never a reason to complain. I find the footpockets to be the most comfortable, but might be because I have strange shaped feet.

If you feel you need a knife, I beleive that Riffe makes the best introductory knives bang for buck. You are bound to change and upgrade your knife and debate this at length, but to get started a Riffe will do.

Many thanks,
Russell

 

[Lambis]

About Suits

I pay ca 170 euro for a 5mm Open cell suit.
210 for my 3mm superelastic lining inside.

You must write a email to Elios. Becauce they have so many materials and combinations the dont have a pricelist at the webpage.

 

[roy_nexus_6]

WetSuit thickness

I get cold very fast. When I scubadive in 80F water I get cold wearing a 3mm wetsuit with a hooded jacket after about 45 minutes of diving.

Should I go for 5mm, or stay with 3mm as I understand freediving suits seal much better then scubadiving suits and hence much warmer ?


On the other hand, you are trying to relax and do not generate as much heat as when diving on scuba and perhaps I may want a 5mm suit ?

Any opinions ? What do you guys think ?

 

[Seal]

Originally posted by efattah
????

What do you mean 'until someone sets a record with it?'

All records are currently set with mono; men's CW, women's CW, men's dynamic and women's dynamic? What more could you want?

The minima has a flimsy strap which breaks easily, and the field of view is extremely poor.

My opinion.


Eric Fattah
BC, Canada

Ups sorry about that, the last time I was updated with competitions and records where last summer.

Alot has happend since then I see , but I still thought that Stephane Mifsud where holding the Dynamic record of 209m with bi-fins?

 

[efattah]

Seal,

The first constant weight record with a monofin happened in 1990 by Rossana Maiorca with 58m. The current women's record is 78m also with mono.

The first men's constant weight record with a monofin happened in 2001 with 82m (w/mono), and 86m (w/mono). Then 2002 with 87m (w/mono), 90m (w/mono). Then 2003 with 93m (w/bifins), and 95m (w/mono).

For dynamic records, it was 2001, 170m (w/mono), 172m (bifins), 174m (w/bifins, non-AIDA), then 2002, 181m (w/mono), 2003, 200m (w/mono), 209m (w/mono non-AIDA).

So, I guess you hadn't checked the records list since 1989!


Eric Fattah
BC, Canada

 

[Seal]

Damn i'm getting old, and narrowminded at the age of 26!

 

[cebaztian]

Talking abaout monos and beginner equipment.

What is the deepest you have done in plastic bifins (no carbon, no glasfiber, no grafiber e t c)?

What is the deepest you have done in a pair of Sporasub elite plastic fins?

What is the deepest CWT dive ever done in plastic bifins (Stepanek Hawaii 70 meter? But I guess those were of rubber).

Maybe even Eric F has calculated scientificly what the same pair of legs can do with:
-bi fins plastic
-bi fins carbon
-monofin

Curious

Sebastian

PS. I have done 50 with sporasub plastic.

 

[Lambis]

Like Sebastian say you dont need great and expensive equicment to freedive.

My old Freefrog finns are more that 12 years old and they are still my spearfishing fins.

But if you whant to go with a Mono it is a good Idea to pursale now one (NOT EXPENSIVE) so that you learn the teknic.



Lambis

 

[tylerz]

45m with sporasub plastic. Don't want to ever try that again! Also both broke across the blade after a year of using them. I do not feel comfortable knowing that, with those depths and beyond. I would not recommend anybody using those fins for deeper than 30m, or basically whatever depth you are comfortable doing a no-fins return to the surface.

Anyhow you can get Matrix fins or buy a sporasub footpocket and put a waterway fiber/plastic blade in (as I did), for almost the same price (or at least almost the same as what I paid) and you end up with a blade that is another league than the plastic.

 

[ivan]

hi

I totally agree with cebaztians comparisons as I too would love to know what difference people get with each fin.

BTW Im an avid fibreblade/carbon bi fin supporter



cheers