fin poll

[Hamrrhed]

Ive had the Cressi HF for a couple of years and they just recently started to crack. Both fins have a transverse crack in the pocket reinforcement at the balde to pocket junction. A result Im sure of my failure to rinse my fins coming out of a heavily chlorinated pool I train in. Their still operable, but it was a great excuse to buy my new Riffe/Omer Silent hunters!
I just bought them today, so I havent had a chance to get them wet yet.
Question. ....Does anyone know what their true Omer counterpart is? Milennium Comps Maybe?
Back to the Cressi's.
A good fin, a little hard on the surface swim but good off the bottom. Rugged despite the cracking. They worked well in warm water in the Caribe and the frigid water on the N.Coast of Cali.
I found you could make the most of a surface swim by doing a side sissor (SP?) kick. Something along the line of a side stroke minus the arm movement. Usually I did this stroke when swimming back to a boat against a strong current (hopefully with lunch in tow).
Comfortable footpocket, in warm water I dove without a bootie.
The only reason I went with a different maker the second time around is due to my curious nature.
Id recommend the Cressi HF's to anyone they are great fins.
I hope this helps.
Anthony
Torrance CA

 

[JKermode]

Fin Purchase

My plastic is almost hitting the dive shop's counter for a pair of Beauchat long semi-stiff blade fins (with newly improved footpocket). Wise move?? Please comment if know info. Mahalo.

Thanks but no tanks.

JK

 

[Griff]

Dont do it. i thought that they were fine, untill i started to get hassels from them. i snapped a blade and the spare that they have sent me is too concave so it pops back and forth and makes a bit of a noise underwater when finning. i wish i had the bucks to replace them, but my car tyres were worn too :waterwork

mark

 

[frogman]

I have been using the old Sporasub H. Dessault fins for 15 years with great results but I am wondering whether I should upgrade to Carbon fins (such as OMER or Picasso). I tend to do a lot of reef freediving and spearing. Do you guys think that Carbon fins are more prone to breakage? Thanks. I am new to this forum but not new to freediving/spearing.

 

[Mattedhead]

I was using the 2000HFs. They were great for the 3 yrs I had them. Very durable and comfortable. Not the best fin for shallow reef diving etc. BUT great for deeper hunting. Very comfortable IF you have a fairly narrow foot. Unfortunately my local jetty swallowed one of them a few weeks ago. I switched to Riffe's new Pez Fuerte(OMER Millenium). I like the fact that you can replace the blades, plus the foot pocket offers a good bit more support. I have only done some shallow inshore diving so I haven't tested them offshore yet.....10 days and counting.

 

[Jon]

Maybe we could split this thread into three sperate ones.

I know that I like my Picasso Black Teams for when I am rumaging through the rocks.

I like my Sporsub Pure Carbons for performance.

I am just starting to get used to my Waterway monofin.

Each one has its own purpose and advantages.
I tried using my scooter with my monofin the other day and noticed that I didn't have near the control that I do with a pair of bi-fins
I also don't like taking my carbons into an area where I might break them-again.
My old BT's are dependable, but they seem to weigh a ton next to the carbons.
My mon is great, but my feet start to kill after a while and I need to switch back to the carbon's for a while to rest them.

I figure that my wife seems to have at least two pairs of shoes for every occasion, so why shouldn't I should do the same with my fins.

Jon

 

[Octo]

Jon, you are planning on being the Imelda Marcos of freediving...no?

Picasso black teams for moi.

Got the Picasso carbons, but cannot keep them on long enough to get past the cramping after the first couple of hours. Great thrust outa the carbons, but having never tried other carbons, will offer no opinion other than all of the fins I know nothing about are total crap.

!rofl rofl rofl rofl rofl rofl!

 

[icarus pacific]

Smooth, Aaron. Subtly smooth.


His smoothness,:king

sven

 

[Jon]

I like to think that all of the fins out there that I can't afford, yet, are total crap.

Jon

 

[Jay Styron]

ESCLAPEZ

I guess my preference falls in the crap catagory but I stick w/ the Black Esclapez full foot fins. they work well for me. Just MHO.
Jay

 

[icarus pacific]

crap here too!

Are mine crappier 'cause my feet with 5mm booties require, gasp!, open heels ?? :crutch And that's fine by me.

Hey Stylron! Check my new snappah rig! Sven's New Gun. How do you spell Mutton?


sven

 

[Hamrrhed]

For all who dont know the Riffe "Silent hunter" are the same as the Omer Millenniums and the Pez Fuertes are the same as the Omer Millennium Comps (per OMER).
i just got into the pool with my "silent hunters", they are a very nice fin with a comfortable pocket (bootie needed) and a nice stiff blade albeit not as stiff as the Pez Fuertes.
The blades in MHO are stiffer than my old Cressi HF's and it s a lot easier on the surface swim.
My only groan is that if the stiffeners rub on the blue face of the blades it marks them with a black streak.......:waterwork ..... Kinda of like a scratch on you brand new car.
Anthony
Tacoma, WA

 

[thin_air]

Millennium Competition

this past weekend i used my millennium competitions for the first time, altough i was told that they were stiffer fins, i found them great, they felt like a true extention of my body, not some overly floppy rubber thing like most other fins i have worn

one thin i liked about the stiffness was that coming once i decided to come up, i had no problem with "weak" fins making me start slowly upwards (on the other hand, its not exactly reassuring to know that you are wearing 5mm of neoprene and have no weight on your belt, and somehow end up neutral at -11m- sinking fast past -20m...)
i found it nice that with the first stroke i was already 2-3m from the bottom and once my momentum was up, i had no trouble keeping a nice pace with minimal effort (lazyness :t )

also, once my fins got below the surface (on the initial dive) i would make 1 or 2 wider kicks and then could go back to narrower kicks without losing any downwards momentum

just my 2 cents

 

[icarus pacific]

damn kids're making me work here!

and it's a smooth thing too!
Based on those pretty damn impressive numbers you swung, that's all the endorsement any body'd need for a fin. Nice work, Vince.


sven

 

[thin_air]

i sure hope im making you work
there wouldnt really be a point to having kids in this world if you didnt have to work to keep up.... rofl

now if i could just get in the water more then once a month...(actually once a month in open water would be nice...:hmm )

ps. you guys taught me most of what i know...(along with the PFD clinic i took last week...)

 

[icarus pacific]

Aw c'mon!! the kid's got it going on and he's in the water just once a month ??! :head

vive youth.


sven

 

[Bill]

"you are wearing 5mm of neoprene and have no weight on your belt, and somehow end up neutral at -11m- sinking fast past -20m"

Vince, don't worry about it, another 10-20 years of the good life and you'll need 10 kilo of lead, like Sven and I.

Aloha
Bill

P.S. If you get a little time, how about a short 'book report' on the clinic??

 

[icarus pacific]

damn whippersnappers...

Hey Bill! The store just called. Your walker and the case of Depends we're splitting is in! rofl


sven :crutch

 

[Alapaki]

Im using the picasso start fins, because im just starting to learn how to free dive.

 

[Amphibious]

I only have a pair of the old Cressi Gara's (blue) that I use for the pool and shallow hunting. they're very noodley so they work great for dynamic and surface swimming. they fit my foot perfectly without a bootie, so no Canada diving with these ones.

January I hope to order a set of Pure Carbons from DB store w/ extra plastic blades. (pray for student loan...)

Willer