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Fins for going 40-80 feet 12-24 meters

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Alex Lefty

New Member
Aug 1, 2016
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i am 16 160 ponds and have been freedive get to 40-50 feet with my plastic find and they are quite soft what should my next upgrade be to be able to go deeper more efficiently ideas thinkin either a stiff plastic, fiberglass, or carbon? Thanks for the help
 
What kind of fins are you using at the moment?

Personally I use soft fins (grey mares as well (due to knee issues) but I have no trouble going deep.
But you can always go for stiffer plastic or fiber glass. It is a bit more expensive and more fragile.
 
I'm using hammerhead plastic soft find but I feel limited when I'm deeper not able to get up and down efficiently
 
You can expect better performance from a fiberglass, carbon fiber or even a hybrid of carbon fiber and fiberglass blade.

A better fin blade will work more efficiently, transfer energy better and will allow you to dive somewhat longer and deeper.

I think some people become a little "overly-enthusiastic" about the degree of improvement most divers will experience when upgrading fins.

One of the most important considerations is the footpocket comfort. If the pocket is not comfortable, you won't be having fun.

The nest most important aspect is the blade stiffness and this is also related to the pocket itself - because the blade and pocket work together as a unit.

At 160 lbs, we would recommend a soft blade. Generally we recommend soft to anyone under 200 lbs, but personal preference, conditioning and also the type of diving affects the decision.

I'm pretty confident you would be happier with a quality soft blade. We offer a variety of blades and fins.

To be perfectly honest, you will probably be happier with a good quality fiberglass fin (MAKO offers one at about $200) rather than the best, most expensive, STIFF, high end carbon fiber blade made (not sure exactly who sells the most expensive blades), but hopefully you get the point. If you are trying to improve performance - make sure you select the proper stiffness.
 
Reactions: foxfish
Thank you that helps a lot. As of now the soft plastic does not have much powe to it do you think the fiberglass will be stronger? And a little bit stiffer? Also what fiberglass find do you reccomend?
 
Fiberglass is more "snappy" or springy and should be returning more energy from each kick. If you bend and release different blades when holding them you will feel a difference between plastic and FG.

FG is generally thought to be stronger and more resistant to damage than a plastic blade, but they also cost more. As for FG being "stronger"... they may well be softer and more flexible than some plastic fins. We sell a variety of fins ranging from inexpensive fins for kids up to Pure Carbon Blades made by Leaderfins. We have plastic "polymer", FG, hybrid FG and Carbon fiber - the most expensive option (still under $290).

You will probably notice the biggest jump in performance going from plastic to FG ,, as you move through the higher end fins, many people feel that the benefit is real, but diminishing.

Comes down to preference and budget. I would not recommend CF for shore diving with surf and rocks or scuba diving where people are throwing around heavy tanks.

Here's a link to all our fins:

http://www.makospearguns.com/Fins-s/68.htm
 
Thank you for the help!!
 
If you are spearfishing or otherwise need the pure acceleration, medium or hard fins can be handy, but they will be less efficient than soft. Lots of divers think they need harder fins for deeper diving, when it is really a question of kicking technique. Harder fins will give you what you want at the bottom turn with poor finning technique. Soft fins will do the same, but you need better technique to get it and an understanding of how the fins work. Soft fins promote good finning technique. Harder fins will probably make poor technique worse.

As examples, I spearfish with a sling, which means there is a high premium on acceleration to run down and come up with the fish on one dive. In bifins, medium fiberglass is what I prefer for spearfishing. Almost as much acceleration as stiff plastic, with much better performance otherwise. For reef sightseeing down to 80 ft or so, very soft is much much better. For me to use very soft fins below 90 ft requires thinking about correct technique when starting up.

Mako makes some very good points, but I'm going to disagree on one. A good quality plastic fin, like cressi garas, will take far more abuse than fiberglass or , especially, carbon. And comfortable foot pockets are really important.
 
have cressi gara 3000 ld ,good cond, call serge 954-540-4953, hallandale,fl
 
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