Fins for newbie?

[Shannon R]

Hi everyone. I've been asking about a wetsuit for a new freediver, now I need fin advice? Where to start? I used to have heavy large SCUBA fins but didn't hold onto them, as I found I most often used my shortie fins for snorkeling/swimming, but now trying to use my shorties for freediving isn't working out well. Looking for something lighter weight and flexible, I think.. open to advice. Thank you!

 

[Shannon R]

Hi everyone. I've been asking about a wetsuit for a new freediver, now I need fin advice? Where to start? I used to have heavy large SCUBA fins but didn't hold onto them, as I found I most often used my shortie fins for snorkeling/swimming, but now trying to use my shorties for freediving isn't working out well. Looking for something lighter weight and flexible, I think.. open to advice. Thank you!

I should add that I am diving in cold water temps (50-70). Thank you!

 

[Bill McIntyre]

I'll leave it to others to name brands but I'll speak to design. They should be long and have closed heels.When I quit blowing bubbles and went back to free diving I bought a pair of long fins with open heels. Then felt like a big improvement over my scuba fins. Then a guy on my boat had the very same brand, Esclapez, but with closed heels. I tried them out and they were so much better that I ordered a pair when I got home that night. A stiff sole and closed heel transfers your leg power to the blades better.

There are three basic choice of materials- plastic, fiberglass, and carbon fiber.

I think most divers start with plastic. They are relatively expensive but will wear out- get less stiff- and can break if abused.

Next step is fiberglass. They are not too much more expensive but they offer a huge increase in performance and are almost indestructible. If you shore dive through surf and rocks then they are a good choice. I had a pair for a few years and then carbon fiber came along. I thought I should try carbon fiber when the fiberglass fins wore out but they never wore out. I just kept them as spares and bought the carbon fiber.

Then carbon fiber. My impression is that they offer some increase in performance but at big increase in cost compared to fiberglass. And if you do a lot of beach diving, they are more fragile that fiberglass.

So the sweet spot in value is fiberglass. It depends on your budget, but maybe it would be good to start there and then later move to carbon fiber if you dive from a boat.

Stiffness- a lot of people who think they are studs start with fins that are too stiff. If in doubt, get the softer choice.

I wish I could be specific about brands, but I just retired from diving at age 85 and sold all my gear. I'm not up to date. I'm sure others can offer better advice.

 

[DRW]

I'm in my late 70s, which means my first serious fins were all-rubber full-foot Cressi Rondines when I joined my university sub-aqua club in the mid-1960s. Ever since then, I have opted to use the same closed-heel fin design, made from the same material by a variety of manufacturers around the world. It is still perfectly possible nowadays to purchase light-weight all-rubber closed-heel long-bladed fins if you know where to look. Japan makes the world's longest all-rubber closed-heel fins (below), bucking a western trend towards synthetic materials because their underwater swimmers prefer their fins to be made that way. We human beings come in a huge variety of shapes and sizes with a broad spectrum of different needs and preferences.

This said, you must make up your own mind when it comes to the kind of fins you want to use. Back in the old days, underwater enthusiasts used to borrow a selection of fins from their friends, trying them out in the pool before plumping for a particular type, make and model. As you have already used fins for scuba and swim workouts, you will have a better idea than most what suits you.

Fins are very personal items of underwater equipment. If I were you, I would concentrate on locating fins that match the length and width of your feet best. Fins that are too tight-fitting will restrict blood-flow and cause foot cramps, while loose-fitting ones may raise blisters through rubbing or even come off in choppy waters. As with dive masks, fit really matters with fins, so make sure first that your foot pockets provide wearing comfort for your feet. Consider too when purchasing fins whether you intend to wear them over socks or bootees, which will likely result in having to purchase a larger size. Because long-bladed fins can command high prices, manufacturers do not offer them in a wide range of sizes, again limiting your choice.

 

[Shannon R]

I'll leave it to others to name brands but I'll speak to design. They should be long and have closed heels.When I quit blowing bubbles and went back to free diving I bought a pair of long fins with open heels. Then felt like a big improvement over my scuba fins. Then a guy on my boat had the very same brand, Esclapez, but with closed heels. I tried them out and they were so much better that I ordered a pair when I got home that night. A stiff sole and closed heel transfers your leg power to the blades better.

There are three basic choice of materials- plastic, fiberglass, and carbon fiber.

I think most divers start with plastic. They are relatively expensive but will wear out- get less stiff- and can break if abused.

Next step is fiberglass. They are not too much more expensive but they offer a huge increase in performance and are almost indestructible. If you shore dive through surf and rocks then they are a good choice. I had a pair for a few years and then carbon fiber came along. I thought I should try carbon fiber when the fiberglass fins wore out but they never wore out. I just kept them as spares and bought the carbon fiber.

Then carbon fiber. My impression is that they offer some increase in performance but at big increase in cost compared to fiberglass. And if you do a lot of beach diving, they are more fragile that fiberglass.

So the sweet spot in value is fiberglass. It depends on your budget, but maybe it would be good to start there and then later move to carbon fiber if you dive from a boat.

Stiffness- a lot of people who think they are studs start with fins that are too stiff. If in doubt, get the softer choice.

I wish I could be specific about brands, but I just retired from diving at age 85 and sold all my gear. I'm not up to date. I'm sure others can offer better advice.

Thank you Bill. Given the above info I'd probably want to try fiberglass. Although the rubber mentioned by DRW also sounds interesting. That's amazing that you retired at 85, I hope to dive that long! (I'm 51 currently, so that gives me some good years ahead, I hope!) I also agree that going a bit softer to start is probably a good idea. I have seen some really flexible looking ones in the documentary "Deepest Breath" (great film if you haven't seen it, I think it released last year), moving through the water in a way I don't think I've ever seen before, so I'm very curious as to what those are, maybe rubber? Thanks again for your feedback!

 

[Shannon R]

I'm in my late 70s, which means my first serious fins were all-rubber full-foot Cressi Rondines when I joined my university sub-aqua club in the mid-1960s. Ever since then, I have opted to use the same closed-heel fin design, made from the same material by a variety of manufacturers around the world. It is still perfectly possible nowadays to purchase light-weight all-rubber closed-heel long-bladed fins if you know where to look. Japan makes the world's longest all-rubber closed-heel fins, bucking a western trend towards synthetic materials because their underwater swimmers prefer their fins to be made that way. We human beings come in a huge variety of shapes and sizes with a broad spectrum of different needs and preferences.

This said, you must make up your own mind when it comes to the kind of fins you want to use. Back in the old days, underwater enthusiasts used to borrow a selection of fins from their friends, trying them out in the pool before plumping for a particular type, make and model. As you have already used fins for scuba and swim workouts, you will have a better idea than most what suits you.

Fins are very personal items of underwater equipment. If I were you, I would concentrate on locating fins that match the length and width of your feet best. Fins that are too tight-fitting will restrict blood-flow and cause foot cramps, while loose-fitting ones may raise blisters through rubbing or even come off in choppy waters. As with dive masks, fit really matters with fins, so make sure first that your foot pockets provide wearing comfort for your feet. Consider too when purchasing fins whether you intend to wear them over socks or bootees, which will likely result in having to purchase a larger size. Because long-bladed fins can command high prices, manufacturers do not offer them in a wide range of sizes, again limiting your choice.

Thank you DRW! I'm very curious to find out more about the rubber fins. I'll see if I can find some. I'm assuming they will be much softer/fluid in water than stiff? I agree that the close-heel is probably the way to go after trying to dive recently with an open one that I used to like because I could adjust it for going barefoot or with socks, but I noticed that they really just didn't stay on properly no matter how tight I cinched them down and only left red marks on my feet and squished my toes up so much I got toe cramping! I think fit will be hard for me since I have feet that are basically already shaped like fins! Meaning they are very long, very narrow except for the toes which spread out very wide. So I'll need narrow but with a large toe box. I have been reading that some have larger toe boxes than others so if you or anyone knows which brands those are let me know. But the trick might be finding ones with large toe box and otherwise very narrow. Plus my feet are large (long) as I'm very tall. (I've always had trouble fitting my feet into shoes, esp. as a woman, often had to buy men's shoes, luckily nowadays there are way more options for women than there used to be.) I do think my diving fins were too stiff. They were definitely plastic, but quite stiff and heavy. I know it would be amazing to just be able to try out fins others have. I'm trying to see if I can connect with any local divers. There is a small dive shop for SCUBA, not sure if he has any freediving equipment, I've left a message asking, so we'll see. I will probably be wearing socks most of the time, so yes need to factor in for those too. Thanks again!

 

[Bill McIntyre]

Thank you Bill. Given the above info I'd probably want to try fiberglass. Although the rubber mentioned by DRW also sounds interesting. That's amazing that you retired at 85, I hope to dive that long! (I'm 51 currently, so that gives me some good years ahead, I hope!) I also agree that going a bit softer to start is probably a good idea. I have seen some really flexible looking ones in the documentary "Deepest Breath" (great film if you haven't seen it, I think it released last year), moving through the water in a way I don't think I've ever seen before, so I'm very curious as to what those are, maybe rubber? Thanks again for your feedback!

They are carbon fiber. Rubber is very heavy.

 

[DRW]

World's longest all-rubber freediving fins: dimensions and weight above. Video illustrating their use below.

​

 

[Shannon R]

I'm thinking I'll probably try the Cressi Modular Impulse since I can update the fins later and the price is decent, but also get a shorter pair of the rubber fins for swim practice (the "Mew" look good and are more affordable than the longer Barracuda).

 

[7BDiver]

It is really hard to find plastic fins that are any good at all in my mind. Plastic fins are great for durability and price but there are a ton of terrible designs out there, most modular plastic fins with replaceable blades are just about worthless in my mind, they just do not have enough spring or rigidity to get efficient power from the foot pocket into the blade. I have a pair of Cressi Gara 3000 one piece fins and they are a great design and fit but might as well be compared to hard stiffness fins. The C4 Umberto Pelizzari look like an improved modular design and might be worth checking out since the blade is refined and well fastened. Personally I love carbon fins, you can certainly get a descent pair from Freediver Shop but the shipping will be a good $80 - $90. Keep in mind as I have seen with women, weight will be a big deal, so carbon and a light foot pocket will be greatly desired. Fiberglass is great but also heavy.

 

[7BDiver]

Be sure and take great consideration to how the foot pocket size will need to increase with the sock thickness you will be using. For example, if I am using a 5 mil sock for size 11 mens I would purchase a 11-12 foot pocket rather than a 10 - 11. This would still be a fairly snug fit. Monofins would need to go up in size even more to compensate for socks. Cressi foot pockets are more elastic than most and thus more forgiving as well since you are interested in those.

 

[Bill McIntyre]

I wouldn’t buy fins without trying then on with the fin socks that you will wear.

 

[Shannon R]

It is really hard to find plastic fins that are any good at all in my mind. Plastic fins are great for durability and price but there are a ton of terrible designs out there, most modular plastic fins with replaceable blades are just about worthless in my mind, they just do not have enough spring or rigidity to get efficient power from the foot pocket into the blade. I have a pair of Cressi Gara 3000 one piece fins and they are a great design and fit but might as well be compared to hard stiffness fins. The C4 Umberto Pelizzari look like an improved modular design and might be worth checking out since the blade is refined and well fastened. Personally I love carbon fins, you can certainly get a descent pair from Freediver Shop but the shipping will be a good $80 - $90. Keep in mind as I have seen with women, weight will be a big deal, so carbon and a light foot pocket will be greatly desired. Fiberglass is great but also heavy.

That's really helpful thanks so much! I didn't know I could get carbon fins that cheap (just looking at Freedivershop now), but yes the shipping is quite a lot, but still not bad total. And I'll check the C4 out too.

 

[DRW]

I'm thinking I'll probably try the Cressi Modular Impulse since I can update the fins later and the price is decent, but also get a shorter pair of the rubber fins for swim practice (the "Mew" look good and are more affordable than the longer Barracuda).

I have a white pair of Gull Mews. Nice fins.

 

[Irishdiver]

Gulls are great, hard wearing long lasting fins. Great for snorkelling, but they do flap about a bit so if your looking to dive a bit deeper regularly go for a harder fin. I've just retired my cressi gara 3000's after 10 years of constant hard use so I can only recommend. However, as the guys above said if you are in cold water you'll need socks so you definitely need to try them on first while wearing socks. I just got a pair of new cressi's off a friend, same size as my old ones, bought 5mm socks, same as I used with my old pair....and they're way too tight .

 

[Mr. X]

FYI I now own 2 pairs of Beuchat Competition fins, for diving from shore in Britain (i.e. not hot). With (tough) plastic blades*.

Beuchat foot pockets have a good reputation for fitting those with narrow feet. But oddly, they seem to fit my stocky fairly wide feet well too, so I have stuck with them . In fact, in hot weather my feet swell so I then wear them without my usual neoprene socks: good for size and temperature

* I have found the plastic blades to be remarkably tough and good for shore diving. And they can be swapped for other blades later. I did manage to break one blade (after more than 10 years of use, and in extremis when I left the shelter of a Gower bay and was hit by the formidable force of the Bristol Channel (second largest tidal range in the world, gulp!) and onto nearby rocks. Scary. Tore my wetsuit too but that is now glued back together .

Although I could have just replaced the one broken blade ( blue blade camo'd by me!), I opted instead for a new pair of Brown Beauchat plastic blades plus new fixing clips, ordered from France. .

Meantime I bought another pair the same but with black blades to act as spares.

Unfortunately I forgot my fins on a one week long trip!! . So ended up buying some cheap spearing fins by Apnea, Turkey, in a store closing down sale (in Paignton, they opened especially in order to help me, a huge thanks for that , I will be forever grateful to them). As it was for a temporary solution, I also opted for their cheaper shorter blade model, as discussed in a call to store - they worked quite well . But:
1. the longer model would likely be a better option for longer term use spearing.
2. They have very big, voluminous foot pockets. So buy this brand, Apnea, small. (Unusual for me, I usually need to go up a size or 2! So maybe Apnea are right and the others are wrong! ).

 

[Shannon R]

FYI I now own 2 pairs of Beuchat Competition fins, for diving from shore in Britain (i.e. not hot). With (tough) plastic blades*.

Beuchat foot pockets have a good reputation for fitting those with narrow feet. But oddly, they seem to fit my stocky fairly wide feet well too, so I have stuck with them . In fact, in hot weather my feet swell so I then wear them without my usual neoprene socks: good for size and temperature

* I have found the plastic blades to be remarkably tough and good for shore diving. And they can be swapped for other blades later. I did manage to break one blade (after more than 10 years of use, and in extremis when I left the shelter of a Gower bay and was hit by the formidable force of the Bristol Channel (second largest tidal range in the world, gulp!) and onto nearby rocks. Scary. Tore my wetsuit too but that is now glued back together .

Although I could have just replaced the one broken blade ( blue blade camo'd by me!), I opted instead for a new pair of Brown Beauchat plastic blades plus new fixing clips, ordered from France. .

Meantime I bought another pair the same but with black blades to act as spares.

Unfortunately I forgot my fins on a one week long trip!! . So ended up buying some cheap spearing fins by Apnea, Turkey, in a store closing down sale (in Paignton, they opened especially in order to help me, a huge thanks for that , I will be forever grateful to them). As it was for a temporary solution, I also opted for their cheaper shorter blade model, as discussed in a call to store - they worked quite well . But:
1. the longer model would likely be a better option for longer term use spearing.
2. They have very big, voluminous foot pockets. So buy this brand, Apnea, small. (Unusual for me, I usually need to go up a size or 2! So maybe Apnea are right and the others are wrong! ).

Gosh the Bristol Channel incident sounds harrowing, glad you are okay!
Thanks for another recommend. I've been looking at the C4 Umberto Pelizzari fins. Nice price for carbon. Inquiring more on foot pocket sizing first. As pointed out I'll need socks, so have to choose bet. 3 and 5mm. Right now diving in the Smith river with the heatwave we have I've not needed wetsuits or socks even though water temps are probably still only in the 60s. But I'm fairly cold-water conditioned at this point. Still I realize if I want to stay in the water longer I need to suit up. I'm still researching freediving suits. I only have my surfing wetsuit 5mm, lets too much water in and not snug. I'd love a pair of fins for summer and training with thin or no socks and a nicer pair for the thicker socks and deeper dives. Still a lot to take in and figure out. Wish there was a freediving nearby. Haven't found anything closer than a 5 hr. drive so far!

 

[Shannon R]

FYI I now own 2 pairs of Beuchat Competition fins, for diving from shore in Britain (i.e. not hot). With (tough) plastic blades*.

Beuchat foot pockets have a good reputation for fitting those with narrow feet. But oddly, they seem to fit my stocky fairly wide feet well too, so I have stuck with them . In fact, in hot weather my feet swell so I then wear them without my usual neoprene socks: good for size and temperature

* I have found the plastic blades to be remarkably tough and good for shore diving. And they can be swapped for other blades later. I did manage to break one blade (after more than 10 years of use, and in extremis when I left the shelter of a Gower bay and was hit by the formidable force of the Bristol Channel (second largest tidal range in the world, gulp!) and onto nearby rocks. Scary. Tore my wetsuit too but that is now glued back together .

Although I could have just replaced the one broken blade ( blue blade camo'd by me!), I opted instead for a new pair of Brown Beauchat plastic blades plus new fixing clips, ordered from France. .

Meantime I bought another pair the same but with black blades to act as spares.

Unfortunately I forgot my fins on a one week long trip!! . So ended up buying some cheap spearing fins by Apnea, Turkey, in a store closing down sale (in Paignton, they opened especially in order to help me, a huge thanks for that , I will be forever grateful to them). As it was for a temporary solution, I also opted for their cheaper shorter blade model, as discussed in a call to store - they worked quite well . But:
1. the longer model would likely be a better option for longer term use spearing.
2. They have very big, voluminous foot pockets. So buy this brand, Apnea, small. (Unusual for me, I usually need to go up a size or 2! So maybe Apnea are right and the others are wrong! ).

PS I'm looking at a pair of Beuchat right now (Mundial One), and wanted to ask one question about size, since you say you can wear with and without the socks in the same size. Did you go with your regular shoe size then or a size up for socks and do you use 5mm or less for sock thickness? Thank you so much!

 

[Mr. X]

PS I'm looking at a pair of Beuchat right now (Mundial One), and wanted to ask one question about size, since you say you can wear with and without the socks in the same size. Did you go with your regular shoe size then or a size up for socks and do you use 5mm or less for sock thickness? Thank you so much!

Shoe sizes and size charts and measuring devices are not to be trusted in my long experience. It is too big/complicated of a topic for me to into again here.

FYI my Beuchat fins/foot pockets are size 45-46. My measured size in GB is 9.5D but that never fits, I usually buy 10.5D-11 UK. In climbing shoes 45 normally gives me the required close/tight fit. But for mountaineering boots and wellies I get most luck with 46. I have some USA shoes that I think are about 12.5 (different scale to UK).

I don't know the thickness of my booties, I would guess 3 or 4 mm. I usually wear them but not on hot days, when my feet swell and I don't need that extra warmth ( foot pockets provide some warmth and protection.

 

[Shannon R]

Shoe sizes and size charts and measuring devices are not to be trusted in my long experience. It is too big/complicated of a topic for me to into again here.

FYI my Beuchat fins/foot pockets are size 45-46. My measured size in GB is 9.5D but that never fits, I usually buy 10.5D-11 UK. In climbing shoes 45 normally gives me the required close/tight fit. But for mountaineering boots and wellies I get most luck with 46. I have some USA shoes that I think are about 12.5 (different scale to UK).

I don't know the thickness of my booties, I would guess 3 or 4 mm. I usually wear them but not on hot days, when my feet swell and I don't need that extra warmth ( foot pockets provide some warmth and protection.

Thank you Mr. X. From checking size charts (but yes not totally reliable!) it looks like maybe you just went one size up, which sounds like you do for boots. I think I should be a 41/42 (and I've had shoes in this size but I may have even fit a 43, as you say it's very tricky!) I'm usually a 10.5 or 11 in women's US, and 9 or 9.5 in mens. So maybe the 43/44 fins would be good if I want to wear 5mm, but maybe I'll only need 3mm, since as you say the fin pocket also provides warmth. All so annoying. I'll just have to buy and try and maybe have to send back for exchange.