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Fins for UK spearo

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
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Mr. X

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Any suggestions for spearo fins for the UK?

I am currently using my 30 year old pair of English made(!) full foot, black, all-rubber fins & they very well around reefs, the pool & shallow bays I have been to so far. The foot pockets are a bit big though (originally planned to get dive boots/socks -- but never did in the end).

I recently picked up some Speedo fins which seemed like a good deal in JJB Sports. They are much longer, slightly wider, full foot, plastic & rubber fins --and at 14.99 GBP they seemed like a good deal (Speedo branded, correct size & came with a decent net bag with shoulder strings & a hanging loop). Have only used 3x. Much stiffer than my other fins.

I saw Cressi Sub Gara 3000 LD Fins mentioned in one forum. Anybody rate these? Are the new & expensive super long fins worthwhile *for spearo*?
http://www.sportdiver.com/product.jsp?ID=10143
http://www.scuba-equipment-usa.com/express/1314.php

Anybody a fan of strapped fins (with or without dive boots)?
 
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I can see me getting called a know-it-all forum geek.

IMHO open heel are a waste of time, you will lose a lot of efficiency.
If you really want good fins try and use a few before you buy, don't make the mistake of buying a pair sight without trying them.
Gara 3000 are a softer fin than the 2000 and may uit if you do a lot of surface swimming.
I have Picasso Black Team and Specialfins Hybrid pro hard, Picasso footpockets don't fit my foot very well but the Omer footpockets fit my wide foot much better.
Long fins are much better than the shortfins for efficiency,most scuba divers use short fins for reasons of ease of use rather than longfins.
I use 4mm socks they are very comfortable.
 
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Mr. X said:
Any suggestions for spearo fins for the UK?

Are the new & expensive super long fins worthwhile *for spearo*?

Remember that if your hands are busy with speargun, SMB line, dealing with speared fish, etc. etc. the long fins give you that extra 'push' you will sorely need....Try doing all of the aforementioned when there's a current ripping or in a long swim against the tide and believe me they are worth it.
 
Hiya

The longer fins will allow you to dive down with less effort, thereby increasing your bottom time. With the smaller fins, you'll also have to swim much harder against the current. If you're diving in shallow water, you can get away with using small fins, but when you start moving into the deeper waters, long fins become a must.

I also have a broad foot, but ONLY picasso footpockets fit me :waterwork :waterwork

Most of the long fins today are good. The BIGGEST criteria is that they MUST fit YOUR feet properly. Footpockets that are too tight, will cuase cramping. Too lose, and you'll probably lose your fins. Oh, yes, not forgetting the lovely blisters you'll get with ill fitting fins.........

Visit a dive shop and fit on some fins. Or even better, get together with some spearo's and test their fins in a pool. You can then see which fits your feet. Remember, you'll be spending lonnng periods of time in the water with your fins on, so male SURE they're comfortable.

Happy shopping!!

Regards
miles
 
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First of all I would like to suggest (like all the guys before me) that you should be better off with a pair of long fins.
If you make this wise choice and the even wiser to stick to fins with plastic detachable blades, after that only two things matter.
a. The blade should be as soft as possible
b. The footpocket MUST fit you as near to 100% as possible. (see Miles' and Huan's posts for reasons why)
Brand names are not a factor cause all major brands make good quality plastic blade fins.

Safe seas!
 
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GALADION said:
...stick to fins with plastic detachable blades, after that only two things matter.
a. The blade should be as soft as possible
....
Brand names are not a factor cause all major brands make good quality plastic blade fins.
...
Detachable presumably so they can be replaced if damaged.

Plastic (rather than...carbon?) presumably because it is tougher.

A soft blade though -- that one surprised me. I have very strong legs and thought I had read a US review on a forum site (pos. this one) that suggested stiffer blades. Is this better for surface/weed/long distance?

Re. Fit -- I too have the normal sturdy(stubby?!), wide British foot, so it sounds like Picasso will be a good fit ...or a really bad one :D[see comments above]. Omer sounds worth a look & Cressi too.

miles said:
...Visit a dive shop and fit on some fins. Or even better, get together with some spearo's and test their fins in a pool. You can then see which fits your feet. Remember, you'll be spending lonnng periods of time in the water with your fins on, so male SURE they're comfortable.
...
Living in the boonies/back of beyond (which I like :) ), I have never been to a dive shop :eek: ! Too many speed cameras ($$$$ :vangry :ban ), traffic wardens :rcard & parking meters :waterwork in & around the towns these days. The internet has been a God-send :) . I am pretty confident that my foot size is UK10/US11/Euro45 -- if I don't see all those numbers in range, I don't buy (some companies use nonsense conversions). However, it seems like there is strong advice here to try before buying, so I will try to visit a store when I visit the coast (I dislike shopping these days though).

[Any recommendations for Omer/Cressi/Picasso dealers in the south, west, SW, Wessex?]
 
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Huan said:
I use 4mm socks they are very comfortable.
Interesting, I currently go sockless. I haven't noticed my feet getting cold, but perhaps that is due to hyperthermia affecting the rest of my body :D! Does everybody wear neoprene socks(/boots/booties)? That must increase your foot size by at least half a UK size(?).

Spaniard said:
Remember that if your hands are busy with speargun, SMB line, dealing with speared fish, etc. etc. the long fins give you that extra 'push' you will sorely need....Try doing all of the aforementioned when there's a current ripping or in a long swim against the tide and believe me they are worth it.
Strangely, I had not thought of that. Very good point. I have already experienced some fairly strong currents & tidal flows; you are right, you want every practical advantage in those conditions.
 
I have always used Omer footpockets size 12/13 with 3mm socks so I guess I am lucky that as a mail order purchase they fit well and work just fine.

I tried a (objective as possible) comparison in the pool the other day and finned a couple of lengths with omer milleniums and a couple of lengths with my US Divers scuba fins. For a similar leg stoke, the milleniums were at least 25% faster.

I also suffer from leg cramps with the relatively flexible US Divers fins but the milleniums are just fine which I can use for hours without suffering cramp.
 
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The Gara series of fins have blades which are not replaceable.
that means if you split a blade the fin is either junk or has to be fixed with 3M 5200.
as a contrast the Picasso and Omer and most others have a replaceable footpocket/blade with 1 or 2 scres holding them together.
I am a size 43 and with the Omer F/pockets I am a 44-46 size.
with the Picasso in the same size 44-46 I need to use those Fixe-palmes triangular fin keepers.
With the neoprene socks I put a coating of shoe-goo on the sole before use, it makes them last a lot longer especially walking over barnacle covered rocks.
 
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I tried several types of pockets, sporasub, cressi, esclapez, omer: i would say the most comfortable were the sporasub H dessault, followed by esclapez then Omer then cressi.
Again you need to find what suits you best, also think about blade rigity depending on the type of diving you do (depth, surface swimming etc.) Suprizigly a relatively simple paid of fins like the sporasub H dessault are most effective for spearfishing, but then you have the Omer BAt which is a little more fancy and high tech. I'd stay away from carbons, i believe they are an overkill if you are hunting 10-15m deep. The Bat won't be that far behind in performance in my opinion
 
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Mr. X said:
Detachable presumably so they can be replaced if damaged.

Plastic (rather than...carbon?) presumably because it is tougher.

A soft blade though -- that one surprised me. I have very strong legs and thought I had read a US review on a forum site (pos. this one) that suggested stiffer blades. Is this better for surface/weed/long distance?

Re. Fit -- I too have the normal sturdy(stubby?!), wide British foot, so it sounds like Picasso will be a good fit ...or a really bad one :D[see comments above]. Omer sounds worth a look & Cressi too. :()]

a. Detachable for the reason you mentioned
b. Plastic for the reason you mentioned+you don't currently need carbon-fibre performance+they are REALLY expensive.
c. As for the blade rigidity:What a diver should aim for, during a dive is applying proper finning technique, trying to reach the desired spot on the bottom as relaxed as possible and spending as little energy as possible during this procedure. The same goes for ascending (reaching the surface).
If a blade is rigid, it ruins the proper finning technique, it makes you tense due to the greater amount of effort (compared to a softer one) needed to move it and for the same reason makes you consume more energy.
Diving isn't a matter of forceful fin strokes applied by strong legs to a rigid fin with great energy output, but a game of relaxation and energy conservation. These things can get you deeper or make have better bottom times.
As for long distance swimming, softer blades are the way to go for all the reasons mentioned above.

Hope I helped!
 
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Hey
I have size 10/10.5 UK feet and have used the following :

Sporasub Dessault plastic fins - I bought these after using some short scuba fins for the first seasona dn you should have seen my grin :)

Alot more fun and you feel like you are flying for the first couple of days when you make the transition.

However in the uk waters I think that the plastic in the Sporas goes a bit brittle in the cold - also I think that there is a design flaw so they snap across the tops of the blades where the little hole is for the rubber rail.

I look after gear and have had a fin snap. Postage on getting a new blade is alot...

A mate broke a fin too. He bought the Cressi 3000LD as replacements and loves them.

I bought a pair for a mate and he loves them too.

I notice that the foot pockets are a bit longer than the Sporas. They are super soft and I would def. buy them if you go barefoot but I dont recommend this in the UK ! Especially not for the winter season.

My mate wasn't sure if they would fit so ordered 3mm and 5mm socks from scubastore.

I went an alternative route and bought the Waterway Nemo fins for the same price as the cressi 3000LD (well a bit more but not much in it).

These are fibre blades so they flex a bit like carbon but dont snap like plastic... Best of both worlds when you fish over granite reefs here in Guernsey.

Anyway I would recommend the 3000 LD - I cant remember the sizes but if you look on scubastore I wrote a recommendation under the product listing for the 3000's with the correct sizes for me (UK10/10.5)

Hope that helps
Ed
 
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Huan said:
...fixed with 3M 5200.
....With the neoprene socks I put a coating of shoe-goo on the sole before use, it makes them last a lot longer especially walking over barnacle covered rocks.
A man after my own heart!:D Just looked up 3M 5200 -- looks like some useful stuff :). Interesting idea with the shoe-goo -- I have a tube, maybe I should try it on the scarily shiney plastic underfoot of Speedo fins.

By the way, has anybody got any tips for entering ... but more importantly, exiting, the sea from Chesil Beach (very steep pebble beach). Quite painful & awkward barefoot :waterwork :girlie . I guess shoe-goo'd neaprene socks would help a lot (not sure if they would last long though). Does anybody use dive boots or those stretchy beach shoes with fins (... or maybe wear them to the water & then attach to float)?
 
GALADION said:
...
b. Plastic for the reason you mentioned+you don't currently need carbon-fibre performance+they are REALLY expensive.
c. As for the blade rigidity:What a diver should aim for, during a dive is applying proper finning technique, trying to reach the desired spot on the bottom as relaxed as possible and spending as little energy as possible during this procedure. The same goes for ascending (reaching the surface).
If a blade is rigid, it ruins the proper finning technique, it makes you tense due to the greater amount of effort (compared to a softer one) needed to move it and for the same reason makes you consume more energy.
Diving isn't a matter of forceful fin strokes applied by strong legs to a rigid fin with great energy output, but a game of relaxation and energy conservation. These things can get you deeper or make have better bottom times.
As for long distance swimming, softer blades are the way to go for all the reasons mentioned above.

Hope I helped!
Great insight, thank you. Yes it helped.
 
Go barefoot at the start of the season - you save on socks ! All the chesil ones are round from my memory - we have jagged granit - you do get used to it and it feels nice with the warmth of the sun .... I have got used to it in a zen like way (I wear glasses / bad eyesight and still have yet to fall over badly...) - or there is the Tibetan prayer prone-crawl approach (lie down, stretch forward, stand up where your hands end and repeat....)

I use Marine Silicone sealant (black goo) for an extra sole - paint it on every month or so - works well and is prob. same as the other stuff.... comes in a standard tube that you use a metal pusher with like they have for sealing tiles / building site type... about a fiver for a large tube...
 
socks/booties

Anybody tried the new (in 2004) Cressi-sub smooth kevlar soled socks? Sounds like a good idea, they look good. The price is a bit high (especially when you add shipping!). They have no nylon covering, so although sleek -- they would be vulnerable to wear on sides & top:

http://www.scubastore.com/shop.asp?mode=1
http://www.subprof.com/tienda/product_info.php?products_id=1027&language=el


...Or how about the Mares Classic 3mm boot (quite sock-like).
http://www.scubastore.com/shop.asp?mode=1
 
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Bought the sporasub socks in 3mm for £8 or so - very nice but you might want to add a thin layer of neoprene goo for the soles unless you go barefoot over the rocks to the water... (from scubastore).
 
I recently bought some neoprene socks, they have a simple plastic non-slip pattern on the bottom it makes entering & exiting Chesil beach easy. I also opted to go back to my 30 year old fins (made in England!) with size 11 foot pockets -- as they fit well with the neoprene socks, while my newer fins were tight (as they fit well barefoot, size 45).

I was planning to get some long fins next year -- so will now have to decide whether to size them with socks or bare foot. (Probably socks!) Maybe a 46 would be a good size ... then they would likely fit me one way or the other! Actually, like the masks, I think I may have to try some on. I have read contradictory reports about sizes (e.g. most reckon Omer have nice wide pockets but one DeeperBlue review describes them as being like Italian shoes, aimed at a narrow foot :duh). I was also offer Escalpez fins at what seemed a reasonable price (actually it would have shocked me a year ago) -- although the aforementioned review marked them down on initial quality & non-replaceable fin blades. I like the look of the Gara 3000LD, although they are shorter than I expected -- not much longer than my 14 pound Speedo fins; they were 85 pounds in a store I visited recently -- which seems excessive. I would like to find out more about the Dessault's -- do other companies use their footpockets? I seem to recall seeing some after-market replacement blades for them...possibly on spearo.co.uk (can you mix & match foot pockets & blades?) The Picasso fins came tops in the DeeperBlue article.

I am not interested in carbon. I need something tough, long lasting and comfortable for hours at a time that performs well for spearing in the sea around the UK at modest depths, and that are affordable as they can be lost(I found 2 fins snorkelling last summer -- not a pair unfortunately!). I will fish mainly from the shore (although hoping to do some boat & kayak based dives next year).
 
Time to revive this sucker!

I finally bought some long fins recently (Beuchat Competition) -- hey, it's an investment. I had under estimated the size difference: my Speedo fins are about twice the size of my old English fins, and these are about twice the size of the speedos!:) They fit pretty nicely and will, I think, work barefoot & with sock (45-46).

As suggested, I tried them out in the local pool. I was expecting to be faster (as I had when moving up from my old fins to the speedos) however, I was forced to slow down the frequency of my kick significantly. My speed seemed about the same as normal but as the frequency was lower my breathing seemed slower -- either way, I was able to cover a length underwater quite effortlessly, which was a pleasant surprise.

I think these are a lower end big fin, although the foot pocket seems to suit me & the blades are replaceable (if you can find replacements!). I am thinking eventually I will probably try Cressi Gara3000 LD...or whatever they have at the time .. or Omer. However, I have a feeling that Omers will suit me better. There are so many different models now -- can anybody explain the Omer range of fins for spear fishing? Bat20, Bat30, Ice, Millenium, Rekord. (I am leaning towards the Ice, as Fondueset seems besotted with his, and clear is the ultimate camo).

BTW I still use my short 30 year old English-made fins -- they seem a better choice for difficult entries, rocks, reefs & gullies. I also have a buyer for my Speedos -- but I have been very please with them, so reluctant to part with them yet.

Foxfish, looks like you were using an open heel fin & booties today. Do you prefer them or is that a winter set-up?
 
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I use the Cressi 2000HF’s and I love the added stiffness compared to the 3000’s.
1. As for socks get a pair of neoprene booties with no sole that are too big.
2. Cut off the toe area and put them on prior to donning your fins.
3. Slide them up your ankle and out of the way.
4. Once your fins are on, slide the booties down and over the heel of your fins so they cover your foot as designed.
This will add protection from the cold and cut down on drag (I tuck the top of the bootie under my wetsuit).
 
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