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Freediving fins: Would this be a good start?

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 90 days.
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#21
I would say that if had to do this all over again I would go with softer fins rather then the ones I currently use.


All right! Roy and I actually agree on something- I knew there was common ground somewhere bud. :)


I started with stiff fins and have gone progressively softer as time goes on. If your just starting out, or plan to spend long days in the water I would go softer. I started with C4 40's then went to 30's followed by 80's and then 25's. If I would have started out with something softer to begin with I wouldn't have ended up with all of those extra fins in my quiver. :head

Jon
 
#22
I'm still a relative newcomer to serious freediving myself, and I wanted to purchase a GOOD pair of fins to start with. I chose Cressi-Sub Gara 3000 LDs, and I'm very happy with them. They're an easy fin to manuever (assuming you have half-way decent leg strength), they're easy to flutter kick AND dolphin kick in, and, at around $130, the price is right, too.

Todd
 
#23
Jon said:
I would say that if had to do this all over again I would go with softer fins rather then the ones I currently use.


All right! Roy and I actually agree on something- I knew there was common ground somewhere bud. :)


I started with stiff fins and have gone progressively softer as time goes on. If your just starting out, or plan to spend long days in the water I would go softer. I started with C4 40's then went to 30's followed by 80's and then 25's. If I would have started out with something softer to begin with I wouldn't have ended up with all of those extra fins in my quiver. :head

Jon
Click to expand...

Jon, I am sure we have more in common then just our preference for softer fins.

Peace. :)
 
#26
The JBL that I spoke of IS the speargun company. According to the LDS, JBL is basically just putting their name on someone else's fins, but I don't know who is making them for JBL. Their website hasn't been updated in forever, but the guy at the LDS said the fins are in their catalog. I just haven't gotten into the shop yet, since it's about 120 miles away...
I'm also beginning to wonder if freediving fins would really give me any advantage over my scuba fins anyway, since I'm only diving shallow. Probably gonna dive for awhile longer and see.
Ron.
 
#27
How shallow? Honestly, I prefer my freediving fins unless I need to get up and walk around a lot during the course of the dive. In that case, the water is usually 3 feet deep or less. They're so much more comfortable and effective than any scuba fin I've tried, it's undeniable. All in all, I'd say they're a far better deal unless you're going to be wreck diving.
Your call though :).
 
#28
Freediving fins rock! They are a full octave beyond scuba fins. I agree with the soft argument too - my ice fins are so much nicer to swim with that my sporas - and way better for any kind of maneuvering.


Roy does Taiji - so I know I've got something in common with him. My guess is he likes the Mifune/Kurasawa flicks too :)
 
#29
Well by shallow, I mean that I'm gonna use fins for abalone diving on the northern CA coast, and for spearfishing in pretty much the same waters. I don't see myself diving beyond 30' anytime soon, and realistically I'll probably be staying in the 10-20' range I'm divng now for quite awhile.
 
#30
If I was diving those depths, (I almost always dive those depths) I'd still prefer my freediving fins. They're just much easier for your purposes, kind of like an overdrive gear versus a towing gear. If you're not on scuba, and often if you are, the freediving fins are just better.
Wish I'd known that before I spent $$$$$$ on scuba fins :(. Could've gotten a good pair of Cressis instead.
 
#32
I ended up purchasing a pair of Picasso fins, if they end up being too stiff I can always switch out the blades, but I think they will work fine. I also ordered Picasso 5mm socks, and today I purchased a 7mm picasso wetsuit. If the suit doesn't fit well, I may consider a custom Elios, although I have no idea how I would go about getting sized to order one. Is there an Elios dealer in the United States?

I ordered an Omer Alien and a Cressi Matrix, I'll try them out and see which one fits well..

Looking forward to getting in the water.
 
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#33
Sounds good. The Alien mask has a great reputation. I have one, and it's been great. Sizing for Elios is basically measurements. Check out their website, and it should have all the info you need. I think they are exclusively European, but don't quote me.

*Beware* Elios can be confusing! Heiwa v. Yamamoto, smoothskin v. fabric v. fabric outside & smoothskin inside - it's enough to drive someone crazy. Thread after thread deals with the suits and what works best in which situations.

Bottom line - I hope the Picasso works, for simplicity's sake :D. Congrats on your new purchases, and enjoy!
 
#34
I went down to Lover's Point today in Monterey to test out my gear... The 7mm Picasso wetsuit appears to be a great fit, I kept warm, good seal. The Omer Alien mask will be my primary, it fits my face much better compared to the Cressi.

The Picasso team fins are very stiff. I was pretty much surface swimming, and by the end of the 45min swim my legs were very very tired. Would it be a good idea to temporarily buy softer blades? Or should I continue swimming with these fins to build up my legs? Is that the problem? The foot pockets are extremely comfortable and my feet didn't cramp, so I would be hesitant to spend a ton of money on a new, temporary set.

If I were to look for fins with soft blades, would the Cressi 3000 LD fins be a good choice? I think I would otherwise consider waterway blades.
 
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#35
Great! I'm glad the wetsut worked. The LD's have a great reputation for providing good propulsion, comfortably. 'LD' stands for 'long distance', so they're meant to be comfortable for long dives. Stiffer fins are generally intended for short bursts of speed, then gliding, as would be the case during descent for a freedive.

*Disclaimer* I have not tried the Cressi LDs. However, because of what I've heard, they're among my top 3 choices for my next set of fins. Another possibility, as you've said, is to get softer blades for your footpockets. That would probably be much less expensive. Plus, you won't have to worry about the footpocket fitting you properly.

Glad to hear things went well :)
 
#36
Rmichaelson
I have Picasso footpockets and really like them. They are stiffer under the heel than any other pocket I've tried. The blades, however are way too stiff for surface swimming (unless you are big and in really good shape). I went with medium stiffness SpecialFins Bluewater blades. They are really awesome for surface swimming, as well as doing fine to 39 M. The only problem is I have to use glue (3M 5200) to keep them in the footpockets. Picasso uses different dimensions than anyone else)
If you stay with the Black Teams, shorten them until they are comfortable. I went so far as to remove (with a wood file) some of the stiffeners on the bottom of the blades. It made them much more usable, but still not as good as glass b lades.
Howard
 
#37
hteas said:
Rmichaelson
I have Picasso footpockets and really like them. They are stiffer under the heel than any other pocket I've tried. The blades, however are way too stiff for surface swimming (unless you are big and in really good shape). I went with medium stiffness SpecialFins Bluewater blades. They are really awesome for surface swimming, as well as doing fine to 39 M. The only problem is I have to use glue (3M 5200) to keep them in the footpockets. Picasso uses different dimensions than anyone else)
If you stay with the Black Teams, shorten them until they are comfortable. I went so far as to remove (with a wood file) some of the stiffeners on the bottom of the blades. It made them much more usable, but still not as good as glass b lades.
Howard
Click to expand...

I agree.. The footpockets are great, but the blades are extremely stiff. I am not a really big guy, and clearly not in good enough shape to use them for long durations of surface swimming. Many people have recommended I build up to them, always an option.

I will look at the Specialfins blades also.. how do they compare to the waterways?

Also, I thought picasso footpockets were fully compatible with most other blades?
 
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