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Gara 3000 vs 3000LD

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
It can take a long time to get an up-to-date response or contact with relevant users.

naiad

Apnea Carp
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Oct 11, 2003
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I am going to get my first fins soon (after two years!) and have decided on the Gara 3000 or 3000LD because I have heard good things about them, and they fit me well. I have tried the Gara 3000 in the pool and they are very good. Only one thing remains - the 3000 or 3000LD?

I am mainly going to use them for pool training, but also hopefully for some outdoor diving. The long fins are tiring for me, so would the softer LD be better? Is there a big difference in performance?

What are the main differences? Any advice would be helpful.

Lucia
 
i only know aboiut gara 3000 and gara 2000 ld (the grey soft ones) or 2000 hf (the black stiff ones). if you likes the 3000 i'd go for them, otherwise i'd recommend the 2000 ld.

so you have been diving without fins the whole time? good going :)

roland
 
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Lucia,
The 3000 LD are softer, so better for surface swimming. I used the 3000 regulars for a long time and they are a little hard for surface swimming but very good for deeper diving. So it depends on what sort of diving you'll do. For long distances, whether in the pool or sea probably the LD's are better.

Adrian
 
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I would definatly advice to get the new 3000LD fins! They are so much better then the normal 3000HF. At first I was very happy with my HF fins but after trying the LD's I have given my HF's away and bought the new ones.

In my opinion the 3000HF are just too stiff...
 
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I'll go for the LD's.

Thanks for helping me to choose. :)

Lucia
 
Ok, now there's one thing I don't quite understand:

Everybody is always talking about stiffer fins ( e.g. carbon) being better than soft fins (e.g. plastic).
So when the plastic fins are softer than carbon (or glassfiber), how come that some people prefer an even softer plastic fin?

I understand that stiffer fins give you more speed, and softer fins give less fatigue. Is this the reason for choosing, or has it got to do more with personal physique (I am tall and have strong leg muscles)?

I am deciding on fins to buy, and was considering the 3000HF, mainly because of footpocket fit. But maybe the 3000LD will be better?

Groet,

Job
 
Carbon/Fiber glass being better than plastic is a matter of material properties.
If you bend a plastic fin and release, it takes a certain amount of time and exerts against it's surroudning (water) a certain amount of force inorder to get back to it's original form (which creates propulsion). Fiber materials give better values than plastic compared the force it took to bend them. In simple words: they have a better snap. The bending itself is also different but I'm not sure how to explain that.

Regarding hard/soft fins, I don't think there's a consensus on stiffer fins. I'm not the only person who prefer softer ones. I think they help to build a better technique and with a good technique I think it's easier to dive too fast (=inefficient) with both fins unless you're a big guy and you have plastic noodles on your legs.

I got Omer millenium green - medium stiffness (though I think they are kinda hard compared to other brands). I happened to dive on a line to the 30m area without trying to sprint with speeds of 1.36m/s, which is faster than I would've aimed and also faster than most deep(er) divers I know. Also managed to get to around (and over) 2m/s with them (measured by time to get to a known depth bototm and back, no computer then). They are not the stiffest Omer has and I still prefer softer.

Anyway, I think there's no way to tell for sure what will be best for each person, just giving you another prespective. Also If you're going to do a lot of surface swimming softer has an advantage.
 
for diving LDs are to soft for me
My Garas3000 ("HF") works fine for me, 5 hours surface swimming + fun diving and snorkiling, with no fatigue. perfect snorkel fins :D
there is one problem the efecience on the surface ... very poor. maybe at this point LDs are better.
 
naiad said:
I am going to get my first fins soon (after two years!) and have decided on the Gara 3000 or 3000LD because I have heard good things about them, and they fit me well. I have tried the Gara 3000 in the pool and they are very good. Only one thing remains - the 3000 or 3000LD?
Lucia

Hi all from the Canadian Sub-Arctic. The lakes are clear and numerous, but cooold!

I'm in the same boat as you seem to be and have a few questions if you don't mind helping out a fellow. :) I'm thinking about the 3000LD for the same reasons: pool time, surface swimming, shallow freedives, etc. You mentioned that they fit you well. Do you have narrow feet? I wear a narrow 45 shoe and was thinking about 44/45 gara's. Thoughts on that size/width combo? Do you wear them barefoot in the pool, and/or do you think they would work BF? I understand they have a soft pocket, and is the main reason I intend to purchase Cressi's. My next vacation takes me to Hawaii in January, so I fully intend to go barefoot, oh yea.

Thanks for any reply. Good luck with whatever fins you go with, and please keep us updated as to how they work out in the end. Buying online sucks, but I and many others are forced into it. Cheers :wave

Clarke
 
Hi Clarke,

Sorry I didn't notice your post until now! :duh

I don't have narrow feet. The Cressi foot pockets are just right for me. I don't know how they would be for narrow feet. I will wear them barefoot in the pool. Still haven't got them yet!

They do have a soft pocket.

I'll post an update when I get them.

Lucia
 
Hi Artic,

The cressi pocket seems to be narrower than omer or sporas. It works well barefoot for many people, me included, but not everybody. I have a medium width foot. If you have wide feet ( or wear a thick sock, making your foot relatively wider), they work less well. I've heard from numerous divers that they don't fit well with thick socks. Omers and, to a lessor degree sporas, are pretty hard on bare feet. I have a pair of 44-45 cressi 2000hfs that fit a little loose (but comfy) and a pair of spora 42-44 that are a little bit snug. I wear both barefoot, but need a nylon sock with the sporas if diving more than one day. My shoe size is european 44 or 45.

Good luck with your search and enjoy Hawaii.

Connor
 
I am also facing a dilema. I plan on purchasing the 3000 LD over the 3000 because I've read that they're better for colder water diving seems how the temp makes fins stiffen. However none of the LDS's carry cressis so I have to order them without trying sizing or anything. Any advice?
 
Order them a size larger so you can use them with 3mm neoprene socks.

Adrian
 
What can you people tell me about the Cressi gara 2000HF[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]? Are they any good (soft/hard)? I'm a beginner.
If these aren't good for me, can you think of any other fins to recommend?
[/FONT]
 
Hi Mr Miyagi,

Welcome to DB. There is a ton of info on those fins in various threads. Try using the search function for "2000hf" or "Cressi 2000hf".

I used those for years and like'em. In general, any fin can be good or bad, depending on your foot, leg strength, and the use you want from them. The 2000hfs are a relatively stiff and extremely durable fin, not the best on the surface, better underneath. The foot pocket is very comfortable for some but not everybody; they favor narrow feet and going barefoot. Not being able to switch blades is a bad shortcoming, but the price is very good.

Have fun searching.

Connor
 
How do you tell the difference between the Gara 3000HF and 3000LD? I purchased my first freediving fins today among other things. Since I plan to go up and down more than surface swimming I was specific about not wanting the LD fins. I thought the difference was that HF is black and the LD is gray. I told them what I wanted and they gave me a gray pair so assume I was wrong. I don't see any markings that say one way or the other. :confused:

Also, on the Cressi site they only show the 2000HF and 3000LD with no mention of other options. :confused:
 
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