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Is longer always better and faster?

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.

hudasmt

1 shot 1 kill
Jul 8, 2008
402
70
68
Hi everybody!!!

I already checked the search functions and still havent found a conclusive answer to my question,i hope somebody with experience can help. I am using a Beuchat Carbon fin as of the moment. i am getting the impression of longer is always better and faster. I am using it for recreational freediving,strolling and stalking fish for photographs. i am 5'6" @ 88 kgs using a 3.5mm camo wetsuit with 16 lbs of lead with depth up to 8 meters for now since i dont have a dive buddy. I'm planning to get a C4 Falcon 80 or anything that you might suggest that is longer than standard lenght of freediving fins. I need a little bit more speed and distance with minimum O2 consumption with the same effort i am exerting now. Any suggestion or tips for improvements?

Thanks a lot in advance!!!:friday
 
thats a terrible question to answer. Short fins are great for changing direction and acceleration (UW Hockey, taking pictures of fish, shallow spearing or rocky areas) long are better for clear areas, longer slower dives. But they are clumsy. To be serious you probably need 3 pairs of fins in the garage to cover all bases. Tell the partner/wife/GF that I said that and she'll let you buy more I'm sure...
 
Thanx Azapa for the quick reply!!! So what you are saying,since i already have a standard lenght carbon freediving fin which i can use for strolling, i should get a C4 Falcon 80 for longer distants and a cressi 3000 LD for changing direction and accelaration and have them ready on my float ...hehehe...kidding aside...does material of the fins matter in this case?
 
try the C4's first if you can, the Beuchat carbons are probably similar. Look for a perfect fit in the footpocket and a softer rather than harder fin that works along it's entire length. Maybe a 25 or 30 for your size/weight. I don't know that much BTW but it's better than nothing

the 3000LDs are a great all round fin, but a bit long maybe for taking pictures at 8M? How about some of those Cressi UW hockey full pocket fins like the "rodines" (spelt wrong)??
 
hudasmt

I personally don't like extra long fins for spear fishing, the super long fins normally hit rocks and spook the fish, they also bad in tight places. Also don't forget the shadow effect. For shallow dives I normally like to use shorter fins.
 
Thats 2 points for short fins in shallow dive!!! Thanx a lot guys!!! Now the question is having some conclusive answers. maybe i just have to keep my scuba jet fins for this kinda jobs...and have the long fins for strolling hehehehe....
 
Hudasmt
I think you are asking the wrong question. You really need to look at length, stiffness and the footpocket. All have an effect on performance. A long soft fin will work well for some, and a stiff blade will work better for others. A stiff blade on a soft footpocket, like the Imersion blacks, feel to me like wood planks attached to your foot with very soft bungies. The same footpockets with the softer green blades feel much better and are a much better all around fin. Medium soft fiberglass blades with very stiff footpockets work very well for me. Imersion footpockets are very soft, as are Cressi and Beauchat. Dessault footpockets are in the middle, and Omer, Picasso and Spetton all make stiff footpockets. There is a comparable range in blades. Omer winters are very soft, while Picasso and Omer black blades, as well as many of the carbon blades are very stiff.
On top of that you have to decide the use you have in mind, as Strangelove mentioned.
Strangelove and I both prefer stiff footpockets and normal length medium blades for most diving, but others prefer every conceivable combination. That's why there are so many possibilities out there.
So, despite what Azapa suggests, what you really need is at least 6 pairs of fins to cover all situations. After that you'll discover that none of them is really quite perfect, so then you'll need a few more. ; )
Howard
 
Thanx Howard!!! I guess i really have to put in additional fins in my gears and experiment some more and see what really suits me for different situation i am in like the other comrads have said.

Thanx a lot again guys for your help.
 
the longer the blades are, they will carry u with little o2 consumption...
if i want to spear mullet i will choose shorter fins
if i want to spear turbot i will choose longer fins
if i want to break my PB in freediving i will choose again my GENESSIS long and stiff blades
 
Last edited:
Reactions: strangelove
so the answer to your question will be[i guess]:

Is longer always better and faster?
Not allways better, but allways faster!
 
vali said:
so the answer to your question will be[i guess]:

Is longer always better and faster?
Not allways better, but allways faster!
Click to expand...



Yep i guess this will be the conclusion to the thread, coz i also notice when im surface swimming with scuba fins, its taking like ages for me to reach my dive spot and with the long fins,im getting there much faster than i can realize that i already pass the dive spot...hehehe I guess the better part will have no conclusion but to have different kind of fins for every situations. Longer is faster and not always better.


Thank you all for your inputs. Time for me to save for additional fins:head
 
As I have posted in the past, I dive/spearfish with 2 types of fins and dive ALOT.
  • I use Picasso Black Team for any diving over 30' deep, and always on sandy bottoms... outstanding power up and down, only $180 for pockets & blades, extremely durable even for pushing off the bottom. If I ever spring for a big upgrade, it will be angled fiberglass blades in my Picasso pockets (great for wide, thich feet with, high arches).
  • For shallower diving <30' and especially in the reefs or big rocks, I use Churchill fins... fantastic maneuverabiltiy, easy on & off, 80% of the power of my Black Teams, and only $40.
  • Get yourself 2 pairs of each for the same price as a single pair of C4's, and the carbon blades will not last as long as either BlackTeam or Churchies. IMHO the expense of carbon is worth it only for deep freediving 30m plus, nothing else.
 
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