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Newbie - Cressi Gara 2000LD

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.

DevonDiver

Well-Known Member
Oct 14, 2002
47
4
98
As a newbie, is it foolish of me to think about buying some cressi gara 2000 ld or even hf fins? Should i start on something easier?

Also, would the minima mask be a waste of time for a novice?

hope you can advise me
 
Hi,
I am also newbie in freediving and I have both Minima and Gara LD’s, so before some expert will answer your questions, here are my 2 cents:
With mask most important think is if it fits your face. If Minima fits you, I think it is really good mask, low volume mask means less air for equalizing and it is important for us with limited lung volume ;) . I had some scuba masks before and Minima is most comfortable mask I ever had. Cressi Gara LD fins are one of the softest longfins, so I think they are also good for newbie (surely for me). If you are fit enough, maybe HD’s will be better for you (but I heard that they are not much comfortable for surface swimming).
Petr
 
Cool, you have just confirmed what i thought and given me the confidence to go for it.
cheers
buddy
 
Gara 2000LD

Hi, I'm a newbie and I have those fins too and at this stage I wouldn't want anything stiffer. I have quite strong legs, but i still found they killed my ankles on long surface swims day after day, I probably wouldn't have survived if I'd had the HFs. For the first few days of a week-long holiday, i had to swap to scuba fins after a while because it was too tiring to surface-swim with the LDs. So unless you're doing enough finning to keep your legs trained, or you're not going to be moving about much on the surface, i wouldn't go for anything too stiff.

Cheers, Bryan
 
hey guys,

i've strapped on about a dozen different style fins(including carbon) and have gone back to the gara ld's. i spearfish down to 30m w/ them and have even had them down to 40m on recreational freediving. although i dolphin kick on the way to the surface, i still find that the fins require minimal energy to get you moving in all types of kicking.

just have to remember to keep your legs somewhat straight and get your hips into it. the less you focus on one muscle for kicking(quads) the more energy you'll conserve. :cool:

good luck and don't think the ld's are just for newbies. :D

anderson
 
Hey Anderson;

Do you have two pair of gara ld.One for wear with botties and another with out it.As i said mentioned before i have some size problem with it.
 
i use the omer milleniums for use w/ 5mm booties. the 3mm booties fit fine in the cressis. at least for me, they do. ;)
 
Try surface swimming on your back. I have Beuchats and they are horrible for surface swimming face down. Once I turn around and am able to keep the fins in the water, they are really fast.
 
Good idea!

I've found swimming on my back great for long distances where I'm not interested in what's under the surface, but since most of my time between dives is just snorkelling around looking for fish (tourist!!) it's not much use. You're right though, it really places a lot less strain on the calves and ankles.

Bryan
 
Hi guys.

I was all set-up and had made my mind up to buy some gara LD's but they have been discontinued this year!

I ordered some imersion green fins instead and when they arrived
they were warped so i sent them back, a manufacturing problem i believe, according to Cliffs article on "fin envy"

Can anyone reccomend a fairly supple freedive fin for a beginner (not tooo supple though as i am a fairly experienced scuba diver).

Cheers
 
Cressi has a new pair of free diving fins on the way for '03. I have the old garas from the days before the ld and hf models. They are quite stiff as well. If Cressi's are what you want either be patient, do a little more looking for the ones you want, or go with a different fin that is still out.

Hope this helps!

Cheers,

Michael
 
Thanks for the info guys.

I'll take a look at scubaland, thanks.

I mailed cressi last night and they replied thismorning. They said they are releasing the Gara 3000 very soon, although they never said what sort of fin it will be (obviously long blade) carbon or plastic etc. But cressi said that the gara 3000 is "an innovative, powerfull fin". Read into that what you will.

Many thanks
 
Hey great forum. I'm too a newbie and plan on doing some shallow water spearing. Leg strength is bad so I was looking for a softer fin. I'll probably go with the cressi soft wins

Thanks for the post!
 
I have also been looking for the Gara LD's but have had a difficult time finding them. All the shops around that I've been to only have the stiff black fins (if they have any freediving fins at all). I have tried several fins on but the Cressi's felt great. The Omer/Riffe Silent Hunters hurt but I heard a lot of good things about them. The shop owner kept advising me that the LD's are too soft and that "a young guy like you" should have no problem with the HD's. I'm not too sure about that. I tried scubaland.fr but I didn't find shipping options to U.S., only Europe. Can anyone offer help or another alternative.
 
Hey guys, click on "shop" at the top....it will take you to scubastore.com . They have Garas for around 60$ plus shipping. I have bought a fair few products from them, and they are an outstanding resource. Gear shows up within a few days and is returnable no problem.
The LD Gara's are great fins, despite what some might say. They were taking me to 30 metres easily when I started freediving (with a stupid 2 pc 7mm suit and 18lbs lead!). All freedive fins will feel stiff at first if you're a newbie, but you'll adapt.
Cheers,
Erik Y.
 
Looking for the LD's eh?

I got the HF's and from what I've been reading....I may have made the wrong decision. I can attest to the difficulty with the surface swimming (lying on my side works best for me, but then I don't get to do any lookin). Don't get me wrong, I'm not unhappy with the HF's (they can snap you to the surface in a jiffy); I just don't like thinkin there is something better that I may have missed :D .

Try these (prices aren't as competitive as DiveINN, but it doesn't seem that DiveINN carries this fin - What are you gonna do?):

http://www.hanapaahawaii.com/store/item_display_only.asp?id=77&oid=

http://www.bluewaterhunter.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/shop_fins.html

http://www.tgidiving.com/cgi-bin-tg...1298&shipping_country=&mtype=101&cty=c001&ID=

Finally, if you get realllllly desperate. go to http://www.freedive.com.au/fins.html and see if the boys down unda can help ya.
 
Last edited:
IF your in California and have a sports chalet near you check there. They still have them in stock where I'm at - 100.00
 
HF Modification

I've modified my HF's so that the down kick is not as strenuous on my shins/ankles, but the up kick is still pretty powerful. I've found that it's improved my dynamic lap time quite significantly.

When I get home this evening, I'll post some pictures of what I've done. It's quite simple.

Later,
Anderson
 
and this from a guy with lot's of time with strap ons... rofl

Seerriously, though those LD's are great starter fins and for use in the shallows where you need to turn quick. You might want to go with the OMER'sif they feel comfy- that way you can change out the blades as you and your legs see fit.


sven
 
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