Hi everyone. Looking for recommendations or advice after buying a pair of Omer Stingray fins (size 41/42) for my 12 year old girls birthday that don't fit. She is a beginner with a UK size 7 foot. The Omer Stingray fins are slightly big (wide rather than length) with a 3mm bootie. They will definitely come off in the water. Also a 'helpful' friend at her party indicated that these fins (dimensions 94 x 10.2 x 20.3 cm ; 2.36 Kg) are probably too big for her. She is super tall for her age 5ft 8 and is an excellent, strong swimmer. These fins seem to be light at 2.36kg. Could anyone give advice as to whether we should just move down a size in the Omer Stingrays (or will they be just as wide) or whether a different brand fits differently. Or whether we should get thicker booties (or two pairs). And are these fins WAY too long for a 12 year old girl (even if she is tall and strong!). There is also the issue of her growing so fast that bigger and being able to wear without booties ie next year would be a consideration (although I'm not sure if whether wearing them without booties is advised due to chaffing?). We also bought her a Mares Viper mask which seems brilliant. She still requires a weight belt and snorkel so if you of you could recommend. We are sailing for 10 days in around 2 weeks so need to sort quickly. Thank you so much for any advice you could give. Cheers. Mags
-
Welcome to the DeeperBlue.com Forums, the largest online community dedicated to Freediving, Scuba Diving and Spearfishing. To gain full access to the DeeperBlue.com Forums you must register for a free account. As a registered member you will be able to:
- Join over 44,280+ fellow diving enthusiasts from around the world on this forum
- Participate in and browse from over 516,210+ posts.
- Communicate privately with other divers from around the world.
- Post your own photos or view from 7,441+ user submitted images.
- All this and much more...
You can gain access to all this absolutely free when you register for an account, so sign up today!
Recommended fins for newbie 12 yr old girl
- Thread starterMags Nixon
- Start date
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.
It can take a long time to get an up-to-date response or contact with relevant users.
Physical size and general strength are more important factors than "age". I don't see why age matters if she is tall and strong. Get what fits properly and comfortably. If you are going to worry about what is and what isn't going to fit in a year, you are never going to buy anything and you will do nothing and wait for the next several years until she stops growing but I don't think that this is what you want to do.
As you say, they grow quickly at that age. My niece is 5' 10" and still growing.
When my son was young I bought him inexpensive secondhand fins from ebay. I usually needed to buy a pair every year or two. It didn't seem worth spending a lot of money for what might only be a few hours worth of use. Also, my son was not that big and I think long, wide blades like my own would have been way too much for him. I sold the old ones cheaply on eBay, so they could be used again. Although looking in my garage recently, I think I have an extra pair or two which need to be sold on - need to declutter. eBay, carboot sale or charity shop. Re-use is better than recycle or waste.
One of our local charity stores often has dive gear. Usually little used holiday snorkelling gear. The fins seem to be getting better, they've had some quite nice ones recently, now that I have no need for them. They once had a little-used, high quality, 5mm lined SCUBA wetsuit for £5!
A bit big is generally better than a bit small. 3mm or 4mm socks are pretty normal but you could try 5mm or 6mm - some people feel the cold - or even an insole, if you think she will grow into them soon. Or you could just get a smaller size. If you stick with the same model, you will have more confidence that the fit will be better. I think Omer fins are as good as any and better than most.
When my son was young I bought him inexpensive secondhand fins from ebay. I usually needed to buy a pair every year or two. It didn't seem worth spending a lot of money for what might only be a few hours worth of use. Also, my son was not that big and I think long, wide blades like my own would have been way too much for him. I sold the old ones cheaply on eBay, so they could be used again. Although looking in my garage recently, I think I have an extra pair or two which need to be sold on - need to declutter. eBay, carboot sale or charity shop. Re-use is better than recycle or waste.
One of our local charity stores often has dive gear. Usually little used holiday snorkelling gear. The fins seem to be getting better, they've had some quite nice ones recently, now that I have no need for them. They once had a little-used, high quality, 5mm lined SCUBA wetsuit for £5!
A bit big is generally better than a bit small. 3mm or 4mm socks are pretty normal but you could try 5mm or 6mm - some people feel the cold - or even an insole, if you think she will grow into them soon. Or you could just get a smaller size. If you stick with the same model, you will have more confidence that the fit will be better. I think Omer fins are as good as any and better than most.
Los Ninos Freedive Fins for Kids and Small Women
These MAKO Spearguns fins have fixed blades and are very good quality freedive fins in youth sizes.
www.makospearguns.com