• 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!

Sebak monofins

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.

anomymous3

New Member
Apr 19, 2005
27
1
0
33
First, as you might have suspected, I new to this site and recently joined( 19 minutes ago). I am a scubadiver and have been unoffcially (not professionally trained) freediving as long as I have been able to swim( 14 years of age; learned to swim at 5). My longest dry static time is 4 min. I still need help training {post on this later} but right now I need to talk equipment. I have read all the forums and have learned much. These are the things i have now that are relevent:

Henderson Titanium hyperstretch 3 mm
Henderson Hooded vest hyperstretch 5/3mm
Atomic Aquatic splitfins( for scuba)
Low volume mask from Aqualung
3mm booities from Henderson
Simi-dry snorkle from Aqualung

As you can already tell, I am still missing a few things. These are the things I am looking at right now( please make suggestions on each thing and if your suggestion is not here please add it and consider my low income[ currentally have $150 saved, but growing rapidally for I work directally after school around the house]):

For fins- START fins from Picasso/ Sporasub H Desult
For monofins- An extreem debate with myself between the new dolphin carbon, monofin coloured, and the dolphin {does not look as good to me} all from the specialfins.com.
Weight belt- Not a Clue!!!

Please give opinions and suggestions < AND WHAT IS THE MATHMATICAL TRANSFER BETWEEN THE US DOLLAR AND THE ENGLISH POUND!!!!!!!!!>

Thanks for the help (Oh and sorry about the posting in monofin section{ the monofins have been a long debat, so I figured I neeed to put it here!!})
Also please help with all your abbreviations- killing myself trying to understand. I know it is alot, but please answer my stupid questions.
 
Last edited:
Hey, and welcome to DB!

I'm more or less a newbie myself, but as for starter fins, you can't go too wrong with the H. Dessaults (I got a pair this winter). I can't comment on monofins, as I haven't tried them, but a lot of divers swear by them, so....

A lot of it has to do with two main aspects:

-footpocket fit (don't get open heeled fins, you lose too much finning efficiency and power)
-blade stiffness

I recently tried a friend's C4 carbon fins and let me tell you....you don't want to get a fin that is too stiff! From the sounds of it, you probably can get around in water pretty well, so maybe the H Dessault's are suitable for you. Your best bet is trying before you buy, but unforutnately that's not always possible.

This thread may help out, a lot of people posted info about various fins.
[ame="http://forums.deeperblue.net/showthread.php?t=38963"]Fin Lineup - Any Questions?[/ame]

Oh, and to convert currency:
http://www.xe.com/
 
You are correct. I have no way of trying any freediving fins. My shoe size is 8.5. Once I read the thread you suggested, I saw that the plastics are not as efficient as the others, and [if I am not mistaken] the H. Dessults are plastic. Will this affect me to any large degree? I have also read that the Black Team fins are nearly indistructable, for that reason I looked at the START fins because many stores have said that they are identical. [please verify}{I need to get this right the first time and without having to replace the fins often}] You also said that stifness is an important factor. Which of any fins would be a good stifness for me? Also, my savings just broke $200. And, if anybody has time, please look at my questions in the Training and Tequniques called "What to do."

Thanks,
Christopher Mills
 
Hmmm.... You are correct, the Dessaults are plastic. Since you're a scuba diver you're probably used to finning, but I know when I tried my friend's C4s....well, it was like strapping on a pair of boards to my feet! Way too stiff for me. There are two schools of thought on blade stiffness, one is get a stiff pair and grow into them, the other is get a less stiff pair, learn to fin efficiently with them, and move up to a stiffer pair when you are ready. Myself, I'm with the latter school, and I'm learning with my Dessaults.

Another of the reasons I chose the Dessaults was because I have a wide size 12 foot, and I've read (somewhere on here) that the Dessault footpockets are suited for a wider foot.

That said, I think for the price, you can't go too wrong with the Dessaults for a few reasons:

-the blades may be plastic, but they are interchangeable if one breaks, and relatively cheap.
-from what I've read on here, they're less stiff than others, such as fins by Cressi (Gara 2000, I think?)

Gee, you'd think I'm working for the people that make the Dessaults or something.... :hmm :D

I'm not familiar with the Black Team fins....d'oh! :duh But if their blades are interchangable, that's a plus.

Anyways, take my advice with a grain of salt! :hmm I'm pretty much a newbie myself, and can only give decent advice based on what I've experienced. Hope I helped a little! :duh

EDIT: Oh yeah, and check this out, if you haven't already:
[ame="http://forums.deeperblue.net/showthread.php?t=58014"]Fins for beiginner[/ame]
 
Last edited:
With that advice, I will probleby go with the Dessult. HOWEVER, I need to know if they will still fit if I do not have a wide foot. And I may be used to kicking, but I am no competitor so soft is probleby my choice. I still need any suggestions on monofins and weight belts. If anybody has suggestions on the top thread list please give it. [Bolts, your advice is worth a good amount because you have at least some experience!]
 
OH yeah, weight belts. Two things to look for:

-rubber belt so you can get it real tight because if you wear it over a wetsuit, you don't want it getting loose and sliding around as the neoprene crushes at depth

-and most important, a quick release so you can ditch the belt if need be in an emergency.

Other than that, just about anything will do....
 
Don't all of the new weight belts now have a quick release? Also, I wear ten pounds for scuba diving in mesh weights inside a ingreded BC system. Is it possible to find a freediving elastic weightbelt that will fit mesh bags?
 
I've been reading alot, but I still can't figure out what I need. Almost evey forum said to "try before you buy" but as you know, I have no way of doing this. I can't emphasize enough that this needs to be right the first time. HELP!!!
 
Don't get too hung up on equipment; it is far less important than learning how to relax, equalize, move in the water and developing some gas tolerance. In years past, divers were doing incredible things with the worst sort of ridiculously primative equipment. What you have now will do fine for beginner free diving, but longfins would be a definate plus. When its time to upgrade, fins should be first, sporas are a good way to go for all the reasons Bolts gave, I would not worry about a rubber belt for a while, unless cash is plentiful. They are Very Nice (I love mine) but not at all critical. Your mask works great to 20 meters, maybe deeper. Snorkels are personal preference. I prefer a big barrel, no valve, but that is just me. Everything else looks fine.

On the " try before you buy," there is no getting around it. Try a library (yellow pages) search for all the dive shops in 100 miles or so. Find out if any handle the fin you are interested in. Finagle a ride to go try'em. Also post in the buddy section. There are some DBers no too far away from your area.

Go Have fun.

Connor
 
Last edited:
Through the store on this site, every thing is cheap so money is not an issue at the moment. I currentally have $250 saved up. The Dessults are $80 some, and the belts are like twenty. No idea about shipping, so I reserved $25. If you do the math (please do not) you will see that I have some money left. After I get the Dessults and belt, I plan to buy a monofin. I am working any time I have off, so the money should rebound. You see, I forgot to tell you that I am going to a camp called "Seacamp", and they will be doing alot of diving/snorkling. This camp is supposed to look really nice on a collage resume ,moreso for a future marine biologist :). I need to have all this done before I leave. [Camp starts in late June.] I've got lots of work ahead of me, but I feel that this is well worth it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JMD
The DB store is in Europe. Shipping is very fast, very reliable and very expensive. Make sure you are clear on shipping before ordering.


Connor
 
If your looking to see what the exchange rate is check here: http://www.xe.com/ucc/

Picasso Black teams are VERY stiff, I have a pair, and would not recommend them for someone just starting out. The store on the DB site is great, I've bought a LOT of stuff through them, but the shipping is very high, so try and put as many things together at once as you can. Their prices aren't always as cheap as some US sites once you add in the shipping. You can also check with Pirate scuba, Bluewater Hunter, Leisure Pro, Florida Freedivers, as well as some other on-line shops to look for fins.

IF you havea $200 budget you might want to check out the fiber bi-fins from Waterway. I would suggest getting yourself squared away with the bifins before jumping to a monofin. I am sure other would disagree, but you'll always want to have a good pair of bi-fins around, for spearfishing and scuba diving, even if you do jump into a monofin one day. :cool:

Rubber belts are great and you can check the on-line stores for one. I like the marsilles (sp?) type best, but anyone is better than a web belt- although a web belt will work to start with. I see that you have wetsuit booties, but you will need to switch over to a wetsuit sock to use with you fins. These can be purchased from eith a dive shop or a kayak shop- which is where I have gotten a few pairs from in the past.

Any way you look at it, it's still a lot cheper to get set-up in freedivng than for scuba- which is what I ad to suffer through when I was your age since I didn't know how great freediving was back then. :duh

Jon

BTW: Pirate scuba has a $199 start package going right now which includes fins, mask, snorkel and wetsuit socks.
 
I aggree on the idea of getting the bi-fins first. Since you have used this site and seem to have an in depth knowledge, I give you a flurry of simple questions. How much shipping are we talking about? Do you aggree with bolts about the Dessults? What do you think about the contents of the package you pointed out. Don't the Waterway fins have painful footpockets? Lastly, If I get a sock, should I increse the pocket size and if so what should I get size wise? (I have a 8.5 foot.) I am working on having a $600 budget to work with. :) Most of that will be used for a monofin from Sebak IF time and work permits. Speaking of time, I was wrong about when I leave. I leave July 14.
 
OK Christopher, lots of questions so we'll see how many I get, and how many someone else can catch. ;)

First off, the Sporasub fins are a great pair of fins. The are some of the nicest plastic fins around- much nicer than my Picasso Black Teams, plus you can change out the blades on them if you ever want to upgrade. Sporasub pockets are great for many divers, but not all. I have a few pairs of Sporasub pockets and a few pair of OMER pockets. Since I have a narrow foot I like the Sporasub pocket a little bit better, but some good friends of mine have wide feet and swear by the OMER's. Eitherway the $80 price at scuba store sounds good, until you tack on the shipping cost $58.88! That brings the total fin price up to around $140 which is only $10 less than a pair of fiber fins from waterway- which just happen to hve some pretty nice footpockets on them that you can switch out if you ever would want to.

The Waterway Bi-fins have normal footpockets on them and are very comfortable, it's their monofins that hurt my feet, but I still use mine from time to time. I wouldn't worry a bit about getting a pair of their freediving fins. I would make sure to get a SOFT pair, like a #1 or a #2 at most. IF your built anything like I was at 14 you don't want too stiff of a fin or you'll just cramp up and not have much fun.

If you have $600 saved up already you can get everything you need to freedive. Check out Pirate scuba, Hawaiian spearfishing, bluewater hunter and some other sites to see if you can find a rubber belt. You could even go right into a pair of C4's right now if you wanted- I would suggest a pair of 25's or 30's and NOT the 40's.

Your suit will work fine for now since you live in a warm climate. In the future you may want to look into a good freediving wetsuit- check out Elios for starters. That's about it. Once you have fins and a suit your set to go.

I might suggest selling off those spilt fins of yours on Ebay if you need extra cash. Those things are pretty much a gimmick, but people are willing to spend a lot of money on them so you might as well get some of it back. Once you try on a pair of freediving fins you'll never use them again anyway.

As far as footpocket sizing I would suggest going to a shoe store and see what size Birkenstock you wear- they come in European sizes. I have a 9 1/2 foot and wear a size 43 shoe. That means my fin pockets are all 42-44's. I can get anywhere between a 3mm and a 5 mm sock in with them.

Hope that helps some,

Jon

BTW: Make sure you have someone to train, and dive, with at all times. The gear is the cheap part, having a qualified buddy, who will dive with you all the time, is priceless.
 
For comparision purposes, I wear both gara2000s and sporas. Remember, this is my feet(size 10 1/2, medium width) not yours. The garas are much softer and more comfy, the sporas are much stiffer, better power transfer, and fit under the ankle bone about 1/3 inch higher. While both fit me ok, the sporas are less comfortable. I wear them barefoot for a day or two of hard diving, then start using a nylon sock. The sock comes out for the garas about day 4.

If you are looking at waterways, it is easy to buy the blades separately and fit them to the foot pockets of your choice. Ditto with Jon, go soft, very soft. One thing about longfins, at first it can seem like the tail is wagging the dog. Stiffer is even more so. It takes a little getting used to, especially at your size.

Cost of shipping should come up on any internet sales site before you commit to a purchase. Just follow instructions and find out exactly.

You will have a blast at Sea Camp; that should be pre-hurricanes, a great time. One thing though; you will be mostly be diving in very shallow water with a lot of other, not very experianced people. That is not a situation where longfins shine. Consider taking an additional, shorter pair. They might come in handy.

Connor
 
Thanks for the help. Do you know any waterway site I can order from? Like I said, I'm working in the $600 budget. I currentally have $350.
 
Do you have any personal experience with the Captain Nemo fins? Also, when looking a Lesiure Pro, I saw some cheap Cressi Sub Garas 2000. Any advice on that? I know that this was a long thread, but bear with me and I'll disappear.
 
Don't know the nemos. If Bogdan doesn't work, look in the fin lineup thread that bolts referenced for a source of waterways or do a search for waterways. Don't buy the garas, good fins but too stiff for you. Please don't just disappear any time soon, but if you know the trick of doing that, teach me. It would be very useful for all kinds of situations.

Connor
 
Apparentally, I only saw the Nemo fins on the site listed above that look anything like bi-fins!? Are these the only freediving fins that they make? When I said "dissappear" I meant leave you alone. If you want people to ignore or fail to find you to annoingly talk to you, all you need to do is change your email address slightly. {Like Trueheart to Trueheart1 or omit a letter like Truheart. Note, this is not entirely effective, but it is possible to keep some people off your back.} Also, you can lose the hardrive and put a new one in and rebute the comp. by first transferring everything to the new hardrive except the AOL or other and then redoing the entire process of installing the new system of the internet and changing your settings and your email address. If entirely insane and very mad, put a bullet through the CPU. :vangry Note: don't try to attempt that. It can be hazardous to your account. ;)
 
DeeperBlue.com - The Worlds Largest Community Dedicated To Freediving, Scuba Diving and Spearfishing

ABOUT US

ISSN 1469-865X | Copyright © 1996 - 2024 deeperblue.net limited.

DeeperBlue.com is the World's Largest Community dedicated to Freediving, Scuba Diving, Ocean Advocacy and Diving Travel.

We've been dedicated to bringing you the freshest news, features and discussions from around the underwater world since 1996.

ADVERT