Wondering what are the stiffest freediving fins available on the market today. I've had a pair of Esclapez, black blade, for 5 to 6 years, and they are developing stress fractures just below the foot pocket. I love the Esclapez foot pockets as they are very wide in the toe area but tight enough around the heel so there is no apparent lost power. Perhaps I should add that I'm 6'5"+, weigh ~300 lbs and use them for tech diving doubles with two 80 cubic foot sling tanks. I absolutely love them for their power though but need to find some stiffer / thicker fins. Please help - and THANX!
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Stiffest Freediving fins available ?
- Thread starterScubaKing
- Start date
Thread Status: Hello
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O
octopus
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Wide mid-foot, narrowish heel, stiff blade - I have put C4 40 blades into Beuchat footpocket (this was before C4 started selling their own footpocket). Works a treat for me, but it is not an easy piece of DIY.
I cannot guarantee you C4 40 is the stiffest blade in the market, but it is one of the stiffer blades.
http://forums.deeperblue.com/bi-fins/85069-best-glue-attach-rails-c4s.html
Off the topic and just for the record, the softest fins I have tried were Omer Ice. Poor quality as well - one of the blades just snapped after half a year. Other people reported similar problems.
I cannot guarantee you C4 40 is the stiffest blade in the market, but it is one of the stiffer blades.
http://forums.deeperblue.com/bi-fins/85069-best-glue-attach-rails-c4s.html
Off the topic and just for the record, the softest fins I have tried were Omer Ice. Poor quality as well - one of the blades just snapped after half a year. Other people reported similar problems.
You're talking about plastic fins. With quality freediving fins durability is not simply about stiffness. Plastic has only so many flex cycles that it will take. A carbon fiber fin will take many times more. But yeah sure, you can have fins that are so stiff you will not be able to bend them at all, staying straight all the time they will last a lifetime 
Some of the custom blades, like SpecialFins and Leaderfins will make blades as stiff as you want. Then put them into a wide footpocket. One option for that is to order footpockets from Imersion, since you like them, and glue in the extra hard Specialfins blades (hybrids, carbons, or fiberglass). Use superglue for that. There are a couple of tutorials for glueing blades in. I think there is at least one at Deeperblue from somebody.
You're talking about plastic fins. With quality freediving fins durability is not simply about stiffness. Plastic has only so many flex cycles that it will take. A carbon fiber fin will take many times more. But yeah sure, you can have fins that are so stiff you will not be able to bend them at all, staying straight all the time they will last a lifetime
Dan - I'm starting to understand now - makes sense about the plastic. All I've heard about carbon fins is they are brittle and the edges fray easy but that was when carbon was a new option. I'll do some more research on several different brands and try out a pair. It makes a guy a little bit nervous when a pair of plastic fins are both cracking 3" to 4" from the toe pocket.
Hey Octopus - thanks for the reply. Are carbon fins brittle or fragile in any way? I can put a bend in a blade. It's been a while since I've researched them but last I knew they would shatter if hit from the side. Perhaps that was from a time long ago in a land far away. K
Carbon is still problematic when struck sharply - it's an inherent property unfortunately. The fins are pretty durable generally, but I can't really vouch for what you're doing. If you're hitting fins side-on against metal or rock on a regular basis, carbon might not be your thing.
I'm intrigued to see your finning technique if you're using long fins......all that equip tends to get in the way of the typical freedive wide scissor, and long fins don't tend to allow for the an easy scuba style frog kick........do you get any glide with all that drag, or is it pretty much a continuous movement?.......got any footage??
I have unpleasant recollections of using doubles & slings for my advanced nitrox/stage deco a few years back, I had to kick continuously as gliding just wasn't happening and it was a little movement from the knee/ankle that was incredibly efficient but took more energy than I was used to......can't see myself doing that movement in long fins, hence my curiousity about your technique.
Sorry, just pondering, I find underwater movement/energy/efficiency quite interesting.
The Nemo in a stiff blade may well sort you out, reasonably priced, sturdy foot pocket (quite wide), available through the PFI website, $200 when last I checked.
Josie
x
I have unpleasant recollections of using doubles & slings for my advanced nitrox/stage deco a few years back, I had to kick continuously as gliding just wasn't happening and it was a little movement from the knee/ankle that was incredibly efficient but took more energy than I was used to......can't see myself doing that movement in long fins, hence my curiousity about your technique.
Sorry, just pondering, I find underwater movement/energy/efficiency quite interesting.
The Nemo in a stiff blade may well sort you out, reasonably priced, sturdy foot pocket (quite wide), available through the PFI website, $200 when last I checked.
Josie
x