Best open-heel freedive-type fin?

[gareengodiablo]

Hi SBers,
I'm new to SB and have been searching your forums but have not found what I am looking for. I am looking for a longer freedive-type fin (or something roughly comparable) that can move a lot of water and get me places, yet that I can wear with boots. I live in Alaska, and have size 13+ feet, so full-foot fins are not as viable an option, and after tearing up my feet on a few dives on rocks and coral, a boot is appealing. From researching this forum, among the open-heel crowd, I see many recommendations for mares quattro, but they seem more regular-sized. What are cold-water people using? I am getting into freediving locally after years of scuba in warmer places.

Also, an airlines logistics question. For 36+ fins, you can put them in a duffle bag, but how are people transporting spearguns? A lot of the ones I am looking at don't seem to break down, and if a 1/2-inch knife blade or 5 oz of liquid is an issue, I imagine carry-on spearguns would be problematic for TSA.

First post.

Thanks for your sage advice!

 

[diversteve]

You can't carry on a spearGUN - it's a weapon.

TSA spokesman Kawika Riley said this about that: “Just to be clear, passengers should not attempt to bring a spear gun as a carry-on item. The same rule holds for utility knife.”

With a regular gun you also have to provide a lockable case for it. I'm also positive you have to demonstrate it's not loaded either.
On the upside, I've read the airlines tag your checked case for special handling when you declare a gun.So it's more likely to arrive when you do.

Imersion sells 2 sizes of open heel free dive fins. IMERSION - Underwater sports - SPEARFISHING SPIRIT - actually what they sell is a modular fin so you buy them with open heel footpockets.

What about using Neoprene Socks with full-foot freedive fins? The downside I see for Alaska is they only come in 2mm thicknesses. neoprene socks buy at LeisurePro
They're just neoprene though, some with light treads. So they may tear up also. Here's one example tread: Neosport 2mm Hi Top Neoprene Socks

 

[stuartv]

Mako Spearguns sells neoprene socks in 2, 3, and 5mm thickness, in sizes up to 14-15.

Yamamoto Freedive Socks 3mm 5mm High Cut | MAKO Spearguns

I have some 2mm and some 3mm(? I think I got the thinner ones). They are nice. My only complaint is they don't give very good traction on a wet boat deck.

I also have their Competition Freediver Fins. They're only $90 and they are awesome. They are full foot, but they also have sizes up to 14-15. These are my favorite fins. Period. I have Atomic Blades and Hollis F1 fins and I the freedive fins work better for me for everything - even frog kicks, helicopter turns and back kicks. The only downside to them is they are so long that I don't use them if there is any chance I'll go inside a wreck (which is a lot of the time when I dive anywhere that's driving distance from home). I took the freedive fins and my Blades on my last trip to Hawaii and never used the Blades. I used the freedive fins for all my boat dives and shore dives (walking in over volcanic rock).

Competition Freediver Fins | MAKO Spearguns

They have some less expensive freedive fins, but the cheaper ones don't have removable blades. I like the removable blades because they are too long to fit in my huge gear bag for flying unless I take them apart.

The next best thing I know of is Atomic Blade fins. Not the new X1, but the originals. I have these as well and they are my favorite open heel fin. But, they are neutral buoyancy, so I don't use them diving in cold water because I wear a dry suit and need/use fins that are a bit negative (the F1s), to keep my feet from floating up. The Atomic Blades are pretty long, but not nearly as long as the freedive fins.

 

[stuartv]

ps. Mako also has boots (up to size 14-15) with Kevlar soles, which might be better for shore diving around rocks, but they only come in the 3mm thickness.

Rock Socks with Kevlar Soles | MAKO Spearguns

 

[NorCalDM]

As diversteve said you are going to have to check the speargun and declare it. The Mares Quattro are a very good fin but if you are looking for a true freediving fin most are going to be full foot. I use Omer carbon fiber fins and when shore diving here in California I wear a 5mm neoprene sock and slip a boot over it while I climb in over the rocks and then stash them in my float or in the rocks if it's not too rough. As for traveling with long fins I have a padded fin bag that fits nicely in the back of the overhead and have never had an issue carrying them on and I've had them all over the world since I like to use them when scuba diving in warm clear water.

 

[BoltSnap]

You should move this thread to the more appropriate forum:

Underwater Hunting

 

[gareengodiablo]

Everyone, thanks for your input. I posted and modified this thread in Underwater Hunting.

FYI: I never entertained the thought that I could waltz on board a plane with a speargun--I thought I made that apparent in the post--but that is good info to know--rifle case? it is.

diversteve--thanks for the rec on imersion--nice looking fins--unfortunately, the shipping is almost price of fin--I will think on that one. I'm hoping to find something Amazon primeworthy.

stuartv--youre a wealth of knowledge--good idea on the breakdown capacity of modular fins for storage-- I like that. I looked at the atomics--but they appear to be under new chinese management (along with the rest of the world)--I'm wondering if yours are older--2 out of 6 reviewers talked about how foot pocket ripped, for 179$ fins!

From a different angle--any other recs on open heel fins for heavier currents, not formal freediving fins, that have a little more push than quattros?

Thanks

 

[stuartv]

Mine Atomic Blades are almost 2 1/2 years old. I actually have 2 sets. One L and one XL. I'm surprised about reports of the foot pockets ripping. I wonder if those are the Blade or the newer X1 Blade. I know the X1s have a different foot pocket shape. They're also shorter blades. And only $120.

 

[bamafan]

From my experience don't say this is a speargun. Just say it is spearfishing stuff. The word gun sets them off. It will have to be checked.

 

[diversteve]

I looked at the atomics--but they appear to be under new chinese management

Atomic Aquatics is a US based manufacturing company owned by Huish Outdoors of Utah - so is Bare, Zeagle and Liquivision.

From the beginning, Atomic adopted the philosophy of being a uniquely USA (specifically California-based) manufacturer to achieve the highest possible level of engineering and unprecedented quality control.

Atomic Aquatics established Atomica R&D, our own private manufacturing facility, located in the hotbed of leading-edge Southern California aerospace and technology firms. Atomica proudly follows California's strict environmental and recycling standards to produce high-performance dive equipment. While others outsource to third-world countries, Atomic’s critical components are produced and assembled here under our stringent criteria.

I'm not 100% sure that applies to where they source their fins but they're not Chinese-owned - unless it just happened so recently they haven't updated their website.