Fin questions/advice for open ocean Tahiti trip

[Jlegrow]

Hi everyone!
I'm going to Tahiti this fall to swim with humpbacks and having trouble deciding on fins. I've used Cressi short Palau for snorkeling in Hawaii without issue (plus some other short Cressi full foot I can't remember because one fell off and I lost it in the ocean sadly), but I've been told I should get longer fins because this trip requires longer swimming in the open ocean. Plus I've come to dislike how stiff they are as of late.

My question is - I've ordered both Mares Avanti Superchannel and Tre full foot fins on recommendation from a dive instructor as she said I need something that's sort of stiff but also flexible in material My problem is I find they are way more narrow than my Cressi and therefore uncomfortable around my foot. Does anyone know - does Mares run more narrow than others? She also recommended Cressi Reaction Pro which I haven't tried yet, or the Aqualung (? Not familiar with that brand).

Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated as the last thing I want is uncomfortable fins for 5-6 hours a day in the water. Thanks!

 

[MAKO Spearguns]

You might consider these fiberglass freedive blades with the soft option. I would also highly recommend a thin neoprene sock for comfort. The soft blades should give you hours in the water without too much fatigue and the combination of out footpockets and neoprene socks should be very comfortable.

Yamamoto Neoprene Left and Right Diving Socks in 2mm

These 2mm low cut freedive socks made with Yamamoto neoprene and super stretch material are the best warm water socks you can find.

makospearguns.com

Women's Pro Fiberglass Freedive Fins with INTERCHANGEABLE BLADES

Designed by freedivers, for freedivers, the powerful, durable and lightweight MAKO Pro Fiberglass womens freedive fins are among the highest quality freediving fins available

makospearguns.com

 

[Jlegrow]

Hi everyone!
I'm going to Tahiti this fall to swim with humpbacks and having trouble deciding on fins. I've used Cressi short Palau for snorkeling in Hawaii without issue (plus some other short Cressi full foot I can't remember because one fell off and I lost it in the ocean sadly), but I've been told I should get longer fins because this trip requires longer swimming in the open ocean. Plus I've come to dislike how stiff they are as of late.

My question is - I've ordered both Mares Avanti Superchannel and Tre full foot fins on recommendation from a dive instructor as she said I need something that's sort of stiff but also flexible in material My problem is I find they are way more narrow than my Cressi and therefore uncomfortable around my foot. Does anyone know - does Mares run more narrow than others? She also recommended Cressi Reaction Pro which I haven't tried yet, or the Aqualung (? Not familiar with that brand).

Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated as the last thing I want is uncomfortable fins for 5-6 hours a day in the water. Thanks!

You might consider these fiberglass freedive blades with the soft option. I would also highly recommend a thin neoprene sock for comfort. The soft blades should give you hours in the water without too much fatigue and the combination of out footpockets and neoprene socks should be very comfortable.

Yamamoto Neoprene Left and Right Diving Socks in 2mm

These 2mm low cut freedive socks made with Yamamoto neoprene and super stretch material are the best warm water socks you can find.

makospearguns.com

Women's Pro Fiberglass Freedive Fins with INTERCHANGEABLE BLADES

Designed by freedivers, for freedivers, the powerful, durable and lightweight MAKO Pro Fiberglass womens freedive fins are among the highest quality freediving fins available

makospearguns.com

Thank you! I do actually have socks but I will check out your fins. I like that guy have the option for soft fins.

My only concern (based on what people have been telling me, not because I have any experience with them) - these fins wouldn't be too long if I'm mostly going to be on the surface (with brief moments of maybe being 5 feet below surface when I'm trying to take photos)? I don't intend to ever scuba or do any free diving (can't equalize my ears, sadly).

 

[MAKO Spearguns]

Thanks very much for the inquiry. Those soft fins should work well on the surface; when we dive in the clear water of the Bahamas and often over shallow reefs, we spend hours cruising over the reefs. 90 % of our time is spent while swimming on the surface.

A long freedive fin is extremely efficient, the only more efficient fin is a mono-fin.. like a mermaid tail, and that requires special techniques and is not really practical.

There are no "magic fins" but the snap and rebound of a fiberglass blade makes for a much more relaxed time in the water. Try them in a pool, and if (for some reason) they aren't for you, we will accept returns!

 

[Jlegrow]

Thanks very much for the inquiry. Those soft fins should work well on the surface; when we dive in the clear water of the Bahamas and often over shallow reefs, we spend hours cruising over the reefs. 90 % of our time is spent while swimming on the surface.

A long freedive fin is extremely efficient, the only more efficient fin is a mono-fin.. like a mermaid tail, and that requires special techniques and is not really practical.

There are no "magic fins" but the snap and rebound of a fiberglass blade makes for a much more relaxed time in the water. Try them in a pool, and if (for some reason) they aren't for you, we will accept returns!

That is awesome! Thank you so much for all this info, I really appreciate it!

 

[MAKO Spearguns]

 

[John C. Ratliff]

Hi everyone!
I'm going to Tahiti this fall to swim with humpbacks and having trouble deciding on fins. I've used Cressi short Palau for snorkeling in Hawaii without issue (plus some other short Cressi full foot I can't remember because one fell off and I lost it in the ocean sadly), but I've been told I should get longer fins because this trip requires longer swimming in the open ocean. Plus I've come to dislike how stiff they are as of late.

My question is - I've ordered both Mares Avanti Superchannel and Tre full foot fins on recommendation from a dive instructor as she said I need something that's sort of stiff but also flexible in material My problem is I find they are way more narrow than my Cressi and therefore uncomfortable around my foot. Does anyone know - does Mares run more narrow than others? She also recommended Cressi Reaction Pro which I haven't tried yet, or the Aqualung (? Not familiar with that brand).

Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated as the last thing I want is uncomfortable fins for 5-6 hours a day in the water. Thanks!

Jierow,

I have been working on fin design for decades now, and developed what I call the “scoop fin.” It is a fin with stiff outside blades, and a membrane inside. (I’ll put a photo into this post later, when I get on my other computer.) I am happy to see that the mares Avanti now has a superchannel, which is essentially my scoop fin design. This will help the original design attain optimal performance, and I think you’ll enjoy using them.

Now, some above are advocating use of the long blade fins for free diving. These were developed for speed and depth, and have some advantages, but also the disadvantage when trying to turn. I was Finswimming Director for the Underwater Society of America in the 1980s, and at the time finswimmers were sometimes using long fins in finswimming open water competition (virtually everyone in pool finswimming competitions now use mono fins). I used long fins in a marathon swim I made, swimming over 10 miles in the Umpqua River, Oregon for a fundraiser (I was the only finisher). They have their place, but I’d not suggest them for your whale watching swims, where you may want to turn quickly. The long fins use a slightly different theory of moving water, in that they try to form an “S” shape and push water that way. The “scoop fin” design is just as efficient, or perhaps more efficient, than the long fins.

Here’s an older thread which discusses the “Scoop Fin“ design.

Scoop Fin, a Vintage Idea Worth Trying Today | Vintage Scuba Diving Community Forum

As stated in the Viking thread below, I wanted to put one thread together about the scoop fin (my name) idea, which I've now been diving continuously since 1968. This is not something you can get in

vintagescuba.proboards.com

SeaRat

 

[Jlegrow]

Thanks for your advice! The Mares might have been a great option...if the footbed wasn't so incredibly uncomfortable. My issue is that all the full foot fins have been more narrow than I'm accustomed to and I was curious if there was a brand that would have a fin appropriate for what I would need for this trip that would accommodate a shorter 8/8.5 woman's foot that is wide (not crazy wide - I don't wear extra wide shoes or anything, but I don't have a narrow foot and sometimes regular shoes can be tight in the width. I also have narrow heels/ankles which makes it extra fun trying to make things fit).

Also, based on what I've been reading about soft versus medium vs hard fin blades - I'm 5'5, athletic build and I used to have legs of steel before a knee surgery and have been working my quads back up to what they used to be. But I'm around 175 so I'm heavier than most women. So that makes me wonder if I'm supposed to go with the medium fins.

 

[David Haas]

We snorkeled with humpbacks around Moorea' in October 2021 and folks on our trip had all manner of fins.....

Some had typical booties and heel strap fins, one photographer had long free dive fins. My wife uses black slightly stiffer full foot Scubapro Monprene split fins. I used (and still do) the Cressi Rondine modern made copies rubber fins labeled as Oceanways Aquapro fins.

As I've aged I like a little softer fin. The short blade and natural rubber Oceanways Aquapro suits me and my diving. They're also are a bit wider, you know, like the human foot is at the front!

Despite wearing a wide 8.5 shoe I buy these fins in size 10-12 and use a 1.5m neoprene bootie to fill in the space. This is way more comfortable for me versus having any pinch or discomfort.

Mares fins have all manner of blade stiffness in their various models. Most are good but are a combination of soft foot pocket with some plastic in the blade. I simply don't enjoy them as much.

When I was younger and ran (my one marathon; 3:27) I used the Mares Avanti L long blade fins and loved them. These days the length and thrust of rubber is more than enough for me even in scuba gear around the world.

One Mares recommendation might be the Mares Volo Race fins. The pivot type blade is easy on knees but more than enough "oomph" to push you through the water.

You will be doing more "swimming" and sometimes in sprints to get to a resting whale waiting for it to slowly rise and breathe. You can't out swim a whale no matter what fins you have on LOL......

Tahiti requires the boats drop you 100 meters (300 yds) or so away. Diving down is pretty much prohibited even though we had some other boats drop idiots who did that and scared away the whales a couple times They got yelled at by their guides but people being people get excited. I think if you simply exhale a bit and drop down feet first to 5' or less is ok most of the time. They just want all to be respectful of the whales and not make them keep moving versus resting.

My recommendation is get some mid-length slightly soft full foot fin. As mentioned the Mares Volo Race but go up a size or two and get neoprene socks.

All closed heel shoe fins are MUCH more streamlined than boots and heel strap fins especially for an activity like open ocean snorkeling in my opinion.

It is truly an amazing experience!

David Haas

 

[David Haas]

A few more photos including my super duper Oceanways Aquapro fins I think XS Scuba and House of Scuba are two vendors who carry them these days.

XS Scuba Oceanways AquaPro Fins Full Foot Snorkeling Fin Junior and Adult

This is the XS Scuba Oceanways AquaPro Fins Full Foot Snorkeling Fin Junior and Adult Features: Full-foot rubber fins provide unsurpassed comfort and efficiency Less ankle fatigue Greater propulsion These are the most popular type of fins for snorkeling, swim training and rental departments...

www.houseofscuba.com

The BLUE floating versions are almost impossible to find except maybe occasionally on Ebay. A friend is giving me a pair this weekend and I'll see if they're any softer or similar to my black ones.

You should also get pair of the fin keepers like these in case you tear a foot pocket. These will keep the heel on no matter what in a pinch.

Trident Fin Keepers/Grippers for use w/ Full Foot Dive Fins

These are the Trident Fin Keepers/Grippers for use w/ Full Foot Dive Fins Features: Helps prevent fin sores Eliminates noise generated by fins Helps secure when using oversized fins Fin Grippers are designed to fit over a pair of full-foot fins and hold them firmly in place They are simply...

www.houseofscuba.com

or

Cressi Rubber Fin Keeper, Pair, Black

The Cressi Rubber Fin Keepers are a handy way to keep fins secure and in place in multiple situations. If you need to enter water in heavy surf conditions the fin keeper helps keep fins firmly in place

www.scuba.com

Good luck !!!!!!

DH



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