Fin questions/advice for open ocean Tahiti trip

[Jlegrow]

This is all great info so I totally appreciate it - I can't dive anyway due to ear equalizing issues (my version of "diving" was going to be like...5-9 feet just so I can be vertical for shooting (professional photographer) so I'd been told the long fins might keep me more vertical, but a mid fin could work? I'm leaning towards a Cressi modular for the foot because I've had luck with them, but maybe I'll get a shorter blade to go with them? This way I can get different blades later on?

So much to keep in mind! For ten years I just used super short Cressi to snorkel up and down the Maui coast (swimming like 1-3 miles at a time) without issue, but now that I'm older I'm like yeah I want something a little easier haha.

 

[Jlegrow]

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

View attachment 799031View attachment 799032View attachment 799033View attachment 799034View attachment 799035

Also, those are great shots!

 

[John C. Ratliff]

Jlegrow,

David Hass is one of the pre-eminent underwater photographers in the world, and it is a great privelege to have him comment here.

SeaRat

 

[Jlegrow]

Jlegrow,

David Hass is one of the pre-eminent underwater photographers in the world, and it is a great privelege to have him comment here.

SeaRat

You all have been incredibly helpful and for that I am soooo grateful. This is the first kind of trip like this I am ever doing. I photograph architectural stuff in my business so I am asking lots of questions because I want to make sure I do things right to have the best trip possible. I've only ever shot using my GoPro on previous snorkel trips, which is totally great, but it's not quite the same as taking a trip of this magnitude. But again I am so grateful for all the advice everyone has given me about fins, because I've felt slightly overwhelmed thus far

 

[David Haas]

Thanks to John Ratliff who REALLY has a stellar dive resume' !

I'm just a little old guy who's been around through the heyday of sport diving's growth. I still delight in blowing bubbles and simply want people to enjoy themselves diving and maybe photographing too

Looking forward to hearing how your whale experience went!

DH

 

[Jlegrow]

Thanks to John Ratliff who REALLY has a stellar dive resume' !

I'm just a little old guy who's been around through the heyday of sport diving's growth. I still delight in blowing bubbles and simply want people to enjoy themselves diving and maybe photographing too

Looking forward to hearing how your whale experience went!

DH

View attachment 799086

You guys are awesome lol. I'm heading there end of Sept and do the whale portion beginning of October. Super excited!!

 

[dcvf2]

Hi “Jlegrow“

Your #11
“ I can't dive anyway due to ear equalizing issues“

Have you consulted an Otorrinolaringologist, ideally a diver?
If yes, what was his diagnosis?

I assume you know the Valsalva maneuver.
What goes wrong when you apply Valsalva.
Have you asked for advice from those who have no problem with Valslva

For your « Cressi modular » try them with 1.5 mm neoprene sock and to reinforce the fixing of your fins see below (sorry I did not find an English site)
Fixe palmes

 

[David Wilson]

I've been a lifelong snorkeller, never wanting either to free-dive or to scuba-dive, and when I began snorkelling in the 1960s, my go-to fins were Cressi Rondine all-rubber full-foots, which have been my preferred fin design ever since. Why fix something that ain't broke?

I too have snorkelled with the light-blue Oceanways Aquapros, which are excellent replicas of the 1960s/1970s Cressi Rondine models of the same azure hue, made from what I consider the world's best snorkelling fin material: natural rubber derived from Malaysian rubber tree plantations.

Here is a video showing how Oceanways Aquapros are manufactured in the good old-fashioned way in a Californian rubber-processing plant:

​

 

[Jlegrow]

Hi “Jlegrow“

Your #11
“ I can't dive anyway due to ear equalizing issues“

Have you consulted an Otorrinolaringologist, ideally a diver?
If yes, what was his diagnosis?

I assume you know the Valsalva maneuver.
What goes wrong when you apply Valsalva.
Have you asked for advice from those who have no problem with Valslva

For your « Cressi modular » try them with 1.5 mm neoprene sock and to reinforce the fixing of your fins see below (sorry I did not find an English site)
Fixe palmes

Hi! So no I've never consulted anyone - anytime I've tried to dive in the past (even like 10 feet to the bottom of a pool) I've had ear pain, even as I pinch my nose and blow. But to be fair, I don't dive anyway nor have I had any real desire to try diving. I hadn't tried in ages until I was in Catalina this summer and had massive pain trying even short attempts below the water just to see if I could do it. I suspect the coldness in case of Catalina because once my ears warmed up it went away. And I'd been swimming in a pool all summer along the bottom practicing laps without any problem.

Oh and I haven't bought the Cressi modular yet.

 

[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!

Hiya! So I ordered the Mako fiberglass fins in soft and tried them in the pool today (they are GORGEOUS by the way). I also ordered Cressi Gara Impulse and I'm having a really hard time deciding between the two. The Cressi foot fits me perfectly without a sock or finkeeper in the water, while the Mako seems pretty big once in the water (but I didn't have a sock or the finkeeper with me), but it's the fins I can't decide between - I feel like I have more power with the Impulse but that seems to contradict what everyone has told me about using a stiffer blade. To be fair, I've only been able to use them in a 4 foot pool swimming back and forth. I may be able to try them in a deep end pool this week - maybe that would be a more realistic test?