Freediving fins might help

[Hank49]

Austin's Diving Center: Riffe Silent Hunter Freediving Fins, Riffe

The longest tapered high strength plastic fin blade manufactured, offering better spring action and ease while swimming. The only plastic fin blade using flexible side rails, which helps channel water off the tip of the blade and prevent side wobble. These fins develop more forward thrust with less effort. Ankle weights are not necessary for quiet swimming. Foot pocket and blades also sold separately.

That could be that they're the longest Plastic blades. The Moanas are carbon.

Man, this thread is getting ugly....not directed at you, ams511.

When I was going to buy my first BP wing, it was good to come on and see what people using them had to say. I wasn't interested in who invented what or who gets credit for what. It would be nice if this could stay that way.
A lot of people have never tried them and probably don't realize the variations and combinations that are available. I guess this is about dead though.
I do enjoy trading tech talk about fins. I've used different combos of foot pockets and blades. If anyone is interested in what I know, pm me. I'll be happy to share.

 

[danvolker]

... [snip more nonsense]

But then nothing about this conversation really has to do with diving ... it's all about attitude. And to my concern, attitude is at least as important to the well-grounded diver as good skills and proper equipment selection ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Bob,
I think that every thing you are saying is self serving and fictional....you think whatever it is you think....the drivel you keep putting up in your responses....
Let's say we stop this quibbling and see about proving some of the fin issues with live demos. Afterall...this is what we are supposed to talk about in the forum you or your cronies had this discussion moved to.....
I suppose I could keep going back and forth with you like we have been...but it is a waste of my time, and even of your time

 

[Diver0001]

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A ScubaBoard Staff Message...

The bickering didn't even slow down after our last warning. It has been cleaned up again.

This time the thread has been locked. If you can't control yourselves then we have to take other measures to make it stop.

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---------- Post added February 21st, 2014 at 11:17 PM ----------

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A ScubaBoard Staff Message...

Thread re-opened at users' request. We'll give it one more try

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[Hank49]

Thanks Diver0001.

Regarding reshaping Pathos foot pockets, I submerged mine in almost boiling water and put it on my socked foot hot. Pretty amazing that it took the shape of both feet. I actually have an obvious left and right fin with those. However, if you leave them on the boat in full, hot sunlight, they will start to revert back to the original shape.

I don't notice any real slower reaction when trying to do a 360 turn under water. My Mares Quattros are 24 inches long. I'm 6 feet. Adding another 15% or so in total swimmer length with 39 inch fins isn't that big a deal length wise. It's about like going from Mares Planas to Quattros in per cent increase.

Given that efficiency increase, if you're not taking pictures and being very still in the water, but moving some distance, it probably decreases your air use. I've never measured it but it makes perfect sense.

anyway, I was skeptical when I first tried my Beachat plastic blades about 8 years ago. But I'm a convert.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

As cold water diver, my only option for freediving fins are the Riffe open heel fins. Does anyone have experience with them? Any description on stiffness relative to other freediving fins?

 

[ams511]

As cold water diver, my only option for freediving fins are the Riffe open heel fins. Does anyone have experience with them? Any description on stiffness relative to other freediving fins?

You would think they could put some sort of bindings on fins like on skis. Look back at the posts, Dan has the pockets but uses a different blade.

 

[Hank49]

As cold water diver, my only option for freediving fins are the Riffe open heel fins. Does anyone have experience with them? Any description on stiffness relative to other freediving fins?

Riffe plastic blades are a bit slower, or less whippy than carbon blades. And the rails, or water guides, on the ends of the fin do "ripple" when the fin blade bends, as JD mentioned, causing turbulence as the water rolls off the blade.

Also, just being truthful, Riffe footpockets are the most uncomfortable I ever had. Very stiff. But with thick socks you probably won't notice so much. But I did change to Omers on the Riffe blades for my stepsons. And my 72 year old dive buddy used Beachat pockets on his Riffe blades.

Another big difference is that a Riffe Silent Hunter weighs 2 1/2 lbs. A Moana weighs 1 3/4 lbs. A Speardiver C90 with Omer Millenium weighs 2 lbs.

Between the three, kicking at a leisurely pace, the Riffe took the most kick strokes per tank length. Moana the least.

But the high end carbons are pricey. Riffes are only $240 or so. Speardivers...$390. Moanas $400 plus.

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[ams511]

As cold water diver, my only option for freediving fins are the Riffe open heel fins. Does anyone have experience with them? Any description on stiffness relative to other freediving fins?

Not your only option, Imersion E:Black and E:Green comes in an open heel design. Another alternative could be the Cressi Master Frog. I quick search on the Spearo sites say the Imersions are OK fins. They also say that going from a closed heal to open heal design you loose a lot of efficiency. At least that is what some of the users claim.

 

[Hank49]

Here's a shot of the Riffe open heel and DiveR blades. The pic and description were sent by a friend who set them up.


This needs a thin to light soled booty..would be bad with neoprene socks....BUT...with thin soled booty, the flat bottom under your foot is FULL Foot, and the structure of this full foot bottom is dramatically different than with all other open heel fins I have used....this gets the power transfer of a full foot bottom, and even more so, because this is the stiffest bottom I have ever used.
With the thin soled booties, or Kayak shoes like I use, these are very comfortable, and the power transfer is amazing.
These are the kayak shoes-- http://www.nrs.com/product/2325/nrs-...tshoe-closeout and I cut off the velcro strap--it was uncomfortable on my instep in the foot pocket, and unneeded.

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[ronscuba]

I would like to try free dive fins, but even if I really like them I cannot see them being my normal use fin. I think the extra length/size would be an issue with swim throughs, lush reefs.

I shoot video and often like to get very close to my subjects. Many times this mean fitting myself in between tight coral heads.

I do have to say I don't agree with the statements that split fins are dangerous. It's like the old DIR discussions where people were told they were going to die because they used a jacket BCD. It's nice that DIR people have calmed down. I do use some DIR gear setups but not all. As an open water diver, I don't feel the need for a full DIR setup.