Newb - Pls. critique my gear shopping list

[stuartv]

I have gone shore diving (in Hawaii) with full foot fins. I always wear neoprene socks with mine and the place I went (Ho'okena on the BI) was no big deal. Of course, some places, you are definitely going to want proper booties or boots. But, for some "in between" shore dives, these neo socks with Kevlar soles could let you do shore dives with full foot fins pretty comfortably:

Rock Socks with Kevlar Soles | MAKO Spearguns

Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with Mako. I am just a customer who loves my Mako freediving fins and neo socks (mine are regular - I don't have the Kevlar ones).

 

[ronscuba]

Stuartv, I think you already told me, but I forgot. What blades do you have with your Mako fins ?

 

[stuartv]

I just have the plastic conposite ones. The Competition Freediver fins they sell for $89.95.

The one pair they have that is less expensive does not allow you to disassemble the blade from the foot pocket. The Competition ones do. One of my friends here that is a serious freediver has got me really thinking about upgrading from the plastic blades to one of the more expensive pairs.

 

[ronscuba]

I have Leaderfins with fiberglass blades and Mako Competition with plastic blades. See if you can find someone with fiberglass blades and similar foot size. The plastic blades are heavy, stiff, hard on the ankles and less reactive.

Difference feels like running in work boots vs sneakers. With your Mako's you can just change the blades.

 

[stuartv]

I have Leaderfins with fiberglass blades and Mako Competition with plastic blades. See if you can find someone with fiberglass blades and similar foot size. The plastic blades are heavy, stiff, hard on the ankles and less reactive.

Difference feels like running in work boots vs sneakers. With your Mako's you can just change the blades.

Right. I have been thinking about changing the blades, but wondering how much difference I would really notice. Thanks for putting that out there!

Do the fiberglass blades still work equally well (or better) for frog kicks and back kicks? The plastic blades I have work better (for me!) than any of my "scuba" fins, even for back kicks.

Have you tried the carbon composite or pure carbon blades? Looking at those versus fiberglass I keep thinking that even the fiberglass ones are pretty expensive, with the pure carbon ones not being THAT much more expensive. If I'm going to buy an upgrade, should I just go for the fiberglass, or should I go ahead and ante up for composite or pure carbon?

 

[ronscuba]

I am no expert and have not tried carbon fins. But, from what I have read, carbon over fiberglass is a much smaller improvement than fiberglass over plastic. With carbon generally intended for high level free diving because every little bit makes a difference on 1 breath hold.

Mako FG blades are not as expensive as other brands. Best if you could try before buying.

I can frog kick but as you know, a stiffer blade makes frog kicking and back kicking easier. Fiberglass blades will be softer than plastic. Maybe discuss with Dano for a demo. A few minutes in a pool will be good enough to decide. He is a pretty cool guy and customer service is important to him.

 

[EricTheDood]

I guess I can echo this some. I sometimes breath off others regs on the surface or in shallows and am shocked at how slowly they give me air, yet the diver reports being happy.

Some regs breath hard at the surface but great underwater.

 

[stuartv]

Some regs breath hard at the surface but great underwater.

Yeah, I really don't understand why they do that. "Overbalanced" regs claim to increase Intermediate Pressure as you go deeper, so that they will breathe even easier at depth.

But, if they work by increasing IP as ambient pressure increases, isn't there going to be some depth at which IP increases enough that the reg WILL start to freeflow?

If the reg breathes easier at some higher IP, why not just design it to be balanced, instead of overbalanced, and use that higher IP at all depths, so it breathes easiest at all depths instead of only when you go deep?

 

[PfcAJ]

But, if they work by increasing IP as ambient pressure increases, isn't there going to be some depth at which IP increases enough that the reg WILL start to freeflow?

Yes. But it's quite deep. Sub 100m depending on 2nd stage adjustment.

 

[MichaelMc]

Some regs breath hard at the surface but great underwater.

I've been told that. I do not understand a mechanism that would create that, besides the overbalanced aspect, which is not a factor at 5-10'. (Edit: Apparently some 2nd stage diaphragms can vibrate out of water. You might mean that. I have not seen any.)

I know when I purge check my regulator on the surface it is fairly loud. When I purge check some divers it is a faint flow, and I did check their valve is full on. Maybe theirs has a smoother air path, but I do not think that is the issue. I have concerns on how easily their reg is giving them air.

With our experienced divers we did a musical chairs drill of swimming laps around an oval of all the BC on the 10' bottom, only one person was allowed to breath from a given BC at a time and you had to move on after two breaths. I was very shocked at how difficult some regs were to breath from. I've had the same experience during buddy breathing drills, and we teach primary donate.