IncreaseMyT
Banned
Terrible he dusted the inside of the wreco multiple times
He didn’t say idle, he said 15 mph sooo
He didn’t say idle, he said 15 mph sooo
Scuba with freediving fins
- Thread starter aleem.k713
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Yes he did touch the wreck with his fins multiple times. Everyone has stated long fins are not good for close quarter diving like cave or wreck penetration dives. The times his fins touched the wreck when he was on the outside of the wreck is that diver fault or fin fault ?
If you think your dive buddy was inefficient, was it him and his kick technique or his fins ? His fins looked flexible and efficient to me.
Freedive fin fans readily admit they work best for open water, are more difficult to travel with and depending on the type of dive, the benefits may not be worth the travel hassle. Where we disagree with you is your opinion that freedive fins are inefficient.
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In this video, I think the DM is using the Mares Quattro full footed fins or the like, which is a normal full footed diving fin but a bit long and wide, not the normally free diving fins we are referring to. Correct me if I am wrong on this. The Quattro Full Footed fins are shorter, a bit wider and much more stiff compared with normal free diving fins. They will not form the s-shapes when doing flutter kick. They need a lot more foot power to drive them well and may be far less efficient compared with normal long free diving fins.
The buddy shown in the video seems need to do a lot on fining lessons/tutorials to improve the fining and a lot training for rectifying the buoyancy and trimming issues. Also need lesson on awareness on the underwater environment as touching wreck surface repeatedly is no no no....
woodcarver
Contributor
cmburch
Contributor
Freedive fins are best with socks/ booties. For Northern California we use 4mm Argos Stealth Booties. 2mm for Southern California. Google Argos Stealth Booties.
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woodcarver
Contributor
An update on the experiment. Just received the new set of free dive fins from Mako, size 14-15 (the size 10-11 fit me great, barefoot or with one of Mako's 2 or 3 mil socks.).
I wear a size 10 boot with my open heel fins. With my size 10 hard sole boot, Akona Titanium, the foot pocket on the 14-15 fits with essentially the same tension as the 10-11 fits with a 2 or 3 mil free dive sock. The only issue is the fit is very snug and the rubber on rubber makes it a little harder to put on, and taking the fin off removed the boot from my foot. The boot is then easily removed from the fin. So, with no modifications, it looks like I can use these in Bonaire. Both sets will be going so I can test drive in the ocean.
GF asked if my 3 sets of fins is why she can only take 3 pair of undies, LOL (I said yes).
Still plan on converting the 14-15s to an open heel to simplify putting them on and removing them in the water. Probably won't happen until after this trip since we leave in 7 days.
Auto correct is a PITA. The new fins were not free. They are Freediver II fins. Haven't met Dano yet, but hope to. Then, maybe (?), free dive fins!?
I wear a size 10 boot with my open heel fins. With my size 10 hard sole boot, Akona Titanium, the foot pocket on the 14-15 fits with essentially the same tension as the 10-11 fits with a 2 or 3 mil free dive sock. The only issue is the fit is very snug and the rubber on rubber makes it a little harder to put on, and taking the fin off removed the boot from my foot. The boot is then easily removed from the fin. So, with no modifications, it looks like I can use these in Bonaire. Both sets will be going so I can test drive in the ocean.
GF asked if my 3 sets of fins is why she can only take 3 pair of undies, LOL (I said yes).
Still plan on converting the 14-15s to an open heel to simplify putting them on and removing them in the water. Probably won't happen until after this trip since we leave in 7 days.
Auto correct is a PITA. The new fins were not free. They are Freediver II fins. Haven't met Dano yet, but hope to. Then, maybe (?), free dive fins!?
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woodcarver
Contributor
BTW, @MAKO Spearguns, thanks again for great service. Ordered the new fins on 8/6 in the evening, and received them today.
deeno
Contributor
Thanks for the update, I'll be curious to hear how it goes in the water. I'm about 1 size smaller than you. Having the boot come off sounds like a pain, but better than nothing. I wonder if a converse all star or slimmer hard sole boot would work better.
Tell your lady if she wears all 3 pairs of undies on the plane you would have room for more gear
Also I asked about the JBL open heel fins, but never got a reply from the manufacturer (thumbs down). But I did see them at divers-supply.com and got this as a reply which is promising:
These are made to fit with a dive boot, .. the size chart shows Large: fits Mens US 10-11 with a standard dive boot. If your boot is heavy duty with a tennis shoe type of sole you may want to go up to an X-large.
JBL Polymer Open Heel Fins Long Blade
I like the design on the buckles. Simple and more steamlined than the usual plastic buckles, but non-replacable if something bad happens. The pictures don't look like I a foot pocket designed for boots, but I ordered a set of XL and have my fingers crossed on fit.
Tell your lady if she wears all 3 pairs of undies on the plane you would have room for more gear
Also I asked about the JBL open heel fins, but never got a reply from the manufacturer (thumbs down). But I did see them at divers-supply.com and got this as a reply which is promising:
These are made to fit with a dive boot, .. the size chart shows Large: fits Mens US 10-11 with a standard dive boot. If your boot is heavy duty with a tennis shoe type of sole you may want to go up to an X-large.
JBL Polymer Open Heel Fins Long Blade
I like the design on the buckles. Simple and more steamlined than the usual plastic buckles, but non-replacable if something bad happens. The pictures don't look like I a foot pocket designed for boots, but I ordered a set of XL and have my fingers crossed on fit.
Woodcarver:
Thanks for the support!
Dano
Thanks for the support!
Dano
woodcarver
Contributor
An update on the freedive fins for SCUBA. Worked great! Worked very well with all my normal finning. No more issues with them hitting things unintentionally than I have with the Jet Sports I’ve been using. Swim-outs were easier, less effort. Just moving along slowly looking for stuff was almost effortless. But when I wanted to keep up with something for a pic or video, they made a world of difference.
We tried a dive at the south end of Pink Beach that unfortunately had a really strong current running south. I was able to hold my own and even move against the current, but aborted the dive because she was really working to fight it. Too many other good sites without a current to wear ourselves out on that one! It did show me that these fins would make Cozumel drifts easier if I need to stop or go upstream to look at something.
I wore a set of Mako’s Kevlar booties, and depending on the dive site entry, a pair of Swiftwater Crocs. Once in, the Crocs were clipped to my BCD and the fins put on. At the end of the dive, fins off, Crocs back on, walk out. There were a couple sites, like Karpata and Willemstoren Lighthouse, that I opted for regular hard soles and the Jet Sports, but only a couple. Also did the night dives with the Jet Sports. Dealing with the Crocs wasn’t hard, but didn’t want to deal with them in the dark or on the couple sites that had trickier entry/exits. There were a lot of sites that I left the Crocs in the truck and just wore the booties.
Just a side note, the Kevlar booties did stop at least one potential puncture from one of the small red and black urchins that seem to occupy every hole in the shallows in Bonaire. Felt the sharp points, but nothing penetrated my foot. The rough “beaches” of Bonaire will wear them out fairly quickly I think, but the Kevlar will provide better protection than simple neoprene booties. With the Crocs, entry/exits were no different than with regular hard sole booties.
I did have to disassemble the fins to pack. Takedown and reassembly is really easy; used coconut oil for the reassembly lube. The blades are just over 31” by themselves, so unless you have a really long bag, the assembled fins won’t fit. Dano’s video is well done and demonstrates all the steps clearly.
Overall, loved the fins in the water. Once I figured out a good process for dealing with the Crocs, taking them on and off only added a minute or so at each end of the dive over regular fins and boots. Most of my dives in the future will be in freedive fins.
An update on the open-heel modified freedive fin experiment will follow soon.
We tried a dive at the south end of Pink Beach that unfortunately had a really strong current running south. I was able to hold my own and even move against the current, but aborted the dive because she was really working to fight it. Too many other good sites without a current to wear ourselves out on that one! It did show me that these fins would make Cozumel drifts easier if I need to stop or go upstream to look at something.
I wore a set of Mako’s Kevlar booties, and depending on the dive site entry, a pair of Swiftwater Crocs. Once in, the Crocs were clipped to my BCD and the fins put on. At the end of the dive, fins off, Crocs back on, walk out. There were a couple sites, like Karpata and Willemstoren Lighthouse, that I opted for regular hard soles and the Jet Sports, but only a couple. Also did the night dives with the Jet Sports. Dealing with the Crocs wasn’t hard, but didn’t want to deal with them in the dark or on the couple sites that had trickier entry/exits. There were a lot of sites that I left the Crocs in the truck and just wore the booties.
Just a side note, the Kevlar booties did stop at least one potential puncture from one of the small red and black urchins that seem to occupy every hole in the shallows in Bonaire. Felt the sharp points, but nothing penetrated my foot. The rough “beaches” of Bonaire will wear them out fairly quickly I think, but the Kevlar will provide better protection than simple neoprene booties. With the Crocs, entry/exits were no different than with regular hard sole booties.
I did have to disassemble the fins to pack. Takedown and reassembly is really easy; used coconut oil for the reassembly lube. The blades are just over 31” by themselves, so unless you have a really long bag, the assembled fins won’t fit. Dano’s video is well done and demonstrates all the steps clearly.
Overall, loved the fins in the water. Once I figured out a good process for dealing with the Crocs, taking them on and off only added a minute or so at each end of the dive over regular fins and boots. Most of my dives in the future will be in freedive fins.
An update on the open-heel modified freedive fin experiment will follow soon.
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