Underwater hockey a "breath taking sport"
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David Wilson
Contributor
I got my Gull Hard Mews through another Scubaboard member resident in the Far East. Here's what I wrote when responding to a recent ScubaBoard thread about purchasing Gull equipment:
Have a look at the following Scubabaord thread:
Gull Diving Fins
I know it's a bit over a year old, but have a look at the last message in the thread where a forum member offers to ship Gull gear anywhere in the world. You could PM the poster to find out more.
If that fails, there is another option that might yield results. There are Japanese companies which will purchase Japanese goods on behalf of westerners who can't speak the language. One example may be:
Nippon Export - Buy directly from Japan! Manga, Anime, DVD, CD, OST...
Gull products never appear to be distributed as far as Europe or America, more's the pity, but they are available in the Far East (e.g. Malaysia, Thailand) and even New Zealand:
Splash
Keep an eye on eBay, as Technisub Alas occasionally appear there. About 80 different models of full-foot rubber fin are still in production worldwide. My current favourites are Mexican-made Escualo Clasicas:
but there are plenty of other brands if you don't want lightweight Malaysian-made ones. Two kinds, both I believe manufactured in the USA, are:
Oceanways Aquapro
[URL="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000GG8FNW/?tag=scubapulse-20"]http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000GG8FNW/?tag=scubapulse-20[/URL]
Mares Corda
Mares Corda Full Foot Fins 496007 with reviews at scuba.com
Consider too IST Sea Diver fins, which are made in Taiwan and quite heavy:
Buy IST Sea diver snorkel fins F-12 with reviews at scuba.com
There are actually quite a few options when it comes to full foot fins. One search on Amazon.com reveals the options:
However all of these fins are similar in that they are extremely light and flimsy (offering great cadence and safety, while little in power). And as well all know, hockey require power. That is where Ala's, Nemo's, and Mare's Quattro's come in.
The Nemo's - great ankle breakers
How are those gull mew fins in terms of rigidity?
And I do see Technisub Ala's from time to time on ebay. However it is UK ebay, and the sellers never ship to the US. Which is a shame, because I've seen my 6.5/7.5 40/41 size recently on eBay. :depressed: TWICE!!
However all of these fins are similar in that they are extremely light and flimsy (offering great cadence and safety, while little in power). And as well all know, hockey require power. That is where Ala's, Nemo's, and Mare's Quattro's come in.
The Nemo's - great ankle breakers
How are those gull mew fins in terms of rigidity?
And I do see Technisub Ala's from time to time on ebay. However it is UK ebay, and the sellers never ship to the US. Which is a shame, because I've seen my 6.5/7.5 40/41 size recently on eBay. :depressed: TWICE!!
David Wilson
Contributor
Technisub Alas
seem almost impossible to source nowadays. There's some useful information about the supply of Alas at
The Underwater Hockey Directory
according to which availability of the fins appears to be down to an environmental emission problem.
As for eBay sales, yes, I'm UK based and I've noticed that pairs of Alas are offered from time to time on the UK version. Whenever I've wanted to purchase foreign goods on eBay that are marked as available only to bidders resident in the same country as the seller, I've sent the seller a private message via eBay to ask for permission to bid. That permission was granted many times by sellers in the USA and Germany, except in one case where the seller was an American who refused point blank because he wouldn't deal with any foreigners! His right, but also his financial loss, as the goods were never sold. I always draw the seller's attention to my unblemished eBay record to prove that I'm a serious and honest purchaser.
As for Gull Mew fins, they come in soft, standard and hard. I was recommended to get Hard Mews by the ScubaBoard member who sold them to me. My XL Gull Hard Mew fin blades certainly merit their name in terms of rigidity and potential for propulsion. They are worthy successors to Technisub Alas as UWH fins and seem to have been adopted as a replacement by some New Zealand players:
GULL HARD MEW FIN - Full Foot Fins - Snorkelling - Splash
seem almost impossible to source nowadays. There's some useful information about the supply of Alas at
The Underwater Hockey Directory
according to which availability of the fins appears to be down to an environmental emission problem.
As for eBay sales, yes, I'm UK based and I've noticed that pairs of Alas are offered from time to time on the UK version. Whenever I've wanted to purchase foreign goods on eBay that are marked as available only to bidders resident in the same country as the seller, I've sent the seller a private message via eBay to ask for permission to bid. That permission was granted many times by sellers in the USA and Germany, except in one case where the seller was an American who refused point blank because he wouldn't deal with any foreigners! His right, but also his financial loss, as the goods were never sold. I always draw the seller's attention to my unblemished eBay record to prove that I'm a serious and honest purchaser.
As for Gull Mew fins, they come in soft, standard and hard. I was recommended to get Hard Mews by the ScubaBoard member who sold them to me. My XL Gull Hard Mew fin blades certainly merit their name in terms of rigidity and potential for propulsion. They are worthy successors to Technisub Alas as UWH fins and seem to have been adopted as a replacement by some New Zealand players:
GULL HARD MEW FIN - Full Foot Fins - Snorkelling - Splash
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