Haven't seen an open heel freedive fin. Thought closed heel was better ? Any recommendations for a soft fin ?
Dive R's come in soft, medium and stiff...and I think more in between. At around $400 for a set of blades, they are very pricey...like Lamborghinis of fins...Worth it to me...allow me to out swim $6000 scooters for hour long dives up to 100 feet deep..... ( for 160 foot deep and deeper dives, I use a scooter, with the DiveR's
Mako's or composite Cressi are much better price points, and are both vastly superior to all scuba fins--except for cave or penetration diving.
Again, the Riffe Silent Hunter foot pockets are a great way to get optimal power transfer from the stiff bladed freedive fins....but many of the full foot pockets, do optimally with medium and soft freedive fins( blades).
Lots of instructors will chime in with some preaching about why divers should swim slow.....when you are right in the middle of what you want to see...sure, you should swim slow, or hover.....there are also plenty of times you are looking for something, and it is not coming to you--you have to go looking for it..to swim to it. For this, being able to swim 3 mph at a low heart rate and breathing rate, allows your hour long dive to get you to far more places, where you might find that something you are looking for.
I have no problem with divers that want to swim slow...it is their right, and each of us has a right to enjoy whatever underwater "mission" they want to be on, for their dive--as long as it breaks no laws or moral imperatives
Too bad the slow divers have to be so preachy about what they think is wrong about going faster from point A to B....