Vintage Oceanic fins - farallon?
- Thread starter sisidmarino
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David Wilson
Contributor
Hmm. My eyes were drawn to the initials "C.D.E." on the sole of your fins. These letters are familiar to me as those of the Taiwanese company "China Diving Enterrpise", whose CDE-119 fins (below)
appear to resemble yours. See for yourself at Fin CDE-119 Products China Diving Enterprise Co., Ltd.. It's possible that China Diving Enterprise is the Original Equipment Manufacturer of your "Oceanic" fins.
Collectibility depends on the value you attach to the item and they do look like well-maintained fins that will be perfectly serviceable for diving. Their good condition may also be an indication that they are not very old, as the CDE-119 fins above are available new for purchase today. Your fins come with jets resembling those on Scubapro Jet Fins, but Jet Fins have been cloned many times worldwide. If your Oceanic fins have any Fara Fin ancestry, many collectors will associate Fara Fins with the leg-brace models that made them unique.
I might be able to add more information if you let us know what is written on the sole of your fins.
appear to resemble yours. See for yourself at Fin CDE-119 Products China Diving Enterprise Co., Ltd.. It's possible that China Diving Enterprise is the Original Equipment Manufacturer of your "Oceanic" fins.
Collectibility depends on the value you attach to the item and they do look like well-maintained fins that will be perfectly serviceable for diving. Their good condition may also be an indication that they are not very old, as the CDE-119 fins above are available new for purchase today. Your fins come with jets resembling those on Scubapro Jet Fins, but Jet Fins have been cloned many times worldwide. If your Oceanic fins have any Fara Fin ancestry, many collectors will associate Fara Fins with the leg-brace models that made them unique.
I might be able to add more information if you let us know what is written on the sole of your fins.
Bob DBF
Contributor
Before the leg brace, Farafins came with a standard spring strap otherwise they were identical. The biggest drawback was by the time they wore out they were discontinued. My favorite fin of all times.
Bob
Bob
regulator bj
Contributor
The C. D. E. fins have had a tie in with "Farallon" have pix as evidence unable to post image however will Email David Wilson who with fingers crossed will upload on my behalf
john
john
David Wilson
Contributor
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regulator bj
Contributor
Thanks David for the posting
john
john
OP
sisidmarino
Registered
Thanks for the helpful info. Yes, it does say made in Taiwan. Instead of the farallon logo, it's got oceanic stamped on it. I want to use them again and fit spring straps. Just not sure how to remove the original ones and what size/length of strap I need to replace it with. Some say just pry off the metal bits that hook onto the rubber holes. Any thoughts? Afraid I might damage the rubber. Oh, it only cost me A$6 to purchase this pair from a second hand shop so I reckon I'm on to something.
regulator bj
Contributor
Hi,
You can replace the standard fin straps "Trident" have them listed in their catalogue which you can download,
page 332-333 item R557 or you can order via "Amazon" if that easier. Pix att with thanks to David Wilson help
You can replace the standard fin straps "Trident" have them listed in their catalogue which you can download,
The Fara-Fins that David showed above are mine, and I have been experimenting with them over this past winter. I had some of these fins in the 1980s, and ultimately sold them as they simply did not work for me. What I did last year is procure two pair from E-Bay, and experiment with them. One pair had a really bad rip in each fin blade. Well, I decided that would be the pair I would experiment with. So I decided to change the angle of the leg brace on each fin by grinding down the stops. These are not meant to be adjustable, but I have been diving for a very long time, and my ankles are pretty flexible. The original angle of the braces did not work for me. But with the grinding, I got a better angle of attack, and these fins then became very, very good fins. They do place more stress on the knee and the upper thigh when swimming, but more power can be applied to the fins with the braces. I will continue to work with these fins this summer.
I did one other thing too. As an ex-USAF Pararescueman (PJ) we were taught how to stitch up wounds. Well, I used that knowledge on these fins too. I used nylon line rather than thread, and drilled through the blade and rib in order to do the stitching. I then covered the tightened stitches with Shoe-Goo, and allowed it to set. I then did the same to the other side, and then set the fins on edge and applied the Shoe-Goo to the rib. The results were a completely revitalized fin, and now I have two pair of these fins to work with.
SeaRat
I did one other thing too. As an ex-USAF Pararescueman (PJ) we were taught how to stitch up wounds. Well, I used that knowledge on these fins too. I used nylon line rather than thread, and drilled through the blade and rib in order to do the stitching. I then covered the tightened stitches with Shoe-Goo, and allowed it to set. I then did the same to the other side, and then set the fins on edge and applied the Shoe-Goo to the rib. The results were a completely revitalized fin, and now I have two pair of these fins to work with.
SeaRat
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