Some questions...

Recommendations on some freediving fins? Nothing competitive I just don't like using my clunky scuba fins and I am sort of trying to get into spearing in a completely non-hardcore kind of way (think gigging flounder).

How can I work on my form besides by making my buddy watch and critique me? Example: the other day I noted that he was wasting a lot of movement with his shoulders upon ascent and told him so.

If you have access to underwater video, have your buddy film you and then critique yourself.

Sorry, I have no advice on freediving fins, but depending on what you're using I might be able to help with less clunky scuba fins.

No underwater video :frown:
I can feel that I am doing something wrong and wasting a lot of movement and energy on my surface dives but I have no idea what. As for fins I have a pair of Genesis Aquaflex, a pair of Aqualung Pulse (old), and some old old rockets. The Aquaflex's are pretty flexy so they are not my favorite scuba fin but I do wear them for freediving sometimes but they are also the ones I wear with my drysuit boots so they are my clunkiest. My Pulses are a very stiff (my favorite, why must everybody be a sissy and wear flexy fins for scuba instead of learning to kick properly?) warmwater fin and the foot pockets are just as clunky. The rockets are short and negatively bouyant.

If you like the stiff pulses, I bet you'd be happy with Mares Plana Avantis or Quattros. They're pretty stiff, but they have great thrust and control if you have good form.

If you want to head up to the South Shore of MA for a dive some time, you can try out my wife's pair, and I'll shoot some digital clips for you.

Any good fitting full foot freedive fin should work fine as long as the stiffness matches your leg strength. It's amazing how much energy is lost in an open heeled fin. I use gara 3000 for warm water and pool and picasso black team for cold water diving.

So I recomend an affordable full foot freedive fin that fits well. Take it to the pool or ocean often and work on your form. You might be surprised to find that how you streamline your body as you move through the water factors more than fin type?

ZAquaman:

So I recomend an affordable full foot freedive fin that fits well. Take it to the pool or ocean often and work on your form. You might be surprised to find that how you streamline your body as you move through the water factors more than fin type?

Click to expand...

I was not suggesting that my choice of fins had anything to do with my poor form, hence the title "Some Questions".

Regarding freedive fins - that is like trying to pick out underwear to give to someone - more times than not, the recommendation is not quite on the mark.

Here are some general guidelines:

IF you want more compliant fins, look at Cressi 3000's - have heard they are great for divers looking for a softer blade fin. IF you have the money, look at the Waterway #1's or #2's (I have the #2's and they are wonderful - a glass composite material made in Eastern Europe) Stiffer fins can be had just about anywhere - Mares, Sporasub, Picasso, Omer all make plastic fins that in my opinion are too stiff for all except the stronger diver. I dove Picasso Black Teams for several years and come to find out they were killing my technique due to the lack of flex in them.

Foot POckets: If you have narrower feet - look at the Cressi's for sure. Very compliant pocket I have heard that is comfortable even bare foooted. IF you wider feet like I do, look at Omer or Picasso (I love my Picasso foot pockets) The cold mold rubber they use is the stiffest I have found to date.

Replaceable blades: Omer and Picasso Make fins that have user replaceable blades. If you go with the Waterway blades, they can be purchased with Omer foot pockets.

Plastic -vs- Glass -vs- Carbonfiber: There is a never ending debate on this one - I've dove with plastic and Glass composite and swear by the glass blades - I'll probably never dive plastic blades again. I know of freedivers who swear by carbon, but I can't justify the price of admission to get a pair.

As far as video goes - I highly recommend it as a tool for improving technique. It's what was used to discover my BT fins were killing my technique when I trained with Aharon Solomons earlier this year and is what I use now when I teach a freedive course.

Cliff, do you teach in Eugene?

Perhaps I'm not understanding what you're after here? I'm sure you have great form Gidds, I was just suggesting that the fins are not the #1 factor in freediving? If you want to see video, search for video on "dynamic with fins" competition. You'll see a lot of varriations in finning technique here. There are also "fin swimming" competitions but I'm not too familiar with those.

Here are some starting points to consider when looking for a freediving fin.

You'll need to get "fin socks" for full foot fins if you're diving in cold water. The trick is getting a fin with a foot pocket that matches your foot and fin sock. It's hard to try these fins on because there are not a lot of stores that stock fins. The second factor is stiffness. Don't get a fin that's too stiff.

Here are some freedive fin manufactures:
Cressi
Omer
Water Way
Picasso
Sporosub
Specialfins
etc.

Prices range from $80.00 to over $400.00

I have Cressi freediving fins. they are so long that I have to duck tape them to my dive bag for air travel....

fantastic fins, but your legs will cramp a bit before you get used to them.

People can't freedive in drysuits, can they?