Cressi-sub Gara 3000HF vs 3000LD

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kirkryan

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Hello everyone! I am in the market to purchase some longfins for freediving. I have done a lot of research on these two fins and they look as though they should fit my needs/budget. I am, however, still wondering as to which stiffness to purchase. The Cressi sales rep told me that there is a 5% stiffness difference between the two and that I would probably not be able to tell the difference unless I was a professional freediver (which I am obviously not!). Does anyone out there have any experience with these fins? If so, could you give me some input as to which pair to purchase and why? I am used to diving/freediving with Cressi's Spacefrog One's, which to me are a bit stiff but only take my ankles about a day to catch up to them at which point I am glad to have the stiffness on reserve to chase sea turtles and sharks.

Thanks for your help!!
 
As a freedive instructor I always ask my students, what their intended goals are fro freediving, how strong are they, their physical conditioning, etc. Stiff fins aren't always better - no matter what the gonzo freedivers will tell you. If you plan on being in the water all day, you will be thankful you have softer blades. Now, I gave up plastic blades earlier this year and haven't looked back, but my recommendation is always go with the softer blade - it makes for a more enjoyable time in the water. Myt latest student tried my glass composite blades and it was a revelation for him compared to his OMER plastic blades. He already ordered a pair for himself... YMMV though on run of the mill long blades... But Cressi does make a decent long blade...
 
Believe me, I wish I had 300 bucks to spend on some nice fiber blades! But for now, I can pick the Cressi's up for around 100 and spend the rest on boat trips to use them!!! I do tend to be a bit overly aggressive when I free dive which I think is limiting my breath hold time. I am averaging two minutes at the present time and am always trying to better that. I am an avid weightlifter so I don't see the wimping out excuse in my future for ankle soreness, but I do see your point about the extended days in the water. My real worry is that the 3000 LD's are going to be like wet noodles if I really get into them.
 
I have a pair, but there's not a single word besides '3000' on them, so I wouldn't know the difference between HF and LD.

OTOH, they are very comfortable for a long blade, and I wear them without any neoprene socks or similar, barefoot. Blades are just about right for what I need, 20 m being the maximum depth I would go.

It does help a bit if you work out, or at least do some kind of an exercise on a regular basis, I guess. Various types of squats and dead lifts can help you with that, I guarantee. :)
 
kirkryan:
Believe me, I wish I had 300 bucks to spend on some nice fiber blades! But for now, I can pick the Cressi's up for around 100 and spend the rest on boat trips to use them!!! I do tend to be a bit overly aggressive when I free dive which I think is limiting my breath hold time. I am averaging two minutes at the present time and am always trying to better that. I am an avid weightlifter so I don't see the wimping out excuse in my future for ankle soreness, but I do see your point about the extended days in the water. My real worry is that the 3000 LD's are going to be like wet noodles if I really get into them.

Agressiveness is the antithesis of freediving - most who practice the sport also do yoga which is relaxation and mental focus - not brute force. I think the major issue most believe is that freediving is about powering down and back up. I myself am stocky by genetic makeup - and I use to weight lift heavy weights thinking it was doing me good - WRONG! These days, I weightlift doing light weight and 20-40 reps each per micro circuit. Bulk actually is a hinderence when freediving due to elevated metabolism which consumes oxygen stores faster.

Also remember that a proper kick cycle for freediving is fluid, not jerky - hydrodynamicism is crucial for efficient freediving. A proper descent would be a properly executed duck dive and then 10 kick cycles would get you to about 10 meters - where you should be neutrally buoyant. After that, gravity should do the rest of the work for you.

In reality, unless you have an absolute reason to have stiff blades, I would still consider the LF's - lactic acid burn from acidosis in the muscles not only robs you of precious oxygen stores, but overly stiff fins fubar's proper finning technique.

Holdinmybreath might chime in on this discussion to lend his insights as well...
 
I have a pair, but there's not a single word besides '3000' on them, so I wouldn't know the difference between HF and LD.
 
Good point though about being aggressive. I didn't mean that I swim around like a crazy person I guess I am just stressed about picking the right fin and didn't word my post correctly. I am sure that I would be happy with either pair but if anyone else has any experience with them, it would be much appreciated.
 
Ok, then I've got the HF's.
 
kirkryan:
the 3000 LD's are grey and the 3000 HF's are black

Cressi has had a fair bit of flux with the 3000 fins in the last few years.

The 3000s I got in 2003 were stiffer than I like, actually stiffer than the Gara 2000 HF fins I had used for many years. Yes, I know the catalog said the opposite, but kicking fins is believing.

Since they have discontinued the black 3000 (HF) and now only make the 3000 LD, which may have finally stabilized in blade stiffness. But many I see in stores are still of variable flexibility. They seem to flex more evenly throughout the entire blade, and will probably be good fins for the price range. Typically Cressi has always sorted out the new model inconsistencies within about a year, but if I were buying today I would want to kick them first.

BTW, I went back to Gara 2000 HF fins which have many die-hard fans.

Chad (former Cressi-sub dealer.)
 

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