Best fin for surface swimming?

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Brian.Bergh

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Best fin for surface swimming? like snorkling or distance swimming?
 
So may I ask you a question ?
Is that fins for swimming or fins for snorkeling ?
For swimming, the best is a monofin (fiberglass or carbon prefered)
For snorkeling with long distance surface fiberglass or carbon stereo fin very flexible
I got a pair of Breier

1162983397_l.jpg


I am very happy with them.
They are custommade
They are very light
They are confortable
They are 78 cm long.

But they are made in France.
The best fins in France are Breier and Guidone (some will say Mas mas also)
I am also looking for a monofin and in the US it seems that I have to go with finswimming.ca
 
Its mostly for snorkling, but i also like to combine my snorkling with some distance swimming to get some excersice and light freediving.
 
So I should go with stereo fin fiberglass very flexible
The most flexible that I now of for Breier are made for snorkeling in 15m (50 feet) deep and surface swimming to 5 km (3miles)

look for these...
Power blades or long fins at finswimming

Oh, I will go in hell I forgot to mention C4 as a very good brand for freediving fins (carbon and made in italy)

If you want to go plastic, (IMO not a good choice except if you don't take care of your gear) you can look for the Cressi GARA or the sporasub dessault (I got one pair too) but more high stiffness than fiberglass
 
The question isn't what fin is best overall but which fin is best for you. Many people on this forum rave about particular styles and brands because they have discovered the kind that suits them best. That doesn't mean that they are best for you. To find out what is best for you, you need to run through various criteria. You may also have to beg and borrow a number of fin types and try them out to narrow down the choice, so that you don't make an inappropriate, painful and expensive selection.

Start with the footpocket and consider fit and comfort. Many divers here are strong advocates of open-heel fins and dismiss closed-heel fins as warm-water wear. They will argue that open-heel fins offer more protection, because they are generally worn over a suit, socks or other footwear. But closed-heel fins can be worn with protective footwear too, they don't have to be worn over bare feet. The closed-heel Apollo fin is meant to be worn with protective footwear. If you get the chance, try both open and closed-heel fins and see which suits you and the activity you are using them with. What matters is fit and comfort. The fins shouldn't be too tight or too loose. Remember that fins do come in different sizes, but only one width. Trying them on first is therefore a good idea.

Now the blades. The earliest skin divers used short blades, and this is also the preference of modern bodyboard surfers, who of course swim on the surface of the sea in choppy conditions. Such fins give them manoeuvrability, which is also an advantage when fins are used in snorkelling and the idea is short light bursts of finning rather than sustained speed. Endurance is also likely to be something you want to consider when snorkelling or distance swimming. Traditional full-foot training fins with soft, short blades are popular with swimmers because they provide exercise without tiring or cramping the wearer. And yes, do consider long-bladed fins too, which free divers appreciate because they need the option of raw speed to get them down into the depths as quickly as possible.

What you need to do is to define the problem you have set more carefully. First, what exactly do you mean by snorkelling? Is this going to be a gentle activity where the point is to observe what is going on beneath the waves and to make a few, simple forays below the surface? Or are you planning to go chasing around after sealife, expending lots of energy? Different fins are appropriate for different purposes. Just as there isn't such a thing as a "one-size-fits-all" fin", there isn't such a thing as a universal, all-round fin; those that claim to be the latter are effectively a compromise. Power fins are going to be very tiring if used over an extended period. Fins that are good for manoeuvrability or endurance won't give you the turns of speed you may want at certain points in your snorkelling or distance swimming.

So it's over to you again. To sum up: find out which fins fit you best first. Consider whether you want to wear them barefoot or over foot protection. Consider what kind of water activity you are planning before deciding which stiffness and length of blade suits your purpose. And, for the record, I prefer simple, traditional, full-foot, medium-bladed rubber fins when I go snorkelling in the North Sea. They fit perfectly over my drysuit and match the gentle floating and occasional slow underwater forays I do. Your priorities may well be different and you will therefore choose other kinds of fins. Don't just follow the crowd, follow a more precise definition of your problem through to its solution. You won't regret your eventual choice then. Fins are a very personal item of gear, just as masks are.
 
Hey David, nice write about the selection of fins.

being a freediver... I caught your statement "..which free divers appreciate because they need the option of raw speed to get them down into the depths as quickly as possible."

and have to let you and others know that it's not a matter of getting to the depths with raw speed as quickly as possible but rather getting to the depths as "efficiently" as possible. Granted, long bladed fins can be and usually are super fast.. being only surpassed in speed by the monofin, there use in freediving is more about getting vertical distance with the least amount of energy expelled and that doesn't translate to getting to depths as fast as possible.

You're absolutely right... fins are a very personal item of gear... and what works for one may be absolutely poor for another.
 
Thanks for the positive feedback, holdingmybreath. I stand corrected in the matter of freediving fins :) I've often found that when a problem arises in my work (teaching), defining and breaking down that problem can lead to its effective resolution. Jumping to the answer without defining the question properly first may be quicker, but is likely to prove ineffective in the long run.

David
 
Brian, long fins are not much good for surface swimming. A strong swimmer can cover a large distance but at a price. Some split fins might work but particular brands like Tusa have such large offset to the blades that they break the surface. The Apollo Uni might be OK. Wilson mentioned it. This full foot fin is short, easy to kick, and much more efficient than any paddle fin; well, except for a few and I will speak to that. The exceptions are made by Oceanic, Aeris and Mares. Of these, performance numbers are all close and ergonomic factors would likely prevail. You might want to start off by trying out the Mares Avanti Tre full foot fin. Get a size large enough to accomodate socks (not boots).

There are others almost as good as the above. There have been surprising developments in fin technology. A generation ago, the "jet" type fin was favored by the majority. However, following on this, it was discovered that fins with very soft center panels or split panels could produce high speed with reduced effort, substantially reduced. At the same time, Europeans have been tinkering with the "long blade". This type of fin is intended for use by deep free divers and many claims have been made, but the only thing close to substantiating these claims are deep diving records by professional athletes. Freedivers do believe in them. Cressi and others started designing with rubber, then plastics including composites. Actual tests of long fins as recently as two years ago, show them to be clumsy and slow. I agree with this. However, I have not had the opportunity to self test the new composite or glass fins. I don't know about monofins but the idea is not appealing to me. I suggest you not do anything radical. Look for a comfortable, flexible, full foot fin, not too large, not too small. Price is relative but the lowest cost, highest performance fin is the Oceanic Caribe X. A higher priced high efficiency fin would include the Uni, Atomic and possibly some long fins with the newest tech.
 
I have a pair of US Divers Passport full foot pocket fins that I like a lot for surface swimming. I've used them as my snorkeling fins for about 10 years. They're not composite, graphite or kevlar, they just work good for snorkeling and surface swimming and are fairly cheap-compared to freediver fins they're really cheap.

I've tried lots of others, including long free diver fins and I like these, these are my second pair.
 
I will add the Cressi "Free Frog". I have never used them and I don't recall seeing any high test ratings but some divers really praise them.
 

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