Caribe Fins

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bubba105

Contributor
Messages
528
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Location
New York City
# of dives
500 - 999
Bought caribe fins for myself and the ball and chain (I'm such a tough guy when she's not around :D ) after hearing about the control of full foot fins and noticing that vertually ALL the DM in the tropics wearing them. We went with Oceanic Caribes because Scuba Lab gave them a good review and I (here I go sucking up) trust Oceanic, they make good stuff. Anyway, we both love the fins but the fins are developing fatigue (for lack of a better word) in the plastic, in all 4 of the fins. It's like they were bent too far, the plastic is white at the stress point on the blade, almost where it meets the foot pocket. The fins have about 40 dives on them now but I began to notice the stress after about 20 dives. The ball :D flits around, taking pictures of everything, in every direction, while I, remaining stationary, watch in amazement as she blows through her tank, so it's not that I'm abusing the fins. Has this happened to anyone else? Is this the reason they went to a caribe X? I'd really like to stay with the caribe, even if it means buying new caribe X's but we dive tropics only and I'd hate to have to buy replacements somewhere out of the way and get stuck with something that doesn't meet the ball's :D satisfaction:( . Going to Palau soon, need to resolve this situation. Any help, thanks.
 
One of my Caribes shows the same thing. No problems with performance so far. Oceanic says that the changes incorporated in the Caribe X are "cosmetic".
 
About 12 years ago, Sporasub/Dessault was selling their long fins through Biller. Any color could be ordered except dark blue. Light blue was available and green, red, black,etc. Biller had the dark blue fins in stock but would only sell them on special order. The reason: the dark blue fins would craze or crack. It has occurred to me that the so called cosmetic change to CaribeX fins may be related to the purple plastic which is used on the original.
 
Thanks for getting back so quickly, Pescador. I suspect you may be right about the crazing of the plastic. I've checked the fins out thoroughly and there doesn't seem to be any real damage, just the cosmetics. Something I'll definitely keep an eye on.
 
Hi bubba,
This is the first I heard of that problem arising. I guess that's why being on Scuba board is an education. Is the fin separating from the foot pocket? If so Oceanic does have a lifetime warranty against that for the original owner. For more information on warranties for oceanic products you can go to their website and click on the owner services area. I am going to have to call our rep and see if he has heard of anything like that happening to the Caribe fins.
 
If it were one fin I'd say it was me but this is 4 fins. Like I said before, the fins perform well. I'm very cautious when it comes to equipment, Mr. Murphy seems to like calling on me when I give him the opportunity. I just wanted to put the subject out there to avoid a catastrophy. With my luck I'd break a fin on the first dive of a 3 pack in Palau and have to listen to things such as "I didn't know there were that many mantas on the planet". If you catch my drift.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

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