I didn't want to clutter up the for sale thread so I thought this topic deserved its own spot:
So I picked up a pair of the med/stiff "pargo" carbon fins yesterday along with a pair of the H dessaulst pockets..Dan was kind enough to install them for me and i was very excited to try them having only ever used plastic fins.
upon holding them and messing with them I was very impressed, they really threw everything i had previously thought about carbon fins out of the window. they were flexible, had a high modulus and felt very tough and sturdy. I have read several comparisons of fins and carbon is clearly the best and i had very high hopes, even more after holding the fins in my hand.
We dove the second reef off of meade today..25ft to the top of the reef, 35 to the sand, gently sloping off to 38 in some places...give or take a foot or two.
the foot pockets are a lot harder and a tiny bit tighter than my old garas. they fit well and are pretty much perfect with a 1mm neoprene sock. i would like a 2mm just to make it a little more snug around the toes, but it might not be do-able. that is a small point as they are generally quite comfortable
upon jumping off the yak and cruising around to check the vis, i was struck by how easy it felt to kick and what a huge difference angled blades makes for surface swimming. this alone was a huge improvement.
I dove to check the anchor, make sure it wasn't on any coral or anything, and i was quite impressed with how easily i got to the bottom. I found that i use slightly different muscles when finning which I assume has more to do with the angle than the carbon. throughout the day I was pleased to find myself able to get places easier. that is the simplest way to describe it, I wasn't any better at diving, diving was just easier...i feel like the more i get used to diving with them, the more i will be able to turn it into better diving, as in, by knowing that I can move about easier, particularly on ascent, i will be more relaxed and calm which will turn into longer dives.
the best example i can give was a particular shot. I was diving near the end of the day and had been schooled by small bait fish throughout the day and had considered taking a shot at one as a skill shot. So it was nearing the end of the day and I saw a small rainbow runner, maybe 11 inches hauling ass about 25 ft below the surface. so I dove and found him again and saw his path and tried to predict his movement and the fish saw me so he took off, I started sprinting the way I would with my old fins and damned if I wasn't able to stay with him enough to pull off a very nice stone shot on him as he pushed out to like 15 ft...
he would have been gone daddy gone before.....at the end of the day, they are just fins and are only as good as the diver, BUT, these are without a doubt the best fins available without consideration of the price, and when one does consider that, it is a no-brainer. I look forward to many many dives with them and I highly recommend them to anyone.
EXCEPT that they dont have a name and that makes it very hard to show them the respect they deserve:laughing3:
sorry for being long winded........please post your feelings about these fins below so this can serve as a resource to others considering a big purchase
Glad you liked them :thumbsup1: