Freediving class fins

    Hill raiser, what do you mean by "jack up carbon fins"? damage them?


    There are a lot of misconceptions about fins in general and carbon fins specifically. In the case of Pursuit carbon fins durability is not an issue. Another one being that carbon will benefit you only if you dive deep. Carbon is great for surface swimming, it's so light and fast you don't get nearly as tired as you would with plastic fins, and we all swim on the surface regardless of how deep we dive. Size 13 foot is not something to be concerned about when it comes to footpockets. If I were to make a footpocket recommendation I'd ask for your actual foot length anyways.

    I've been using my carbon fins for 10 months now around bridges in the keys and reefs here in ft. laudy they get scratches and scuffs but can take a beating. Like Dan said they work great for surface swimming and require minimal effort which is nice when it comes time to dive your heart isn't racing from struggling to swim across the top. I regularly use them to beach dive out to the second reef here, which from my best guess on google earth is about 700yds one way.

    Quote from Dan

    Hill raiser, what do you mean by "jack up carbon fins"? damage them?


    There are a lot of misconceptions about fins in general and carbon fins specifically. In the case of Pursuit carbon fins durability is not an issue. Another one being that carbon will benefit you only if you dive deep. Carbon is great for surface swimming, it's so light and fast you don't get nearly as tired as you would with plastic fins, and we all swim on the surface regardless of how deep we dive. Size 13 foot is not something to be concerned about when it comes to footpockets. If I were to make a footpocket recommendation I'd ask for your actual foot length anyways.



    Yeah, I think that the carbon fins will get scratched and beat up unnecessarily during the pool sessions. During the class, there is not much surface swimming or any dynamic apnea. There are some dives in the deep end pool and some rescue swimming. The fins are making contact w/ the sides and bottom of the pool. It's unavoidable. For the purpose of the class (not training) I wouldn't want to be using $350+ fins.

    During my PFI class, I didn't hear any specific gear recommendations (except for the Aqua Sphere mask), but 3 out of the 4 instructors that were there were using C4 fins.

    Dan Is there possibly some kind of film that could be put on carbon fins temporarily to prevent them from getting minor scratches like in a pool session? something similar to a screen protector on a cellphone?

    You can take vinyl with adhesive backing used for sign making, it comes in many colors even reflective/holographic, and apply it to the blade surface. You can also use car window tint, it's more scratch resistant than sign vinyl. But I wouldn't bother with a protective coating. If you notice the Pursuit blades are glossy, you can actually see objects reflected on the surface of the blade.



    The gloss is a nice layer of epoxy protecting the carbon underneath. I've never seen a scratch go deep enough through the epoxy to damage the carbon. With superficial scratches the fin is no longer pristine looking, but that's it, functionality is not affected. Fins are a tool and you can't expect them to continue looking like new if you're getting good use out of them, what's important is functionality. In any case scratches disappear in the water.


    I'll take your word for it about the fins getting scratched in the pool. I've never used fins in a pool other than to briefly test them, and never plan to. Me and my friends use carbon fins on the reef, push off the bottom etc. they get scratched but it doesn't affect the fin's performance.

    I don't protest my truck bed or my fins, but there is a clear film product called StarShield, to use to protect paint
    on trucks and cars.


    Cheers, Don

    "Great mother ocean brought forth all life, it is my eternal home'' Don Berry from Blue Water Hunters.


    Spearfishing Store the freediving and spearfishing equipment specialists.

    Edited once, last by Don Paul ().

    Dan, I used your Pursuit fins for PFI last week. Hill, Carbon fins aren't fragile and the performance gap between them and fiberglass is huge. The only difference is that in order to get the stiffness, the fiberglass needs more epoxy and glass fibers, thus making them heavier than carbon fiber. I haven't seen Carbon fins snap in half, but I've seen fiberglass fins do that (Spetton Mat-Mas + 250lb diver). I have seen Carbon fins get damaged by kicking things with the tips.


    The instructors were all wearing C4 Mustangs with stiffness 40. Way too stiff for me in all day diving.


    Lastly, my Pursuit carbon fins are the most comfortable fins I've worn, including Cressi Gara 3000s and Edge fiberglass + Omer Milleniums. C4 mustangs (shoe shaped pocket) are high on the comfort list as well.

    I have used my pursuit's for almost eleven months now 90% of the time shorediving on shallow reefs since I'm not a deep diver and they get a lot of abuse and the real benefit for me is that even tho I don't dive very deep it's not uncommon for me to be in the water for up to 8-9 hours and that's a lot of swimming. My calves and ankles used to hurt after a few hours with the plastic fins (garas 2000) and even my old omer bat 20's but not anymore with the pursuit's 90's on pathos footpockets. Also a few battle scars on the fin just give them character.:D Also can't beat the price and the fact that Dan will go to great lenghts to fit you with a blade/footpocket combo that's right for you, something that you won't get from many dive shops or mailorders.

    Quote from fishingdude

    lol well its not that I dont think good fins are important, but theres a certain point where your equipment will limit you, until you hit that point, which I havn't hit yet with my fins, I dont think that I need to spend $300 on CF fins.


    As far as the technique vs. gear goes all I can say is that William Trubridge ( has great technique) just dove no fins farther than 99.9% of people can with the best CF fins on the market. See you dont need good fins to go deep :) :D


    Nobody asked me, but I have to agree with you. Back in the day (circa 1960's} we used Cressi and USdivers fins, Squali mask, "spelling?" and a simple $1.50 or less J snorkel. We wore a bathing suit, and maybe we might wear a t-shirt, maybe. No such thing as a rash guard. We got stung by bits of Man of war,, you get used to it. a left handed work glove, a speargun that my dad made, and that was it. And a powerhead. With all that now inferior gear we took more hog and bugs and Jew fish, and grouper than you would ever believe. We kept it simple, but we were good at what we did. Keep it simple. That was our advice then and it is my advice now as I prepare to return to the sport. That said, I agree with Dan on comfort. Comfort is the most important of all. If you have gear that works well and you like it, you have good gear. Save your money.
    Now, having said all of that, there have been some worthwhile improvements in gear, and I am already taking advantage of those improvements, but what I won't do is split hairs at the top of the quality spectrum. It's just too expensive and not worth the added bucks.
    Also, I no longer will spear lobsters, as I have reformed.

    With all this discussion, exactly how do you fit your foot size to a pocket. I have a size 91/2 foot and I usually ware a Argos sock. I'm told to always go a size up, so my foot pocket would be a 101/2 which would be a 44-45 (10 - 11) pocket size. I have also been told to get the tightest pocket you can put your foot into. Like a 42-43 (8 - 9) pocket. What is some of your experiences.

    Footpockets from different manufacturers vary widely in terms of what size foot the indicated numbers actually fit. The situation gets further confused because all footpocket manufacturers are European so they loosely translate the European sizes to US sizes. To top it off mistakes are made and footpocket molds are too expensive to remake just to change a number on the sole. For example Pathos footpockets size 46-48 indicate 8.5-10 at the same time, that's a huge discrepancy.


    So, I go by the European numbers, and use them for reference only. I have guys measure the actual length and width of their foot, and keep a list of which footpockets fit them. It's the only sure way to go. In your case you'd measure your foot wearing whatever sock you're going to be using. Put a ruler against the wall and stand on it with your heel against the wall, measure where the furthest toe ends. Also measure the width of your foot at the widest part.


    It's true that you should choose a snug fitting footpocket, but not so tight that it's uncomfortable.

    Quote from spearwolf

    With all this discussion, exactly how do you fit your foot size to a pocket. I have a size 91/2 foot and I usually ware a Argos sock. I'm told to always go a size up, so my foot pocket would be a 101/2 which would be a 44-45 (10 - 11) pocket size. I have also been told to get the tightest pocket you can put your foot into. Like a 42-43 (8 - 9) pocket. What is some of your experiences.


    try different ones on, the rubber materials are different as well as the dimensions of each footpocket. Dan can probably help you out the most, especially if you measure your foot. Personally I like it to fit snug without restricting blood flow. a loose pocket results in a loss of power transfer ie: less efficient


    edit: Dan posted before I could. Listen to him he knows his stuff

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