I'm currently using open heel scuba fins which I have used for around 5 years now, but after deciding to get more serious with my training and depth of diving I've decided I would benefit from upgrading my fins. I don't want to buy a set that I will be throwing out any time soon however I don't have heaps of cash at the moment either. I am interested in any opinions or reviews people have on diveR's, or anything similar and also any advice on foot pockets would be great.

So I have been thinking of buying a set of fins like these. http://www.spearfishing.com.au/gear/pro ... m_ONE_Fins
and then saving up to buy some diveR or similar blades in the future.
The reason for buying these fins is that as far as I can tell they have delta one foot pockets, which would cost $120 to buy on there own.. Which is the same price as these fins including foot pockets.

I have been reading anything I can find about different types of blades and their pro's and con's and so far it seems that plastic is the lowest quality and performing, then glass fibre being significantly better performing, and carbon fibre being better again but with more risks of breakage and damage. I do a lot of rock hopping, often in not the best conditions so durability would be a factor, and from what I can tell the performance difference in carbon fibre opposed to glass fibre is outweighed by the longer lifetime and durability of glass fibre?
The other thing that seems to be a big deciding factor seems to be the size and presence of rails, and I have seen a few people saying that they don't like diveR's because they experience the fins slipping from not having rails, has anyone experienced this?

If anyone can offer their opinion or experience that would be a great help so thanks in advance

Ya - you wont regret the move from scuba fins to long blade free diving fins (well, you will for the first month or so until your ankles get used to it).

Id almost be inclined to say go for a plastic fin first and then buy carbon or FG later if you feel the need, given that plastic will be more durable around rock and reef than carbon.

Those fins there, the Salvimar ones.... look weird. They might be great, or given that they're missing pieces they might not be.... don't get caught up with fancy science sounding sales talk like parabolic flex and what have you. They're likely cheap for a reason. If you're planning on replacing the blade then sure... why not.

I've got a set of Cressi 2000HF's which are a plastic composite - cheap, rigid and durable. Lots of thrust and virtually indestructible. Ill make the move to carbon one day... I just dont feel my current level of diving quite warrants the outlay... yet

Different brands of pockets suit different shape feet. So it is better if you can try out someone else's pockets or go to shop and try a few different ones on (with booties), to see which feel more comfortable.

IMO fin performance affects the distance I cover more than the depth I dive.

If you plan to be battling through strong currents or covering a lot of ground (+1km) in session then it is worth the FB / CF but if your not the plastic will suffice.

I went the road of getting plastic fins in pockets I could upgrade but still haven't got around to doing it. The plastics blades have good zip to begin with but that dulls with time. I tend to choose my conditions / locations so I don't have to swim so much anyway.

DiveRs are a great fin. Penetrator fins is another aussie brand. Beyond that it is a bit of an advertising pissing contest, they are all going to do the job.

Ossk I see what your saying about the cheaper fins being good enough, and a big step up from scuba fins. And like you said the salvimar fins do look a bit dodgy with the holes in them, but I know someone with a pair that they don't use as they hurt their feet so I might have a closer look at them and the foot pockets.

And thanks Dilwad I have heard that, and I've also read about some of the different foot pockets working well and not so well with different blades, so diveR's being recommended on delta one foot pockets (among a few others) was another reason so buy the salvimars. I have had a look at penetrator fins too and they look nice, one of the carbon blades on their site had a warning not to use for rock hopping which kind of put me off, but I guess their other fins should be quiet durable. But I do like the sound of FG fins from what ive been reading so ideally I would like to get them down the track if possible.

Thanks for the responses guys if there is anyone that dives with diveR fins and could give their opinion on if they think the upgrade is worthwhile? I have currently only dived to 15m (up at Eden) as that was all my float line would allow, but I am keen to get my abilities up to around the 20m mark if possible so not sure if that changes things at all. Thanks again for the responses

When purchasing your fins make sure you take into account your height, strength and fitness. I am 5 foot 9, 175cms, and was previously using a stiff plastic fin with a stiff pocket and found that I would run out of gas pretty quick on my drops because each kick would take a lot of energy. That being said, I got really quite strong and fit in the legs over 6 months. But I was pool training for a dive trip as well. Take into account how much diving you'll be doing so you can pick a stiffness of fin blade to match your strength. After one trip to the coral sea I upgraded to carbon DiveR. The regular DiveR composite fibreglass blades are slightly longer and a tad stiffer than the carbon versions. I think the fibreglass come in different stiffnesses. The stiff ones are for serious deep who are pretty tall and strong. But I think the long fibreglass blades are a bit long for Vic conditions. I took into account that I am not the fittest or tallest diver so I went for the softer carbon blades that are the same length as regular freediving fins. I also chose the Omer Stingray footpockets because of their comfort and flexibility. To counteract the load on my ankles I use fin keepers which I think makes a huge difference. The DiveR carbons might be a little supple for guys 6 foot and up and those with really strong legs and great fitness - not that they are super soft or anything. The combo that I have now is absolutely perfect for me and it improved my bottom time heaps. Although, I'm not the kind of diver that likes to swim around everywhere on long surface swims. Much prefer drifting and lying on the bottom. Hope this helps confuse even more. Cheers.

Thanks old salt, I recently tried some stiff plastic fins in a pool and they seemed quite stiff and dull. That info has helped and the carbon fibre dive R's sound great! I haven't been able to find them for sale anywhere to even have a look at though.. But I do a bit of swimming in current and sometimes decent distances so I think the dive R's would do me pretty well, so maybe I will look at a few foot pockets and buy a set of plastic fins with foot pockets that I can later upgrade to dive R's, I'll let you guys know what I think of the salvimars for their price if I end up getting them too
One last question haha, has anyone heard of if the longer dive R blades are an issue in rougher conditions? I wear pretty bulky scuba fins atm and manage so I'm hoping longer thinner blades wouldn't be any worse

I have the medium fibreglass blade DiveRs and I wear my on every dive now, whether I'm stuffing around in 1m of water pegging flatties, wrangling crays along the coast or flashing for kings out wide and deep. They are a top fin, super comfy and can take an absolute flogging. Wore out a foot pocket but that's it. Worth the purchase imo

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+1 on the diveR's, I use a medium carbon pair and love them!

Thanks for the good reviews on them guys I've got the salvimars in the mail now and will upgrade the blades to dive R's sometime this summer and post how i find them with the delta one foot pockets Thanks again for the responses

One thing not mentioned is the blade angle.
Ray Powell (who makes DiveR fins) recommended the Immersion foot pockets. These really kick the fin back at a strong angle. I do a lot of bottom mooching, crawling through kelp and hiding behind rocks, and the high angle on these blades make them a delight to use. My fins never snag the bottom. The blades don't get all that scratched either. And they seem to swim just as well on the surface and in the midwater.

Being a small person, I got Ray to make me up some "mini" blades. They are about 35 - 40 mm shorter. I have them, as well as a pair with the standard length blades. Both seem to perform pretty much the same so, longer is not neccessarily better.

Ric

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Ric Fallu started spearfishing in Pt Phillip in the early 1960s, and never really stopped

A few years ago I rolled my right ankle playing rugby twice in one season. Now I cant point my foot/toes flat with my right foot as good as my left.
I currently have some river2reef marlin open heel fins which have zero angle on the blade. I assume that the decent angle on the immersion foot pockets would make for more comfortable diving on my dodgy ankle?

I have omer stingray pockets that have a decent angle and are soft. I have an ongoing strain on the front of my foot from training too hard in stiff fins in the pool with straight angle foot pockets. I find the angle on the stingray pockets does help with that. And now that I am conscious of it I concentrate more on keeping my hips lower and not letting the fins break the surface. But I reckon using fin keepers helps the most for me. I think the fin keepers transfer some of the force on my ankle and front of foot to the leg. Some guys don't like them though as they can be tight and bring on cramp in the arch of the foot.

Thanks Ric, I thought that the angle was decided more by the blade itself rather than the foot pocket but intersting to hear that, ill have to see how i go when i put the diveRs into the delta one pockets i have. But with the System one fins i ended up getting i have taken them out once and they are definitely massively better than open heel! i did feel a lot of pain from the change but my feet seemed to go numb after about an hour so was alright from there on.
As for the ankle injury i wouldnt know but i guess trial and error would be the only way to know for sure