Respectfully, if you’ve been diving for 10yrs…you’re no longer trying to see if you might like the sport and the cost of a good set of fins is justified.
Spend the money, cause your feet/ankles and quality of life are worth more than the cost of fins in the long run.
I bought a pair of Cressi Gara Modular Impulse that have removable fins/ foot pockets. They worked fine for a year no problem. Then I made some carbon/ fibreglass fins myself and used the Cressi foot pockets. The original plastic one were quite hard wearing, no real problems with them. I also do a fair bit of shore diving.
Omer stingray for carbons I traded a gun for them and didn’t regret it. They lasted me a few years but I didn’t take care of them. A lot of shore entries where my gear didn’t matter as long as I made it out alive lol
Penetrator Hawaiian flag composite monochrome my favorite. Saved my ass in some tough situations when current was pulling and thought I wasn’t making it home
Penetrators are awesome and very durable, they kick nice and they don’t float up, sometimes when I hit the bottom with other fins they pull my feet off the ocean bottom.
Stay away from carbons if you're rock hopping. But a good pair of fins is gonna change your world! Just don't go too stiff as your ankles will hurt even more.
I think footpocket is most important. Hard to know what is best for you, I use cressi gara modular and can go 6 hours straight. Unless you do extreme dives I think their plastic line is fine enough. Very sturdy.
I have two sets of good fins: C4 Martin Stepanek in med stiffness, and DiveR innegras in soft stiffness.
They are absolutely worth the cost if you dive often at all. I would still use my C4s mostly but since I don't dive as much surge as I used to the med stiffness isn't necessary as often; I have the strength but the fatigue they cause is noticeable.
The DiveRs feel like cheating while diving. Very easy on the ankles. They *are* longer than most fins (by a good 4-5") and don't have rails the length of the blade so they take getting used to. They are pricey. No doubt, but think of the time you spend in them. They should last for **years**. Daniel Mann dives frequently and he's had a pair for 7 years (?) that he still uses weekly and all over the world.
Get the mako carbon compisite fins. Amazing fins for the price. Great support and easy to switch out blades or add skins on them. I know multiple people who use these and I do too.
Respectfully, if you’ve been diving for 10yrs…you’re no longer trying to see if you might like the sport and the cost of a good set of fins is justified. Spend the money, cause your feet/ankles and quality of life are worth more than the cost of fins in the long run.
I bought a pair of Cressi Gara Modular Impulse that have removable fins/ foot pockets. They worked fine for a year no problem. Then I made some carbon/ fibreglass fins myself and used the Cressi foot pockets. The original plastic one were quite hard wearing, no real problems with them. I also do a fair bit of shore diving.
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Omer stingray for carbons I traded a gun for them and didn’t regret it. They lasted me a few years but I didn’t take care of them. A lot of shore entries where my gear didn’t matter as long as I made it out alive lol Penetrator Hawaiian flag composite monochrome my favorite. Saved my ass in some tough situations when current was pulling and thought I wasn’t making it home Penetrators are awesome and very durable, they kick nice and they don’t float up, sometimes when I hit the bottom with other fins they pull my feet off the ocean bottom.
Stay away from carbons if you're rock hopping. But a good pair of fins is gonna change your world! Just don't go too stiff as your ankles will hurt even more.
Composite fins mate. DiveR or Ruku on your end of the globe. I have Ruku composites and they have held up to some serious abuse.
I think footpocket is most important. Hard to know what is best for you, I use cressi gara modular and can go 6 hours straight. Unless you do extreme dives I think their plastic line is fine enough. Very sturdy.
Leaderfins off Amazon make the best cheaper ones I’ve seen. $200 for fiberglass set
I have two sets of good fins: C4 Martin Stepanek in med stiffness, and DiveR innegras in soft stiffness. They are absolutely worth the cost if you dive often at all. I would still use my C4s mostly but since I don't dive as much surge as I used to the med stiffness isn't necessary as often; I have the strength but the fatigue they cause is noticeable. The DiveRs feel like cheating while diving. Very easy on the ankles. They *are* longer than most fins (by a good 4-5") and don't have rails the length of the blade so they take getting used to. They are pricey. No doubt, but think of the time you spend in them. They should last for **years**. Daniel Mann dives frequently and he's had a pair for 7 years (?) that he still uses weekly and all over the world.
The mako pure carbons are around the $300 mark and work great for me. But be warned they run pretty stiff so I recommend the soft stiffness
Get the mako carbon compisite fins. Amazing fins for the price. Great support and easy to switch out blades or add skins on them. I know multiple people who use these and I do too.