Recently I decided I would take up Free Diving and I thought my best place to start would be with the Fins. I already had a good brand in mind so went to Beuchat’s website to see what information I could find out from there. I narrowed it down to two pairs of fins; an entry level pair, the sport and the model above, the competition.
Beuchat Mundial Sport Fins.
Mundial Competition Fins
In the pictures you can see that both the Beuchat Mundial Sport Fins and the Beuchat Copmetition Fins, are a lot longer that your usual snorkeling or scuba diving fin with a blade length of 61cm
When comparing fins I learnt that the Sport Fin is designed for use up to 15m and has a more flexible blade than the Competition Fin which still provides excellent performance. It has all the same features as the Competition Fin but will create less stress on your ankle joints and muscles. They both have a soft closed foot pocket that is reinforced to transfer power from your muscles to the working area of the blade. The extra length in the blade of the Competition Fin creates a resistance in the water providing a superior whipping effect while the channels in the blade create a surface for the water to run off. These Fins can be used to depth of 20m. They both have interchangeable blades in case you were to damage one or wanted to upgrade to a better blade. Both Fins sounded like they would do the job perfectly well. The Sport Fin is better suited to someone under 85kg so this would suit me well. The price difference between the two Fins was only $30. The Sport Fin was $235 and the Competition Fin was $265. I figured since I was only an entry level Free Diver that I would go for the Beuchat Sport Fin as this will put less stress on my body, give me a chance to get used to being in the water, while not going too deep and when I get better I can upgrade to new blades.
Dive HQ Christchurch can pretty much source any fin you want, and have in stock a range of dive fins for spearfishing and free diving. The staff at Dive HQ, helped me with the sizes and give you a dive boot to try them on with so you make sure you get the right fit. They also have the separate blades, so I will be able to get them easily when I’m ready to upgrade. Now it’s time to start learning to Free Dive!
If you are looking to get into free diving too, make sure you drop in and talk to the staff at Dive HQ Christchurch, as there is a lot of equipment from wetsuits, to fins, to certain types of weight belts, that have all been designed with free diving in mind, so it’s helpful to set yourself up with the right gear.
Blog by Mel Alps – Dive Instructor at Dive HQ Christchurch