Dive Fin Recommendation

Hey Everyone!

Long time no see 

So I feel after an FII Cert and as my experience has broadened a main limiting factor in my performance while diving is my fins. Particularly as 50-60ft becomes more normal, I'd like to be as comfortable down there as possible.

Now I'm close to pulling the trigger on the Mako Carbons (Gasp Mako ), as you can't beat the cost. But the little things matter to me, so I'm not opposed to spending more if improvement will be drastic.

What do you all think?

Thanks!
Jesse

Hey Everyone!

Long time no see 

So I feel after an FII Cert and as my experience has broadened a main limiting factor in my performance while diving is my fins. Particularly as 50-60ft becomes more normal, I'd like to be as comfortable down there as possible.

Now I'm close to pulling the trigger on the Mako Carbons (Gasp Mako ), as you can't beat the cost. But the little things matter to me, so I'm not opposed to spending more if improvement will be drastic.

What do you all think?

Thanks!
Jesse

Before I answer, I should say I don't have any experience with the Mako carbon fins, so I can't speak directly to how they compare to other fins. Also, a lot of people (myself included) only have experience with one or two brands of carbon fins, because they're crazy expensive and people tend not to change them out unless (a) they have a lot of disposable income or (b) their fins break. So take what I'm about to say with a grain of salt.

I thought Mako used to source their fiberglass fins from Spearmaster, but I know they source their carbon / FG blend and pure carbon fins from Leaderfin, do I don't know if they've switched the whole production stream or if I was mistaken before. Mako's stuff is cheap, but I liked their fiberglass fins a lot, and I've heard good things about the carbons (at least good for the price).

That said, I'd be inclined to go with cheap fiberglass over cheap carbon, or (if price isn't a deciding factor) high quality carbon over either of those. If you dig around on the boards long enough you'll find a laundry list of carbon fin benefits, but IMO where you really see a difference in performance, it has less to do with the material itself and more to do with how it's used (weave, build quality, fin shape, etc.). On the cheaper fins, that design element isn't there to the same degree it would be with the brands that really seem to obsess about it (e.g. Moana or BleuTec).

The other thing to think about is what foot pockets you have at your disposal. A lot of people like the Pathos pockets because they're light, customizable, and stiff where they need to be. They also have super thin tendons, so the characteristics of the fin blades really shine through. I used Mares pockets on my old Mako blades, so I can't comment on the Mako pockets. But you could always just buy the blades if you have pockets you like.

I would suggest finding a Diver who has the same foot size and different fins that maybe you can try.

I have tried mako fiberglass and carbon fiber fins and they worked good.  I have not dove for hours to see if they were stiff or hard on my legs or ankles but for a few dives they were not much different than my expensive ones. 

Many companies use the same manufacture companies to make their fins and rebrand them.  Definitely buy one with a warranty as some cheaper carbon fins have been known to crack or snap in half.