Best Freediving Fins
Posted by
Lisa Engels
Losing yourself amid the wonders of the ocean can be a challenge when you’re weighed down by loads of bulky equipment undermining your enjoyment of the experience. That’s why you need to invest in the right freediving fins.
With so many options on the market, making a choice can be overwhelming, and you don’t want to squander money on the wrong pair of fins. The right fins support your freediving by giving you an extra boost of power and propulsion, thanks to their long, sleek blades. We’re determined to help you find the best freediving fins for your next underwater expedition, so stick around.
| Model | Material | Sizes |
|---|---|---|
| SEAC Shout S700 ⭐ | Technopolymer | 5 |
| Cressi Gara 2000HF | Polymer Plastic | 4 |
| Mares Avanti Quattro Power | Polymer Plastic | 3 |
Table of Contents
3 Best Freediving Fins in 2021
SEAC Shout S700
Best overall
Our Pick ⭐
Suitable for all users, the SEAC Shout S700 simply had to be our favorite fins for freediving. They’re long blade bi-fins with closed heels. Thermostatic technopolymer is used for the blades with a high modulus of elasticity. They’re sturdy enough without being too rigid. They also feature channel rails for powerful thrust.
Furthermore, the foot pocket is designed using thermoplastic rubber to be worn with 2.5mm neoprene boots. This contributes to the fins’ weight and overall added comfort. This comfort makes them ideal for freedivers who are looking to get extended use out of their fins and good return of thrust simultaneously.
These are all-around great fins, so it’s challenging to be critical of them, but if we were to point out anything, it’d be that there aren’t any interchangeable blades and that the stiffness isn’t customizable.
Pros
- Suitable for all divers
- Strong blades
- Soft and very soft options
- Powerful thrust
- Added comfort for extended usage
Cons
- No interchangeable blades
- Can't choose level of stiffness
Verdict
SEAC Shout S700 is there to satisfy every freediver, regardless of their level of expertise, with its durability, effective kick, strong blade, and superb comfort.
Cressi Gara 2000 HF
Best for Comfort
The Cressi Gara 2000 HF, our choice for comfort, uses polymer plastic for its construction. It’s a three-material design catered toward providing you with a great blend of durability, comfort, and lightness.
More accurately, the blade is a lightweight plastic with ribs at the bottom and thick rails in the middle. The foot pocket’s contact areas are silky soft elastomer-made, and the blade arch and web are stiffer, hence the comfort.
Aside from having excellent performance and efficiency overall, these fins have an interchangeable blade design and shock and abrasion resistance.
Still, we feel we should tell you that there are no stiffness options to pick from with the Cressi Gara. Another issue with it is that it can get bent, which, in all fairness, is understandable considering that it uses polymer plastic.
Pros
- Excellent durability
- Lightweight and comfortable
- Satisfying pop in the kicking action
- An interchangeable blade design
- Shock and abrasion-resistant
Cons
- No stiffness options are available
- Likely to get bent after heavy usage
Verdict
Mares Avanti Quattro Power
Best for Beginners
The blend of smooth action, quality, and easy control leads us to believe that Mares Avanti Quattro Power would make a viable option if you’ve just taken up freediving, as these fins are easier to control and maneuver than full-on free dive fins.
Moreover, these fins feature a ribbed, four-channel blade and a flexible tip too. The four channels enhance the thrusting power, and the “Hi-Flex” material serves to optimize the blade’s efficiency. Moreover, the trim tabs are for stabilizing. We’d venture that they have a satisfactory response, as you’ll notice a linear relationship between effort and drive.
However, this is not the design for either intermediate or professional divers because it doesn’t offer you this high of a performance. Still, we don’t hold that against it because it wasn’t designed to be for professionals after all.
Pros
- Four-channel blade for high thrusting power
- Flexible tip to increase the blade's efficiency
- Stabilizing trim tabs
- Smooth action and drive
- Easy maneuvering
Cons
- Not suitable for intermediates or expert divers & spearfishers
Verdict
What to Look for in Freediving Fins
Material
There are three basic options here: plastic, fiberglass, and carbon fiber.
- Plastic
The used plastics are polypropylene, technopolymer, and other polymer alloys. Polymer plastic is the most affordable and common option, compared to fiberglass and carbon fiber, but don’t let that fool you into thinking it’s no good. In fact, it can make for some sturdy, durable, and resistant fins and survive bumps and scratches, making it ideal for beginners.
The catch is these fins’ “memory” characteristic. With extended usage and because they’ve bent too many times, you’ll notice them losing their shape and stiffness and molding into a curved design.
This is problematic because it means less snap, and consequently less power transfer, so a kick with a curved blade won’t give you as much energy as one with a straight blade. These fins could also be too stiff for smaller freedivers.
- Fiberglass
The mid-range in fin prices belongs to fiberglass, which is similar to polymer plastic in that it’s durable and withstands bumps and collisions, but is dissimilar to it in that it also retains its stiffness and shape over time and has a better snap action. Hence, it’s more suited for intermediate divers and professionals.
However, it’s fragile, meaning you have to be careful not to drop a pair of fiberglass fins or place other equipment on top of it.
- Carbon Fiber
What makes carbon fiber fins so remarkable and expensive is their memory-free quality, lightweight, and excellent ratio between propulsion and energy, which is larger than that in polymer plastic and fiberglass. As for being 100% memory-free, that entails that they’ll remain stiff and straight with a highly reactive snap.
Nonetheless, they share the fiberglass fins’ fragility, thus requiring extra care when packing. And finally, avoid going into shallow water with carbon fiber fins.
Fit
Make sure the foot pocket hugs your feet in a snug fit that isn’t too tight or too loose. On the one hand, tight-fitting heels can hurt your feet or numb them. On the other hand, loose-fitting heels entail unoccupied space in your foot pocket, which in turn entails exerting more effort when finning, and that’s energy you don’t want to waste.
Therefore, it’s crucial that you understand the sizing system and know that fins tend to run larger in size because you’d typically wear neoprene socks with them. Still, don’t buy anything with more empty space than 3mm.
Stiffness
It may seem that the more stiff fins are, the better, but this isn’t the case, necessarily. A suitable level of stiffness is reliant on your musculature. To illustrate, long skinny legs typically produce weaker propulsion than short, strong legs. The general rule is if your propulsion is on the weak side, choose soft blades. If not, either medium or soft blades will work for you.
If you’re under 60 kg, you might want to opt for super-soft fins if you can. As for most people, we’d recommend fairly soft fins. As for medium stiffness, it’s a good choice for experienced athletes with excellent lower body strength and spearfishers diving in a strong current.
Final Thoughts
I sincerely hope that you’ve found this guide helpful in finding the best freediving fins for you. As a parting thought, we urge you to consider our top pick, the SEAC Shout S700, as it’s one of the most well-rounded freediving fins on the market, and SEAC is a well-established brand that has blessed the market with so many high-quality products for both experienced and inexperienced divers.