Freediving fins

mikecatadjuster · 07-05-2009, 11:03 PM

My fins are close to shot and I was interested in seeing if anyone had a pair of freediving fins they were wanting to get rid of. I'm thinking the extra propulsion from these type of fins would be useful for what I've been doing, but the cost of the ones I've seen are prohibitive.

Seems a lot of my stuff is being 'used up' lately. My camera broke. My fins are split. I let someone borrow my mask and it is now broken. My eyesight is deteriorating and my knees feel clumsy. Oh well, let's see about these freediving fins.

ASH · 07-06-2009, 12:19 PM

The root of all your troubles is what referred to as "aging" and it not only sucks, but speeds up with time.

Gidget · 07-06-2009, 12:41 PM

Speaking of freediving, have you ever read
The Dive: A Story of Love and Obsession by Pipin Ferreras?

Free diving champion Ferreras sums up this dangerous sport: "it all boils down to one simple, overriding question: How deep can a man dive on a single breath of air?" In the 1950s, such dives without tanks became fiercely competitive in Italy. The rivalry of Jacques Mayol and Enzo Maiorca inspired The Big Blue, the 1988 movie that spawned mainstream interest in the sport. Amid this history, Cuban native Ferreras tells his story: "I grew up with the sea as my backyard." He defected to the U.S. in 1993, after breaking numerous diving records. On a trip to Mexico in the mid-'90s, he met marine biologist Audrey Mestre, who began dive training while their romance blossomed. Together, they produced a documentary TV series, expressed their love in tandem dives and married in 1999. "Audrey and I were happiest in that silent, mystical underworld, bathed in blue." That happiness ended with Audrey's tragic underwater death, and last year, Ferreras matched her 170-meter world record during a tribute

Amazon.com: The Dive: A Story of Love and Obsession: Pipin Ferreras: Books

A MUST read for those who love a good story and especially for those who love to dive. I have a copy once we move down I am going to re-read it as it is THAT good!!

G

ItzKatzTime · 07-06-2009, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gidget

Speaking of freediving, have you ever read
The Dive: A Story of Love and Obsession by Pipin Ferreras?

Free diving champion Ferreras sums up this dangerous sport: "it all boils down to one simple, overriding question: How deep can a man dive on a single breath of air?" In the 1950s, such dives without tanks became fiercely competitive in Italy. The rivalry of Jacques Mayol and Enzo Maiorca inspired The Big Blue, the 1988 movie that spawned mainstream interest in the sport. Amid this history, Cuban native Ferreras tells his story: "I grew up with the sea as my backyard." He defected to the U.S. in 1993, after breaking numerous diving records. On a trip to Mexico in the mid-'90s, he met marine biologist Audrey Mestre, who began dive training while their romance blossomed. Together, they produced a documentary TV series, expressed their love in tandem dives and married in 1999. "Audrey and I were happiest in that silent, mystical underworld, bathed in blue." That happiness ended with Audrey's tragic underwater death, and last year, Ferreras matched her 170-meter world record during a tribute

Amazon.com: The Dive: A Story of Love and Obsession: Pipin Ferreras: Books

A MUST read for those who love a good story and especially for those who love to dive. I have a copy once we move down I am going to re-read it as it is THAT good!!

G

I'm headed to Barnes and Nobles this afternoon I'll look for this book....thanks Gidget. It sounds like it would make a great movie.

I loved The Big Blue...watched it many times.

Good Luck Mike finding those fins!!!!

mikecatadjuster · 07-06-2009, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ASH

The root of all your troubles is what referred to as "aging" and it not only sucks, but speeds up with time.

Is that what it is? And I thought maybe I had been sleepwalking and run into a brick wall

That free diving stuff is pretty cool. I don't necessarily want to go too deep, as my sinuses and/or head pressure might not allow it. But it would be nice to cruise in the 20-30 foot range and cover a lot of ground in the process.

Btw, there is some great under water footage in the movie, Into the Blue. They free dive a lot and the view belwo is spectactualr.

I love being bathed in blue, feeling like I'm craddled in an embryo. I actually hate coming up to the surface. I looked into hookah, a compressor device used to send air through a hose down to a diver. It stays at the surface while you breathe below. But they want like 3 thousand for it. Wow! My budget really doesn't allow me to do that without feeling funny about it.

So for now, freediving it is. I feel like its a good cross tarining deal, too. As I've gotten older and realized the reason I was in such tremendous shape when I was younger, is that I did not 'work out', I played. Rigorously, but I played.

Well, hiking in the woods in the winter and spring, and swimming in the gulf now has certainly helped me to feel vibrant. My body feels strong and I have muscles and contours in new places. And it's fun. And it's FREE! I love living here.

bluemtnrunner · 07-06-2009, 05:13 PM

I thought this was another FREE Thread!!!!

ItzKatzTime · 07-06-2009, 06:31 PM

Very interesting Mike...where are you doing your free diving? I did some in Mexico many years ago and it was fantastic. I could stay in that world forever....no wonder babies come out crying!

It touches what I call the 6th sense. I only went down 20 feet, once 25. Just talking about it brings back such vivid memories!!!

ItzKatzTime · 07-06-2009, 06:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ASH

The root of all your troubles is what referred to as "aging" and it not only sucks, but speeds up with time.

So true Ash, it does speed up with time. Who would have thought?

mikecatadjuster · 07-07-2009, 02:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ItzKatzTime

Very interesting Mike...where are you doing your free diving? I did some in Mexico many years ago and it was fantastic. I could stay in that world forever....no wonder babies come out crying!

It touches what I call the 6th sense. I only went down 20 feet, once 25. Just talking about it brings back such vivid memories!!!

I haven't been diving down to wrecks or reefs or anything, I guess the best way to explain what I want to do is to show this video. I want to travel the bottom as much as I can. Follow fish, search etc.

YouTube - Anders Larsson 125meter Dynamic with fins

ItzKatzTime · 07-07-2009, 05:49 PM

Thanks, now I understand. I love the feeling of being under water....pool or ocean!
Good luck with finding fins.

mikecatadjuster · 07-07-2009, 08:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ItzKatzTime

Thanks, now I understand. I love the feeling of being under water....pool or ocean!
Good luck with finding fins.

I agree. Wouldn't that be cool to travel on the bottom of the gulf, right above the sand like that and pass over the shells, sand dollars and all else, covering a lot of territory before having to come up for air.

Now, that's not to say I can do it as well as that guy did, who, I think, is an Olympic swimmer. So he's built a little better for it and I'm sure his lungs are a bit stronger also. He wasn't even winded after surfacing. I love watching that video and admirering the ease at which he travels. So fluid.

Hope to see you out there one day traveling along the bottom

lsucajuns · 07-08-2009, 09:34 AM

WOW, is all I can say! Mike I would not mind training with you if you need someone to help push you along, as I sure could use someone.
you have my email, let me know

mikecatadjuster · 07-08-2009, 01:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lsucajuns

WOW, is all I can say! Mike I would not mind training with you if you need someone to help push you along, as I sure could use someone.
you have my email, let me know

It's killing me not to be getting into the water the past few days with the red flags and waves, less clarity etc.

I feel the same way I did when I was searching for snakes and wildlife in the woods. I wake up and crave for it. I did go surfing yesterday. Well, I tried to. DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME! I went at a bad angle and went straight down the wave rather than along it. I was going a million miles an hour. It felt like I was biking downhill and went over the handle bars. Wow! Not recommneded.

Anyway, yep, I'd like to get back under the water and swim, swim, swim. Hopefully the weather will calm soon and the water will lay down and get real clear. I still have a set of fins, although split, they still work. I am just interested in the kind shown in the video. The freediving kind. I want to feel their propulsion

Design360 · 08-22-2009, 12:30 AM

Okay, I'm following an old thread here, but are you still diving? I've just relocated to the area and would like to see what freediving opportunities exist around here. The springs look nice...cold, but nice. How's the ocean these days? Clear? Deep? Any decent structures?

-Greg.