FREEDIVE GEAR RECOMMENDATIONS
You will be able to get away with almost any type of gear. The thing to remember is that the more specific the gear is to Freediving/Spear fishing the better your performances will be.
Mask and Snorkels
Make sure to get a low volume Freediving or Spear fishing mask. Not just a low volume Scuba mask. Some popular makes and models are:
- Aqua Sphere Mask
- OMER masks
- Sporasub Masks
- Picasso masks
- Riffe Masks
- Cressi Masks
Fins
A fin with a removable foot pocket is usually best. This will allow you to use different blades in the same foot pocket. It also means that if you break a fin you can simply replace the blade and not the whole fin. You should be able to hold the fin by the back of the heel and it should stay straight and not bend at the base of the foot pocket.
There are three types of blades to choose from. here they are with their PRO’s and CON’s:
- Plastic Blades – PROS: Less costly and the most durable CON’s: heaviest blades so you waist energy moving the fin; no rails to guide the fin blade and slow in the return of the blade to it’s original position
- Composite Blades – PRO’s: lighter weight fin; good price; has rails; come in removable foot pockets; several stiff nesses and performs better then plastic blades CON’s: Slightly more money then plastic fins
- Carbon Fibre Blades – PRO’s: Best performance of all blades; lightest weight; several stiff nesses; comes in a removable foot pocketCON’s: high price tag
Brands of Fins
- Waterway Captain NEMO fins (Waterway also makes great Mono Fins) – Composite Blades with removable foot pockets
- OMER – OMER has a good line of bi-fins (plastic and composite) and also distributes the C4 Carbon Fibre fins.
- Riffe – Plastic
- Picasso – Plastic and composite blades with removable foot pockets
- Beuchat – plastic blades with removable foot pockets
- Cressi – plastic blades (Gara 2000 & Gara 3000)
Wetsuits
A Freediving/Spear fishing specific suit makes a huge difference due to the added flexibility and warmth in comparison to a Scuba or Surf suit. Here are a few companies that make good Freediving/Spear fishing wetsuits.
- Oceaner – specializes in top end competitive wetsuits using Yamamoto 45 neoprene (they also make recreational/Spear fishing suits)
- OMER
- Yazbeck
- Picasso
- Riffe
- Cressi
Weight and Weight Belt
Rubber weight belts are best as they stay in place and don’t slip around while you dive.
Computers and Timers
You must have either a water proof digital timer like a Timex watch or better yet is a freediving computer. There are a few scuba computers that now have a freedive function but the one most Freedivers wear is the Suunto D4.