cressi gara 3000ld or omer ice?

[JackSpearo]

I'm wanting to buy my first fins...

wanting to freedive mostly, then move to spearfishing I guess...

anyone like either of these fins?

which is better and why?

thanks!

Jack

[strangelove]

Omer, would be my choice, since they leave room for a blade upgrade. I personally don't like the cressi foot pockets.

[ickledevil]

I own both, got on Ok with the cressi foot pockets but the Omer ones are much more comfy. Omer Ice definately have the advantage spearfishing by being see through they reduce your outline significantly. Omer Ice are also a great 'swimming' fin working very efficiently on the surface, again good for spearing. However depending on your freediving depths I have trouble with the Ice fins at 15-18m+ they lack a bit of rigidity and snap for coming up off the bottom, it could be my technique although I had similar issues with my cressis they definately felt easier at 18m than the Ice.
Basically both good fins mostly should depend on your personal prference and comfort. If you were mostly going to spear i'd say the Ice fins, lots of freediving then I might still pick them despite the drawbacks i've experianced. As stated before the omer foot pockets are used by other companies often and blades can be swapped.. e.g C4 carbon blades (some of) can be fitted to the omer foot pockets. Giving you a chance to upgrade a bit cheaper in the future.
Joe

[JackSpearo]

hey ickle, good point, so i can upgrade the ices to carbon if i wanted right?

are there any good omer fins that are black (for some reason, I just don't like the ice see through)...

thanks again,

Jack

[ickledevil]

As far as im aware you definately could upgrade the fins with C4 carbon blades and some others too. (a friend has a pair) A lot of C4's new carbon blades are coming with their new foot pocket now (which is fabulous) but im sure they will continue offering, you can also buy just blades from Omer so could upgrade that way. Black fins wise.. well the obvious suggestion is carbon, C4's or omer rekord, but these come at a price and are not always suited for new divers. The Omer millenium runner fins are a solid black version of the millenium ice and are exactly the same design. One step down the performance level is the Millenium winter again by Omer. Cant comment on other makes as I seem to have become an Omer convert and use their gear exclusively.
One comment on Millenium Ice, if you get them get them new, the old series (maybe two series ago now) were not good and suffered all sorts of issues. These have all been ironed out and they come with a generous warranty. Which incidently they do honor without problem. A dive buddie broke one of his fins millenium ice recently and it was replaced rapidly and easily by Omer.

[strangelove]

Originally Posted by JackSpearo

hey ickle, good point, so i can upgrade the ices to carbon if i wanted right?

are there any good omer fins that are black (for some reason, I just don't like the ice see through)...

thanks again,

Jack

Yes

The omer pockets will take almost (if not all) all high end blades. If you get the omer make sure to get them from a good dealer, in the past they had the reputation of breaking, but I think this is something from the past.

[JackSpearo]

i live in SC, so it's hard to find any good dive shops here, who is a reputable dealer to buy from online?

thanks, i think they are a little expensive, but i guess in the long run I'll be happier with the omer ice and the footpockets... I just hope they fit me, i have a weird foot, narrow heel, but sorta wide foot itself...

[Mr. X]

Re. black spearo fins, I noticed last year that Seacsub offered 2 different models. This year they offer at least 3 different models (pos. more). V. good price last time I saw them too. Also, I see Apnea now carry black Beuchat Competition fins - I've been pleasantly surprised by mine.

Re. blades, are they a standard size or has Omer just become the de facto standard footpocket? For example, do Beuchat foot pockets (which I use & like) accept Omer blades?

[spaghetti]

I've been using my new Omer Ice for a month now and the feedback is positive.
The transparent camo effect is magic indeed, and for surface swimming/shallow dives the blades perform very well, better than any other plastic blades I've tried.
They give their best with a wide, smooth kick with no knee-bending, rather than with jerky, nervous, bent strokes.
I also tried them in a little deeper dives, say to 15/20 meters, and they're not as snappy as I expected them to be. Indeed the Ice blade is quite floppy: the elastic response is nowhere near as snappy as carbon or fiberglass Omer Pegaso. This has to be made clear.
BUT you have to consider that:
1) the Ice fins are not intended especially for deep dives: these fins are for shallow-intermediate depth.
2) I'm still diving with a winter set up of gear: thick suit and lots of lead weights, 10 kilograms in total, which definitely doesn't help to be slick in deeper dives, no matter what fins I use.
3) I still have to adjust my fin stroke to this type of fins.
the only problem is that I feel a bit "stuck" psychologically when I dive in rocky bottoms, because many people I know had their Ice fins broken somehow. The fins work well but I feel a bit uncomfortable because of the worry they could get broken. However they're still solid and doing great so far.
The Cressi's don't have this kind of problem: less snappy, less cool looking, but they will never get broken in any way. So you may also consider this aspect of the matter, if it matters for you.
Hope this helps.

PS: Sorry Mr. X I don't know about Beuchat. I only buy gear of italian brands except for Demka shafts and Dessault bands.

[alexrom1207]

I think you're going to have a big problem finding a good footpocket for you...this doesn't mean it's impossible though so don't despair. Just make sure you try on the fins before. I don't think the cressis are going to be an option. Cressi has a very narrow front part, they are a bit tight on me and I have a normal sized foot, however the heel on the cressis is normal (it's actually a little big for me, but just a little). So you have a wide front part of your foot the cressis will probably be prohibitively narrow.
The omer footpocket has a very wide front and heel (in my opinion) while the front fit me well the heel was WAY TOO BIG and it would have been really difficult for me to get them to fit well. Fin keepers are a good idea if you have a narrower heel, so you definitely want to look into getting a pair of these. Try to find a store or just a friend who has a pair of the ice fins (or any omer footpocket) and you can get an idea of how they will fit. Leisurepro.com will let you return items and refund or exchange them. THEY HAVE AMAZING CUSTOMER SERVICE!!! and really good prices.

[ickledevil]

All good points, front of my foot is bigger than the heel, after a operation and the omer are definately good fitting. But i'd also recommend trying them on and ideally swimming in them before you buy. Are you in the states? actually even if your not try omer america (mark) he also drops by this board occasionally always had great service from him.

[ulysses]

Jack,

there are people responsive to look, marketing & advertising. To me paying twice as a much for Omer Ices than for any other thermoplastic fin like the Cressi Garas mentioned above is a bad investment.

The 'cool' looks of the Ices does not translate into any better freediving performance compared to other thermoplastic fins, and you may also want to consider the following: A manufacturers warranty against blade failure (you would not be the first ) will not help you any when trying to resurface with one fin from depth.

Contrary to Omer the Cressi Garas have an unblemished track record for many years.

If you have the cash for Ices go for a better fin (fiberglass or even carbon).

Cheers,
ulysses

[ulysses]

Originally Posted by Mr. X

Re. blades, are they a standard size or has Omer just become the de facto standard footpocket? For example, do Beuchat foot pockets (which I use & like) accept Omer blades?

X,

Beuchat pockets do not accept Omer blades (but who would care to use these blades anyway ).

With some fiddling/triming you will manage to insert the blades into the pockets and rails (the more problematic), but the pre-drilled holes in the blade (if any) cannot be aligned with those in the pockets.

Cheers,
ulysses

[ickledevil]

Have to disagree with the above, My omer ice fins were not significantly more expensive than the competitors and a warrenty is a useful thing on any product. Although as you said no use resurfacing with one fin. The 'old' series of millenium ice fins did have issues with fins breaking, these by my experiance are sorted in the new generation, guess the warrenty is the manufacturers way of trying to regain credability for the product after the issues with the first wave of fins. Carbon fins are notoriously easy to snap or spit especially when kicking up from or swimming in rocky areas (sitting on them in the boat doesn't do them any good too). True the cressi fins have an unblemished record but personally I dislike the foot pockets (a feeling shared by many I believe) and have trouble with them especially at depth, something I also have trouble with from the omers but in their case due to their material construction, my technique and the fact they are designed as an all round fin not a freediving fin.
Well thats my two cents the post above reads a little like 'Omer' bashing, possibly from bad personal experiance. But all views are valid and welcome.
Hope this helps.

[ickledevil]

Oh and should say I have no affiliation with omer etc. etc. But do have extensive experiance of their gear, and choose to use it for its longevity, suitability for my needs and quality.