Composite, Carbon Or Innegra: Choosing Your Fin Blade Material

We quite often get asked how the materials in our fins compare. The video below runs through them in order, from composite up to Innegra carbon, and each blade is bent by hand in front of the camera so you can see how it flexes. The notes underneath cover what each fibre feels like and who it tends to suit.

Blade Material And Flex

A fin blade bends on the downstroke and springs back as it straightens. The fibre it is made from sets how heavy the blade is and how it behaves through that bend. We call the spring back memory. A blade with faster memory is back in shape sooner and ready for the next kick.

Flex is a separate choice from the fibre. The blade in our design features video is a medium carbon blade, which names both. This post covers the fibre. If you are unsure about flex, ask us before you order.

Composite Fibre

Composite has a much denser fibre volume, so it weighs a bit more. The flex is pretty sharp, though it is a little less responsive than a carbon blade.

Durability is where composite stands out. We point people to it when they are rock hopping, just starting out in the sport or changing over from plastic fins. Climbing in and out over rocks is hard on a blade, and so are the first few seasons of learning where your fins are.

If most of your diving starts from a rocky shore, composite is the sensible first set.

Carbon Fibre

Carbon is the step up from composite. It is a lot lighter and a lot more responsive, with faster memory and a more rigid feel. You lift and push the weight of your blades on every kick, so a lighter blade adds up over a long day in the water.

There are a few different models of carbon blade. When we filmed this video in 2021, the carbon line included a carbon ultra blade. It is a lot lighter for its weight, super responsive and designed more for the freediving market.

The video also covers our carbon copper model, shown in green. It has a very metallic feel and is super springy, with that initial bit of punch some divers want. It is a blade you will feel on your feet when you use it.

The range has changed since 2021, so check the collections below for the carbon models available today.

Innegra Carbon

Innegra carbon sits at the top of the pack. It is light like a carbon fibre blade, has the memory and return of a carbon fibre blade, and has the toughness and durability of a composite blade. The one in the video is in the wahoo ningaloo design, the blue and black barred blade near the end.

The material works in its own way. Its elasticity takes over from the carbon, so the blade flexes and bends differently to a carbon fibre blade. That is difficult to explain until you use a set. What we can say is that Innegra carbon blades are the least fatiguing of anything we make. Compared to the rest, you will not feel them on your feet.

Tired legs are often what ends a long session. As they tire, your kick shortens, and on a breath-hold dive working muscles burn oxygen you would rather keep. A blade that asks less of your legs leaves more in them for the swim back.

Picking Your Fibre

• Composite if you are new to the sport, moving up from plastic fins or diving around rocks.
• Carbon if you want a lighter, more responsive blade with faster memory.
• Innegra carbon if you want carbon's lightness and return with composite's toughness, and the least fatigue.

If you are torn between two, think about where you dive and how long you stay in. A lot of rock work points to composite or Innegra carbon for their toughness. Long days in the water point to carbon or Innegra carbon, which are the lighter blades.

Once you have your fibre, the next choice is the foot pocket. Our guide to foot pockets and sizing covers that. Browse our composite, carbon and Innegra blades.