Need help!!
I`m about to buy one of these fins.
I`ve had both in my hands, and have done enough checking(as dry as it can be).
I bent them as far as I could while checking stiffness, and for my surprise the beuchat model made some cracking noises (on 2 different shops - I think this is mainly because this one is stiffer than the Picasso one- but...)
I had my mind tending towards the beuchat for being a bit stiffer and cos I`m willing to surpass 30m easily.
I have Omer Bat short fiber fins, wich are great, if you dive till 15 16m, but find it to be lacking power when it comes to ascending from more than that.
As I constantly dive to 20m or more(and am pushing myself to go further) I definitely need a good pair of fins that are suitable for the job.
At the moment I have no clue if the little(extra) stiffness on the beuchat one is a pro or a con (beyond the 25m barrier) - and those cracking noises left me a bit suspicious.

If any of you have any knowledge about this please feel free to enlighten me.

Enlightment/feedback much aprecciated.
Cheers.

Zusspa,

I am sorry to tell it, but believing that you need carbon fins for the depth is a myth. Personally I do not dive too deep, but doing 30m with stupid cheap plastic fins poses me absolutely no problems. And for example Dave Mullins (multiple WR holder and a guy who can dive below 100m) tested many models of carbon and plastic fins, but his personal preference are plastic Cressi Garas - he chose them over C4 or other high-end models. And believing that you need stiff fins for deep diving is another myth. What you really need is improving your kicking style, and being fluid - you`ll find that you`ll make much better performances with them than with stiff fins that are in most cases inefficient and just wasting your energy, causing cramps, and muscle fatigue. That`s not only my personal opinion, but also Dave Mullins and other top freedivers often voice this opinion, Martin Stepanek dove to almost 90 meters with small rubber fins, which are everything but stiff.

I know Beuchat carbons too, and have tested them in the pool. I like Beuchats, and use their plastic fins, but the carbon model did not awake any excitement in me for them. In fact I prefer the plastic blades (cost 23€), and have no problems making nice distances with them (125m DYN today, for example). I had carbon C4 Flaps too, and although I liked them a lot, after I broke a blade, I decided not to spend money on such expensive equipment before there is no other way to improve. I came back to the cheap Beuchat blades, and doubled my PB (Personal Best) since then. So in no way I regret my decision.

However, if you really look for good carbon fins, I would chose soft C4 blades over those of Beuchat anytime. Cannot speak for Picasso, because I never saw them, but I tested many other fins, and if I could get some for free, I`d choose the C4. But as I wrote, I am not ready to buy any such fins anytime soon - the plastic is good more than enough for improving, and even for deep diving.

Just my 2 cents, but of course, you`ll hear opposite opinions too

Hello Trux, thanks for your devoted time.
Your opinion is well awarded, and I cherish and embrace every view.
Here`s the thing. I have fiberglass blades(which I really really like) but 8 months ago one of my footpockets got a crack and I had to replace them both. Why? well the replacement footpocket came with a greatly enhanced stiffness(well as you might imagine I couldn`t keep 2 equal fins with major hardness difference) so I had to keep them both stiff(as there were no longer `soft` footpockets available/manufactured)
What happened - with the new footpockets only the tip of the blade would bend - this caused major stress on my feet, and the fins did not work properly - and at sea it was a pain, really.
As a last resort I switched the footpockets for another brand, and they work fine(only just) - in the swimming pool - but at sea they are just too soft and don`t have enough reaction - the blade simply bends too much right after the footpocket (in front of the toes) in a way that the rest of the blade stays almost flat losing most of it`s REaction.
Bearing in mind that I cannot try every single footpocket available on the market, I was going to go for a carbon fin.
As for the stiffness, (and I know C4 have different softness levels) I find them for what I`ve seen - to be too hard for my likings.
And yes, the Beuchat model it`s a bit stiff.

Here`s a pic of the picasso model with a `hard blade`.
(I know, we can`t see how hard he is pushing)

I had the opportunity to talk to the actual Picasso manager where he bent the tip of the blade 360º in front of me. ( I don`t think the Beuchat model will do that AT ALL) hence I`m more inclined to the picasso as it is softer.

By the way, my favorite fins were some beuchat contact pro from 96(plastic), with the closed footpocket and that big water passage rigth after the toes. :) Unfortunately they didn`t last as long as my love for them :)

Cheers mate.
And thanks once again for the insight.