At the Dema Show 2016 in Las Vegas an amazing company, still today 100% Italian with Made in Italy products, was present: Cressi.
We have met Francisco Loffredi, Captain of the Brazilian National Spearfishing Team and Cressi Ambassador, and have asked him some comments on Cressi products of greater success in the American Market.
AP: Francisco, which is the Cressi product that excites you the most?
FL: There is no doubt, certainly the Cherokee Ocean, a sling gun made for the international market, especially in size 120, with double band, powerful and with great impact. To me, it is the best mass production speargun even designed and built. In addition, I love the solution with the magnet that permits to have a double shot even with an open muzzle solution, since the magnet holds the shaft in position while reloading. Loading becomes easier and faster in every condition, and positioning of the nylon can be done in a second stage.
Cherokee Ocean is perfectly balanced thanks to its hydroformed barrel, with internal volumes that are precisely designed, a lightness in the water that is unbeatable. I think no speargun so light can offer so much power of the shot. A video I made titled Trophy Spearfishing, shows extremely well the power and precision of such speargun.
AP: Which other products do you believe are right and successful for the American market?
FL: Drake Titanium computer is amazing. After a very very long period of study and design Cressi has come out on the market with a really high level solution, and the software is still being constantly developed with updates. In addition, the materials are of such high quality both in terms of design/look, and in terms of resistance to wear and shocks.
The Dry Gara bag is also a product I really appreciate and cannot do without anymore, as it is comfortable to carry, full of space and extremely resistant. If I have more spearguns of long dimensions I prefer though to carry them separately in another bag.
Last but not least, the thermoplastic Modular Gara LD fins, are a spectacular product, which, if one is not too heavy due to weights added, for example using a 3.5 mm wetsuit, can work down to -18 meters almost like carbon fiber blade fins. In Florida, for example, spearfishing is mainly done in shallow water (10 – 15 meters of depth), where there is a lot of fish, especially when the water warms up and fish come up to the surface.
