Freediving fins might help

[bowlofpetunias]

I think it is a matter of knowing what you are getting into and making appropriate gear choices for yourself based on knowledge. IMHO there is no one size fits all solution with scuba gear. I remember a dive where two older and rather unfit divers wearing splits got back to the boat against current when 8 younger fitter divers wearing an assortment of paddles and yes one in freediver fins couldn't!

 

[REVAN]

I think it is a matter of knowing what you are getting into and making appropriate gear choices for yourself based on knowledge. IMHO there is no one size fits all solution with scuba gear....

The problem is that divers don't make appropriate gear choices because they have not been taught to make appropriate choices and the manufacturers are not offering appropriate choices. This is an industry wide problem with roots that spread deep into its training and manufacturing infrastructure. No one is putting emphasis on the importance of being able to swim efficiently at speeds above 1/2 knot. The mindset seems to be that it is okay to try to work around the currents and using ineffective scuba fins and gear arrangements is, therefore, acceptable.

I think this situation is ridiculous. We can and should be doing better, but nothing is going to happen unless divers change their attitude and demand better functioning and, therefore, safer equipment. This will involve the commitment among divers to move diving fin and drag reduction choices to the forefront of importance. It has long been an afterthought, and many divers are unwilling to spend more than $150 on fins for scuba diving. Well beyond the importance of a BCD or even the scuba equipment itself, good fins should be one of the highest priorities, not the last.

In this light, divers should be universally spending more on their fins than they spend on their BCD systems. Zeagle Ranger $750, Stiletto $600, Aqualung Axiom $700. If divers applied their influence ($$$) appropriately, the market could afford to provide good propulsion solutions that actually work. It all starts with choices. Will you choose to make efficient speed a priority for your scuba diving?

FYI: Freedivers do place their diving fin's performance as the top priority in their gear choices. The prices of those BCDs listed above correlates well with the prices of high-end competition grade freediving fins.

 

[ronscuba]

The problem is that divers don't make appropriate gear choices because they have not been taught to make appropriate choices ........

Appropriate for what goal and what conditions ? Plan for worst case scenario sounds good. In that case, some kind of PLB/EPIRB and all kinds of safety stuff including some food, fresh water, hat, etc.. You could fit all that in a dive canister. Might as well leave my camera on the boat too since it's a distraction and makes me a less attentive buddy.

At some point we each have to weigh the pluses/minuses against the likelihood of something happening. Wonder how many people who have read this thread are going to now go out and buy free diving fins.

 

[REVAN]

Appropriate for what goal and what conditions ?

Since we are talking about diving in currents, the relevant conditions are ocean, open water diving. These are the diving conditions for probably 90% or more of all scuba dives conducted. Cave and wreck penetration are a different issue.

 

[John from the burg]

The day i switched from those little plastic "fins" to a true mako fiberglass freediving fin was a eye opener, I will never dive those short, inefficient, open ended p.o.s. ever again. These just work, i see more stuff, use less energy and acquire less fatigue than the next guy w 20 inches of fin. One or two flicks and I'm gliding effortlessly down the ledge enjoying very second, can i back or frog kick very well? No... but i find myself going forward most of time.

As far as safety i can think of one time my big fins saved us, bad decisions led to us being down current of an empty boat, filled a smb, gave my rig to my bud and kicked my ass off, never would have made it without those big fins. Common sense and proper dive planning would have saved us too but **** happens when your chasing fish in the gom.

Last point i can think of is fish tails.

Wonder what the average grouper body to fin length ratio is??? Different fish use their tails differently too so what do the tails of slow moving fish look like compared to fast moving fish? How big are the tails of large aquatic mammals? Obviously as land animals the translation is hazy but thousands of years of evolution is certainly something to consider.

 

[Hank49]

I agree with Revan and John from the Burg. Fins are the most important gear choice you will make for open ocean diving. Why wouldn't one want to move more efficiently and if needed, much faster?

Yes, they're longer. But it's just an adjustment you make and get used to them. No different than going from Duck Feet to Mares Quattros.

Yes, they are more expensive, but most arguing against them probably didn't mind spending $300 more for a nice balanced piston or diaphragm reg vs an unbalanced. Or $200 more for a bp wing vs jacket.

Everyone I know that tried them….and granted, we're talking maybe only 10 people or so, never switched back. But it seems to be catching on. I never saw scuba divers using them ten years ago. Now, more and more you hear of dms using them in high current areas like the Philippines and Indonesia.

All I can say…..try em' and see.

 

[ronscuba]

I'd like to try free diving fins, but I can't see them becoming my normal use fin. I shoot video and often need to be in/around tight reef areas. The long blade would be a problem similar to wreck penetrations.

I have several sets of fins. My Mares Avanti Quattro Powers are longer than typical scuba fins, but not as long as free dive fins. I like them, but they do tire my legs out. I don't like to use them if I am diving and shooting video in lush reefs.

 

[REVAN]

The day i switched from those little plastic "fins" to a true mako fiberglass freediving fin was a eye opener, I will never dive those short, inefficient, open ended p.o.s. ever again. These just work, i see more stuff, use less energy and acquire less fatigue than the next guy w 20 inches of fin. One or two flicks and I'm gliding effortlessly down the ledge enjoying very second, can i back or frog kick very well? No... but i find myself going forward most of time.

The frog kick is an interesting situation that is worth a little discussion. I frequently hear comments about how a particular fin design is no good for scuba diving because it doesn't frog kick well. As I see it, the frog kick started in cave diving as a method to avoid silting. Divers using the technique eventually discovered that the frog kick is the only way to get efficient propulsion out of typical paddle fins and started using it for all their dives. The problem is that the frog kick is a low power mode fin stroke. It uses small muscle groups and simply will not work if you need to go fast. If a propulsion system can be efficient with a different stroke that uses larger more powerful muscle groups and can work equally efficient at low speeds as well as high speeds, how can that be considered anything but a total win.

As for the back kick; I'm with you. I find myself going forward most of the time as well. I can't see any situation where the ability to back kick determines a life or death outcome. It is a convenience, and a minor one at that. I can always just use my hands to thrust backward if I really need to back up. That's how the fish do it.

 

[Hank49]

I'd like to try free diving fins, but I can't see them becoming my normal use fin. I shoot video and often need to be in/around tight reef areas. The long blade would be a problem similar to wreck penetrations.

I have several sets of fins. My Mares Avanti Quattro Powers are longer than typical scuba fins, but not as long as free dive fins. I like them, but they do tire my legs out. I don't like to use them if I am diving and shooting video in lush reefs.

In many, or most areas where there is healthy reef, there is also, more times than not, some surge. The extra 9 inches or so of fin doesn't make that much difference when you're lurching back and forth 2-3 feet with the swell.
If I'm using full kicks and getting the maximum power from carbon fiber blades, they do displace more water and will tire me out. But it's also easy to just to ankle flip little movements and move very slowly.

 

[ams511]

If you are diving in the open ocean silting is not a problem as the current will clean the area quick. Where silting is a problem is in caves, wrecks, lakes, and quarries. There are many divers that dive in these environments and there is not a need to travel fast.

As far as cost goes Leisurepro was selling Cressi Garas for $80 shipped. Mako also sells freedive fins at a reasonable cost. IMHO, the reason divers don't use freediving fins is lack of knowledge. There are plenty of dive shops and plenty of freediving shops but seldom are they both the same shop. It is even rarer for a combined shop to be good at both types of diving.