A rig you can dolphin kick—ideas?

[aquacat8]

When swimming gearless one of my favorite “resting” kicks is dolphin, and I was wondering if any of you folks that have experienced lots of different BC’s, back plates, sidemont, scooters, etc. have ever found a sweet dolphin rig you can really wriggle in?

 

[aquacat8]

with bi fins for now but maybe a mono fin one day (gearless to me includes fin and mask, they are like body parts)

 

[geomatt21]

You really do get every question on scubaboard lol, but I will entertain an answer. If its back-mount I'd say your tank needs to be a 65cf or less, and your BC needs to be a size smaller than usual so that it is very snug as you "wriggle" in your dolphin rig Another idea is sidemount AL 40s or steel 45s with a stainless steel backplate and small/low profile wing (25-30). While you are gently dolphin kicking you can give both your tanks a big hug to reduce drag and conserve energy.

If the goal is just to enjoy a dolphin rig, your biggest enemy is drag/tank size so the smaller tanks the better. To enjoy your time underwater, the shallower the better so as to consume less c.f. of air per minute and stay down longer. Also, a small scooter would help tremendously, you could use a Seascooter GTI down to 100ft if you are considering buying your first scooter (likely the best bang for your buck for a new scooter user).

Hope this helps!

 

[tbone1004]

anything on your back is going to be a problem. It's possible, but not comfortable. Single tank sidemount is going to be your best bet

 

[RainPilot]

I love dolphin kicking for fun in sidemount. Two AL40 and you can really move.

 

[aquacat8]

Thanks, another reason to try sudemount!

 

[aquacat8]

Sidemount I mean

 

[covediver]

Check out the Rapid Diver or Rapid Emergency Deployment System rigs. Not specifically deigned for monofin swimming, but they might work. In competitive fin swimming, people just hold a small a tank and regulator. Any backmount system with smaller tanks might work well. While I have dolphin kicked in my bpw and bcd with bifins, I dont do it for any length of time, size of the tank produced way too much drag and rig limits flexibility needed for a good monofin kick. I am not sure a sidemount would be a qualitative or quantitative improvement, but will leave that discussion to the people who use them.
Official Rapid Diver Web Site

 

[aquacat8]

Cool link, thanks!

 

[Landau]

I'm 6'2" = 187cm with a long torso and can dolphin kick comfortably in my Aqualung Dimension back inflate BCD with an AL80. It has no cummerbund and the hip belt is lower than most BCDs and snugs comfortably on the hips.

I use dolphin for quick sprints or long distance swims underwater.