Alcyon fins (not Halcyon) anyone?

[plongeursousmarin]

Does anyone dive with Alcyon fins made by French manufacturer SOMMAP (Société Méditerranéenne de Matériel de Pêche sous-marine)? They're used by military divers, made entirely of rubber, pretty heavy and stiff, completely no frills.

 

[kidspot]

can you post a picture? Sounds similar to Jet or Rocket style fins...

Aloha, Tim

 

[plongeursousmarin]

As you can see (hopefully if I did not screw up attachment), there are no vents, no holes, just some channels and the blade is pretty short.

 

[kidspot]

Looks like a nice fin, unusual to see that type of blade in rubber - usually they are plastic now-a-days. I have never seen one before sorry I'm not going to be any help... but thanks for the picture...

Aloha, Tim

 

[David Wilson]

I've never dived with Alcyon fins, but I do have a pair of Sommap full-foot Esterel fins. Sommap also continue to manufacture a range of rubber dive masks. Their 2006 catalogue can be downloaded from:

http://www.sommap.com/Sommap_2006_catalogue.pdf

A while ago I decided to do some research on the availability of all-rubber fins and found that there are still quite a number of models around, although they are not as heavily marketed as plastic fins. I've posted a document listing what is available at:

http://www.tomwilson.com/david/water/rubberswimfins.pdf

It's interesting that within Europe, France still manufactures rubber fins (Botalo, Sommap), as do Italy (Francis) and Greece (Balco, Majorca sub), while in my own country, the UK, the sole manufacturers, Typhoon and Britmarine, sadly stopped making them some time ago.

 

[kidspot]

looks like you put a lot of work into that list David - that's a whole lotta fins...

 

[David Wilson]

looks like you put a lot of work into that list David - that's a whole lotta fins...

Yes, quite a lot of work, Tim, but I enjoy correcting apparently authoritative statements such as

"Get the lightweight, flexible, all-black rubber training fins made by Voit or Tanga or whichever company has the lowest price on the fins coming out of the one factory in the world (Malaysia?) that makes such fins."
http://www.h2oustonswims.org/about-us.html

and I don't like the kind of gear I learned to dive with being given a low profile nowadays.

 

[Marek K]

'Allo! Isn't "Alcyon" French for "Halcyon"?

(Still no help, I know...)

 

[David Wilson]

There's a debate in French about the virtues of Alcyon fins at:

http://www.plongeur.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-8088.html

One user, "Sharky", seems very pleased with them because you can swim slowly or quickly with them both on and beneath the surface:

"nouvellement acquises, c'est la première fois que je trouve des palmes de plongée réglables aussi puissantes et aussi fluides qu'il s'agisse d'un parcours, même long en surface, qu'en plongée et ce, en palmage lent ou davantage rapide."