Are Force Fins really that bad?

[liberato]

Can someone describe the difference between flutter kick and freestyle kick. I have always tried to kick keeping my knees stiff and using mostly thighs which I understand to be flutter kick (scissor like)

You should flex your knees just enough so you feel it more in your quadriceps and less in the hip flexors and glutes. See the movie of Jens Hilbert demonstrating the kick at the website.

 

[alemaozinho]

I have been looking through all the pages here and I notice that Force fins are not loved. Are they really that Bad?

a personal choice.........,they,re pricey thats for sure.Peace

 

[baxsom]

i love mine
however it is all a matter of preference. people are naturally biased towards what they already have, and from what i have seen diver ego wont allow change
when i lived in tampa, it was the exact opposite of what i see here
everyone loves them, everyone wants them, and every shop i went to recommended them

as far as bad technique
its kinda rude to call someone's technique bad
if it works right

 

[Vie]

One reason Force Fins are still around is the military. The strap design on some force fins allow them to be worn over military boots with ease.

 

[Albion]

LOL - Dude - go read your post. You basically said "I don't really know what I'm talking about because I don't dive a lot, and I haven't owned a lot of fins, but I like Force Fins so I'm going to say they're the cat's pyjamas."

But hey - if you want to take your 40 dives a year(!) and consider yourself a Force Fins expert, you go right on ahead and knock yourself out. Just don't expect any of us to swallow the hook you're trying to feed us.

Try listening to yourself, although only 40 dives a year, he's been diving 27 years and been through maybe 10 sets of fins. I think it gives him some idea of what he likes. Yuo have been diving what , err two years and are now a great authority on fins.

No one is ramming FF down anyones throat, and if several users here feel comforatble in them what the hell. Have used mine for about 3 1/2 years now on about 350 dives, I think i have tested them enough to express an opinion. Never tried finding out how fast they are (why should I), but they are efficient and compact. I dont have a problem in current with them but they could do with a bit more grunt there (problem is they need a faster kick rate to put down more power, so those people who have powerful calf muscles and who try and dig in with power it wont work like that). Used properly, you lieing flat with your knees bending from 90 degrees down to nearly straight they work well. If i am down close to sand or silt i dont follow through so much, and that way the wash just pushes backwards and not down. I can drop down to a couple of inches above silt (horizontal) and kick along like this without stiring up the SH1T.

I am starting with doubles and so far only about 50% happy the extra work required with twins and a stage maybe too much for them, time will tell

 

[Mantasscareme]

In my expereince, force fins hurt, they dig into the front of your leg.

 

[kidspot]

My names Albion and i wear force fins, this is force fins anonymous right?

I love the damm things, although the jury is still out whether they have enough umpff for twins. With singles i can swim around all week with them, forwards, backwards, probably sideways, in current, no silting up, pack small, good on deck, you mwant to laught at them go ahead i couldn't care less. You do look like a duck especially with a yellow wetsuit. Don't bother with the expensive tan deltas or whiskers just regular pro works fine.

Hey Albion,

I just gotta ask... is your tank falling out in that picture or is it an optical illusion?

One thing I love about those fins is the easy to spot yellow... But I'll stick with my jets for now ... We got 75ft vis so it's not a big problem over here...

Aloha, Tim

 

[KOMPRESSOR]

So much crap from people who've NEVER owned a pair of FF's! I've used mine for 4 years, and they've been great to me every time.

Although they demand a little from the user, like being able to swim... Many divers I know who can't manage the FF's (and therefore condemn them to eternal hell) would sink like an iron stove if I through them in the sea without their scuba gear. The FF's need shorter and faster kicks, but not harder kicks. And they will not give you the stability of the huge planks most divers use. You need the built in stability of a good swimmer to use the FF's to it's advantage!

The strap-system is wonderful. You dress and strip faster than any other diver in the boat. And even if a strap should break during a dive, you're most likely to find that out when you get back in the boat. They are stuck on your feet until you take them off yourself.

Now for the downside, the regular FF Pro's are a bit soft to give the propulsion you CAN USE if you use a slick wing and backplate set up. As long as I used my old vest with leadbags and straps dragging under me, the FF's where my best choice. Never ever had a foot cramp in them! But this year I did get one of those Halcyon Eclipse 40's. Compared to my old vest it feels like a bar of soap in the shower through the water, and therefore I'm trying out other fins again. Most of them I don't like because they HURT my feet. I'm currently doing ok but not more with a pair of Nordic Fins form '76. They are at least better than all the long planks they want to sell you in the scuba shops...

 

[liberato]

My only question here which should qualify the value of the FF is do any of the armed forces use these fins for combat ops, where reliabity and performance really counts?

The Air Force Special Ops is where Force Fins are really used. Based on official photographs and the National Geographic multi-part documentary Rescue Warriors I would say many if not most Pararescue jumpers (PJs) use Force Fins for actual operations. In Rescue Warriors (currently being rebroadcast on the National Geographic Channel) they all used standard Rockets for the early pool training sessions but the majority switched to Force Fins for operational work.