Are you aware of how much you flap around?

[ClevelandDiver]

I have a hard enough time counting my own fin strokes when working on compass navigation skills in murky water. What is your secret to counting yours and someone elses simultaneously?

 

[JaX NeMo]

fin wide... i think those using splitfins will be finning more.

anyway, I'm having trouble doing what my dive instructor does... they can sit neutrally in the water with their leg cross. i can remain neutral when i am horizontal, but the moment i get vertical, i become negative.

 

[Damselfish]

That's because you need to tie a fin to your butt

Dom

Is a split or paddle fin better for this?

 

[mle_osu]

does regular kicking or frog kicking have a big impact on flapping??? I think I have noticed that I go further faster with a frog kick and seem to stay more level in the water. (though the air in my bc still goes to the right wing... maybe I am bot as level as i think)

 

[meloknee]

thanks for the advice, i will be more conscious of how much i flap around and really try to slow down and stay relaxed. am taking peak performance buoyancy as part of aow in a few weeks, hopefully that will help too

 

[SubMariner]

That's because you need to tie a fin to your butt

Dom

I did, but... nevermind.. this is a PG 13 board.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

does regular kicking or frog kicking have a big impact on flapping??? I think I have noticed that I go further faster with a frog kick and seem to stay more level in the water. (though the air in my bc still goes to the right wing... maybe I am not as level as i think)

My view on frog kicking is that you get a much more efficient glide after the kick where you remain in a streamlined position.

With a flutter kick one fin is moving up to prepare for the next power stroke as soon as the other foot recovers from the power stroke so one fin or the other is always moving out into clean water and casuing additional drag.

To frog kick an entire dive however is something you may have to work up to slowly as the muscles used will need to be developed as they are not normally used in walking type activities.

One other potential advantage with frog kicking is that you remain symetrical and do not have to waste energy in the large hip and torso muscles counteracting the forces and rolling motions that can result from raising and kicking alternate legs. I think that helps air consumption and reduces the temptation to try to stablize your self with flapping motions.

 

[lamont]

modified frog is even better than the frog kick in terms of minimizing large muscle usage. all you need to do is flick your ankles which is a very energy conservative muscle motion.

and i wasn't kidding about trying to emulate fish. if you watch them, they're usually not moving around very fast, and most of the time they're making small motions with thier fins and slow motions with their tails, and the "pull and glide" is very common. you're not going to move very effectively trying to wiggle your butt exactly the way that they do, but if you mimic the characteristics of the motion of those animals, you'll be much more effective at moving through the water...

 

[supergaijin]

I have found the same thing as a poster above. As an inexperienced diver... I can get neutrally buoyant lying prone however as soon as I turn vertical ie. head towards the surface & fins down, I start to descend. Perhaps I'm not as level as I thought I was (no mirrors down there), so I'll try asking a buddy to comment on my trim.

Taken the reverse, I'll get neutral in a standing or sitting position to look at an object etc. then if I start finning away, my fins will have to come way over my head in order to go horozontal to the wall or reef.

Any others find the same thing?

 

[JaX NeMo]

May I ask, is the frog kick similiar to the frog kick that you do when swimming in the swimming pool without the fins?

Because the frog kick that I does with fins, my fins are pointing at the rear all the time instead of pointing to the sides when i kick.