Best Equipment Failure Ever

[Boarderguy]

@Cthippo I'm not sure how tall the suit was made but Chris at Lakewood Underwater Sports has a used extra obese suit hanging up that he didn't think will ever sell. It might be too short for you but could work.

Edit: the other option is to check out Seaskin.co.uk and have one made to measure. My suit was $1270 shipped and that included upgraded valves, kubi glove rings, pee valve, silicone neck (user replaceable), etc... the only problem is my wait time is the 1st week of Feb for delivery after ordering on 11/5.

 

[BlueTrin]

I was offered / encouraged to go dry when I did my OW, but nobody makes a dry suit in size extra fat ass off the shelf. My LDS said they had talked to the guy who they order from, and while he didn't make anything that large, he did have one he had made for himself, only slightly used, he would sell for $3000. Since i was already spending every penny I had, and would have for the next few months, on gear, I declined. Some day...

IMHO if you spend this amount on a drysuit, make it made to measure (especially if you have non-standard measurements), and don’t buy one off someone else measurements, fit is often an issue with drysuits.

It can lead to all kind of issues, like not being able to reach a manifold or valves, being too floaty on the legs, not being able to use a bulky undersuit for cold water, etc …

 

[rick00001967]

i loved my apollo split fins. especially for snorkeling. but once i started learning frog kicks and back kicks etc i ditched them. they went to a good home.
ended up using sherwood elites. i never hear them mentioned much but many divers around here use them.
i really like the rubber straps. they are like a rubber spring type strap. i keep two sizes on hand. the smaller ones for diving wet, the larger for drysuit.
super easy to don and doff and they are basically neutral in the water.

 

[Angelo Farina]

Fins are an attachment, nothing more. How many bicycles have you designed? You probably have never heard of hybrid bicycles?

Never desogned bicycles, but I own three of them for different purposes.
I also own half a dozen of fins, again for different purposes. I would never use my competition monofin for scuba diving...
For hybrid do you mean electric?

 

[NW Dive Dawg]

As the OP of this thread I really did not intend at all to completely and unilaterally dis split fins ... I think they definitely have their place and for easy diving they do provide a decent result for the actual effort extended..

My primary point is that........for me personally.......the non-split blades were an epiphany in that I learned that if and when I REALLY needed the added "torque and horsepower" it was there for me. I'm thinking that the splits "design" allowed for me to "outkick" or "overkick" them and basically "spill" the hydro thrust...if that makes sense.

I did just get back home and found that my Mares Quatros had been delivered and look good......... so looking forward to trying them!

Cheers....

 

[Pressurehead]

I have a pair of Atomic split fins given to me [yes free] I did not want to be rude and say " no thanks" to a mate, spiders live in them, so they have a use in the shed.
It's like a piano accordion you can't give them away.

I sold them on evilbay , plus postage, that was a real surprise, a carton of beer for the mate is in order [we will share a few].
Could not give them away and they sell on eBay.

 

[SlugLife]

I sold them on evilbay , plus postage, that was a real surprise, a carton of beer for the mate is in order [we will share a few].
Could not give them away and they sell on eBay.

Speaking of which, I have a couple Spare Airs....

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

As the OP of this thread I really did not intend at all to completely and unilaterally dis split fins ... I think they definitely have their place and for easy diving they do provide a decent result for the actual effort extended..

My primary point is that........for me personally.......the non-split blades were an epiphany in that I learned that if and when I REALLY needed the added "torque and horsepower" it was there for me. I'm thinking that the splits "design" allowed for me to "outkick" or "overkick" them and basically "spill" the hydro thrust...if that makes sense.

I did just get back home and found that my Mares Quatros had been delivered and look good......... so looking forward to trying them!

Cheers....

If you over-kick split fins the thrust falls apart.
They don’t work under the same principal as a solid blade. The two independent halves of a split fin work as propellers that create a spinning vortex.
That vortex works to jettisone you forward. They can only handle so much force before the individual blades deform to the point that they lose shape and do no good. Then you get the floppy noodle effect.
If they are kicked within spec they work OK, but they are only capable of so much thrust and that’s all you get. If you are diving in an environment that only requires a moderate amount if speed they are OK, but add a current to fight against and they fail.

I freedived for abalone once with a guy who insisted on using his split jets. We were diving to about 30’ getting abalone. When he was down around the rocks he almost could not get off bottom. He was almost panicking because he was finning violently and not much was happening. There was enough suit crush and negative buoyancy that it required some thrust to get up off the bottom and start the ascent. He was way over kicking the fins. I was on the surface watching him and his eyeballs looked like tea saucers with that “help me” look. I almost had to dive down and rescue him. He finally got a bite and started up but it was a close call. We went in after that and called it a day. The first thing he did when he got home was throw the splits in the trash and then he bought buy a proper pair of freediving fins.

 

[Cthippo]

They don’t work under the same principal as a solid blade. The two independent halves of a split fin work as propellers that create a spinning vortex.
That vortex works to jettisone you forward. They can only handle so much force before the individual blades deform to the point that they lose shape and do no good. Then you get the floppy noodle effect.
If they are kicked within spec they work OK, but they are only capable of so much thrust and that’s all you get. If you are diving in an environment that only requires a moderate amount if speed they are OK, but add a current to fight against and they fail.

This is the most useful explanation of splits vs solids I have seen yet. Thank you

 

[Nemrod]

@Alaskan Scuba Dude, Italians do not ride hybrid bicycles .

I do not have any split fins, I found them to be too much like a hybrid bicycle, too heavily compromised to be useful for anything.

I love this thing, just for fun:



Bianchi, the oldest bicycle company (and Italian) still making bicycles and though I am pretty sure this Bianchi is made in Taiwan, I still love it. I also have @Angelo Farina a real Guerciotti Columbus SLX and a Pinarello of Italian Columbus SP and SL tubing. Magnificent steeds. Split fins, not so much.