Best fin for use in warm currents

[tarjan]

Thanks Dan! I bet you are right on some of that, I know that when I start pushing I can burn air at an astounding rate and probably need to optimize technique to best match my cycling background. Last time I used force fins (wanted shorter fins for travel than my quattros), which gained nothing from going long and slow; going short and fast worked but tired me out and probably got my heart rate sky rocketing and could have hurt the burn rate. Maybe I should just really concentrate on doing frog kicks this time, just feels unnatural to me so long slow flutter kicks have always been my norm.

My weight load normally runs about 8-10lbs for rashguard diving, which seems about right in line and tests out correct at 500psi. In my drysuit I added about 4lbs and that also tested out right. Lining was only VERY thin long underwear, just enough air to lessen the squeeze.

As for the waiting above part, I only go up when my air burn is over what my buddies are at and I would have to safely ascend before them. They are fully aware of what I am doing and why, and continually check for me (as I do for them) so it is definitely not solo diving. Fortunately I found a group of friends on a previous live aboard and we dive together over and over because of the trust and random musical tastes we have.

BTW, 150 miles is a hell of a thing! I go out with a club that devices into 6 groups. 6 is social, 5 is moderately fast, 4 is faster than 99.99% of Americans (if not higher) and where I ride. 3 is absolutely insane, 2 is crazy and 1... I don't think those guys ever get off their bikes. 150/wk year round would put you in the 2 or definitely top of the 3 group here I bet.

 

[DazzaNZ]

just go with avanti quattros, youl never want another fin, full foot one is much better than open foot

 

[danvolker]

Thanks Dan! I bet you are right on some of that, I know that when I start pushing I can burn air at an astounding rate and probably need to optimize technique to best match my cycling background. Last time I used force fins (wanted shorter fins for travel than my quattros), which gained nothing from going long and slow; going short and fast worked but tired me out and probably got my heart rate sky rocketing and could have hurt the burn rate. Maybe I should just really concentrate on doing frog kicks this time, just feels unnatural to me so long slow flutter kicks have always been my norm.

My weight load normally runs about 8-10lbs for rashguard diving, which seems about right in line and tests out correct at 500psi. In my drysuit I added about 4lbs and that also tested out right. Lining was only VERY thin long underwear, just enough air to lessen the squeeze.

As for the waiting above part, I only go up when my air burn is over what my buddies are at and I would have to safely ascend before them. They are fully aware of what I am doing and why, and continually check for me (as I do for them) so it is definitely not solo diving. Fortunately I found a group of friends on a previous live aboard and we dive together over and over because of the trust and random musical tastes we have.

BTW, 150 miles is a hell of a thing! I go out with a club that devices into 6 groups. 6 is social, 5 is moderately fast, 4 is faster than 99.99% of Americans (if not higher) and where I ride. 3 is absolutely insane, 2 is crazy and 1... I don't think those guys ever get off their bikes. 150/wk year round would put you in the 2 or definitely top of the 3 group here I bet.

We do an atp sprint day (15 second full burst race level sprints ) with 5 minutes between them... and interval day with 1 minute on and 4 minutes easy--or 2 on and 8 minutes easy, usually 6 to 10 intervals....then a 2 days that are just zone 2 aerobic of around 30 miles or so...and a Race PACE day, usually with the big groups on the coastal road here on Saturday mornings( A1A) with 25 to 34 mph averages for an hour or more. If just 2 to 4 of us, average is then 22 to 26, with me doing 90% of the pulling, because I use aero bars

You have three energy systems in your body, and you have to train each one...ATP, anaerobic, and aerobic.....For a diver, each of these is important also, if you want to optimize yourself in the water.... When you get good efficiency, you can have a heart rate of 70 bpm doing a pace most divers would need to exert to 120 or more bpm to attain....However, if you decide to really push, your demand for air--ventilation, and ability to sustain this level of exertion, will allopw you to breathe massively more air than normal sedentary scuba divers....

 

[whaylonsmithers]

Hi tarjan. I see in you're original question you stated warm current diving. Are your Quattros open or closed-heeled? If yours are open-heeled and weather permits, try out a pair of closed-heel Quattro Excels. I'm also a cyclist and in warm water my closed-heeled Quattro Excels are out of control awesome. My LDS says closed/open heels are actually very different fins due to foot pocket construction, despite having identical blades.

The close-heeled fins appear far more flimsy and flexible, but I can't kill them and they are quite powerful. In fact I'm currently searching for an open-heel equivalent for colder weather and I'm really struggling to find something that matches for performance or comfort. So far I'm up to 5 different manufacturers test-dived and I just keep going back to my current ones. Then freezing and wanting something else again.

 

[danvolker]

Hi tarjan. I see in you're original question you stated warm current diving. Are your Quattros open or closed-heeled? If yours are open-heeled and weather permits, try out a pair of closed-heel Quattro Excels. I'm also a cyclist and in warm water my closed-heeled Quattro Excels are out of control awesome. My LDS says closed/open heels are actually very different fins due to foot pocket construction, despite having identical blades.

The close-heeled fins appear far more flimsy and flexible, but I can't kill them and they are quite powerful. In fact I'm currently searching for an open-heel equivalent for colder weather and I'm really struggling to find something that matches for performance or comfort. So far I'm up to 5 different manufacturers test-dived and I just keep going back to my current ones. Then freezing and wanting something else again.

In my never ending search for the highest performance freediving fins ( to be used mostly for scuba) , long ago I went to carbon fiber and then composites.....as I reached the stiffer more exotic blades like the DiveR fins, a strange thing happened....the full foot /closed foot pockets were no longer stiff enough to handle the torque from the huge hi tech blade.....certainly most open heels would have been far worse....but one open heel foot pocket WAS STIFF ENOUGH for the big DiveR's... The Riffe Silent Hunter foot pockets....they will work with pretty much all freediving fins, where blades are interchangeable....If for some reason you can't take the long length of the freedive fins, you can cut the freedive fins, and shorten the blades.
Up till this DiveR fin, I had always exclusively stayed with full foot freedive fins, as they have structural properties more like a pair of running shoes, especially my carbon Mustang C -4's..which even have a foot pocket that looks like a running shoe, and their is a left and right foot, and laces. And, the full foot does not tangle with the line on your towed float, like the straps of an open heel fin can...but for cold water, the Riffe silent hunter can even be used with a dry suit--I would use mine with my TLS 350 DUI suit.

DiveR's creator, told me if I wanted a DveR that could be used like a jetfin, to get the stiffest blade, the yellow, and cut it to about sp jet fin length---then benefit from the much higher tech rebound of the composite blade on all strokes, and still have ease in reverse kicks.Helicopters and frog kicks work fine already with the full length DiveR blades.