Best type of fins for current

[knowone]

Whatever fin best allows you to swim energetically for a sustained period.

Do a thought experiment: Imagine you are in equilibrium in a large body of water. With your eyes closed, can you determine which way the current is moving, or even if there is one? Hopefully your answer is "no". Barring local turbulence, you are part of that body of water, moving with it. If this is hard to understand, it is similar to riding on a plane or train. While you are cruising, it feels as if you are sitting still (except for vibration). It's no more work to walk forward than toward the rear.

So why not try several fins in your local pool and see which works best for you in still water? Physics suggests they will also be the ones that work best for you in current.

Scratching my head with my flippers on in the back of an enclosed truck doing 50mph, if I jump in the air, how fast am I finning? I use half a dozen different fins, covering the spectrum, a few different kicks, crippled frog mostly, and other than propelling me to where I'm propelling to be blowed if I can catalogue the propulsion technique that propelled me to where I was propelling to, on a dive, or subsequently. Never underestimate the importance of cadence.

 

[TSandM]

I seem to burn out faster swimming into current if I use a flutter kick. But if I'm using a good, strong, wide, power-frog kick, I can push and glide, push and glide, and I seem to do better into current.

Rick, do you think this might have something to do with the fact that you primarily use frog kick, and therefore the muscles to do that are stronger?

When I did Cave 2 with David Rhea, he was adamant that frog kick made no sense when swimming into flow (analogous to current) because the glide phase is a phase of deceleration, whereas, if you are flutter kicking, you are driving yourself forward all the time. I found, during that class, that I fatigued horribly when flutter-kicking into the flow. Not only that, but my leg and butt muscles were so sore at night that I couldn't sleep.

After I came home, I was determined to do much more flutter kicking on a routine basis, and I've tried to do that (hate it). But swimming into flow in Mexico on our last trip (where I'll admit that "flow" doesn't even register on Florida charts) I could easily outswim Peter, who was frog kicking, without any fatigue at all . . . except the muscles that were holding my grin

 

[diverdoug1]

Disregarding fatigue (ie: a superbly conditioned diver), long, stiff, unsplit fins are most efficient in translating lower extremity effort into forward movement.

 

[Mike Boswell]

Seeking opinions on which type fins are better for swimming into strong current. EDIT: with open heeled fins

I own only Scubapro Twin Jets. They are all I have ever used. I struggle in current.

I'm looking for an edge so I can keep up with the overweight smokers towing big cameras wearing the same fins I use now.

I typically kick by the book. SSI Open Water Training Manual. (yes, I kept it for reference) From the hips, knees slightly bent and ankles relaxed.

IMO, it is ALWAYS best to have fins that match your physique to produce the most power and speed. Stronger legs require stiffer fins. I have used SP Jets and currently use Aqualung Rocket II fins. They pack lots of power and I love them both.

 

[redacted]

The solution to finning in current may be more a matter of conditioning and management than the selection of the "right" fin. If your overweight smoker buddies are managing the current in SP twin jets then it seems to me the fin is capable of the job.

Finning into current means you have to be able to propel yourself faster than the current is moving. It is really little different than finning in calm water at some sustained speed for some distance. Sprinters tend to be faster but only for a short time. Distance runners are not as fast but can run for longer times. If you want to cover some distance into current, you must sustain that propulsion or figure out ways to rest and reduce the maximum workload. If you can't sustain the necessary speed to go the full distance, you may have to find places to rest or routes with less current. You may have to make the swim in a series of short segments not necessarily in a straight line.

I think you may be kidding yourself if you really believe the solution to your problem is finding the "right" fins.

 

[redacted]

Disregarding fatigue (ie: a superbly conditioned diver), long, stiff, unsplit fins are most efficient in translating lower extremity effort into forward movement.

Do you have any data?

I tend to suspect that is true at high work levels (and thus for short periods for many divers) but I tend to doubt that is true at low and moderate work levels. My USD Blades were capable of fairly high speeds over short distances (before they kick my ass). When a group of us had an opportunity to snorkel with a whale shark, the two divers with long stiff fins (my blades and a pair of Quatros) were the only ones still up with the shark after almost 10 minutes. But even at low to moderate speeds, those blades would cramp me up after a couple dives until I converted them into split fins. I lost the surge capability of the original blades but can fin comfortably for hours with no problems now.

 

[Scott L]

When I did Cave 2 with David Rhea, he was adamant that frog kick made no sense when swimming into flow (analogous to current) because the glide phase is a phase of deceleration, whereas, if you are flutter kicking, you are driving yourself forward all the time.

Doug Mudry (GUE) says the same thing...

 

[diverdoug1]

Do you have any data?

I tend to suspect that is true at high work levels (and thus for short periods for many divers) but I tend to doubt that is true at low and moderate work levels. My USD Blades were capable of fairly high speeds over short distances (before they kick my ass). When a group of us had an opportunity to snorkel with a whale shark, the two divers with long stiff fins (my blades and a pair of Quatros) were the only ones still up with the shark after almost 10 minutes. But even at low to moderate speeds, those blades would cramp me up after a couple dives until I converted them into split fins. I lost the surge capability of the original blades but can fin comfortably for hours with no problems now.

No raw data, but I do have a reference
Yee MT. A kinesilogical evaluation of fin design and performance Masters Thesis. University of California, Los Angeles: Deptartment of Kinesiology; 1999

 

[redacted]

No raw data, but I do have a reference
Yee MT. A kinesilogical evaluation of fin design and performance Masters Thesis. University of California, Los Angeles: Deptartment of Kinesiology; 1999

Google could not find that one. Do you know if it is available online?

Am I not seeing something?? To me, the implication of the idea that stiff, long, unsplit fins are always more efficient at converting effort into motion suggests that split fins are a hoax and divers simply need to learn to regulate their level of effort better. What am I missing?

 

[diverdoug1]

Google could not find that one. Do you know if it is available online?

Am I not seeing something?? To me, the implication of the idea that stiff, long, unsplit fins are always more efficient at converting effort into motion suggests that split fins are a hoax and divers simply need to learn to regulate their level of effort better. What am I missing?

Don't know if it is available online. It has been referenced in a couple of diving compilations, including Bennett's Physiolgy and Medicine of Diving

With respect to your comment about split fins, I personally find the evidence in favor of using split fins unconvincing. I think preference for them is driven by divers who like the decreased resistance to kicking despite decreased performance (like pedaling your bike on flat ground in low gear). I can see split fins being useful for poorly conditioned/injured divers who could have trouble kicking a stiffer paddle fin comfortably. I am not convinced there is any true benefit to conditioned divers using split fins.