If there is no stigma against split fins in the DIR community, then why is everyone trying to cruicify me for bring up the topic?
Soggy:
Yet those who routinely swim double 104s, drysuits, and 2-3 deco bottles choose to use Jet Fins and Turtles? Your experience differs from the majority of the technical diving community. Are all of us just wrong?
First off, I've never tried swimming in Split Fins with double 104s, a drysuit, and 2-3 stage bottles, although in the latest Wreck Diving Magazine, there is a picture of a guy doing that exact thing (except I think he only had one stage) with a pair of Tusa Xpert Zooms (the fin I use.) The "majority" of the technical diving community can't determine whether I can use split fins efficiently, which I can and is all I was ever trying to say in the first place.
Soggy:
Those people probably are able to figure out the inherent flaw in the design without *needing* to try them.
As for the "inherent flaw" in their design, one major inefficiency in airplanes is the air that slips off the tips of the wings which still adds drag, but does not give lift because it flows over the edge without speeding up and producing lift (Bernoulli). The same can be applied to underwater propulsion. Any water that spills off the side of the fin is wasted energy. Split fins don't spill any water off the sides, and the water is directed backwards, so as for "inherent flaw" you're either going to have to elaborate on that, or retract it.
Soggy:
I'll believe your backkick when I see it
PfcAJ:
Once again, back kick isn't just for backing out of tight spaces. Stop yourself when doing an OOG drill, hold your position while in the water column, adjust yourself while you help your buddy with something, the list goes on!
Something tells me that you can't do any of that and your diving "transmission" is stuck in drive while you do even the simplest tasks. Passable? I'm sure you meant "I pass right over that skill".
Alright, stop by on the Milwaukee on August 12th, I'm organizing a charter there. I'll even buy you a beer afterwards. As to "Passable", those are exactly the things I was talking about. The only thing I wouln't feel comfortable is backfinning for distances, as I have said before, it is not as efficient. I'm also not great at backfinning without kicking up silt when I'm close to the bottom, but I'm working at it.
CompuDude:
I call BS. With the frog kick above all other kicks, it's a simple question of how big the scoop is that's doing the scooping in the water. Splits do not present the same surface area, because as soon as they, well, split, the water is vectoring in the wrong direction.
I like splits. I think they have their place. But that place is NOT in DIR diving. And while I'm actually willing to believe you can do all the required kicks in splits, I am NOT willing to believe that they can be done as efficiently as they can in Jet fins.
The surface area isn't the only issue. Like I said earlier, if the water is flowing over the edges, it does no good. I was surprised as well when I finally figured out how to frog kick in splits how efficient they were. The frog kick is my main kick when swimming, and I've been using it for the past two years. It's much more comfortable that flutter kicking, although I still go to the flutter when there is a tough current I'm fighting against.
As to the GUE standards thing, that comes from some previous posts on this board where someone was talking about their DIR-F class and Split Fins were brought up. One of the board members, who claimed to be a GUE instructor said he didn't mind what fins students used as long as they could get the skills down...which was my advice to the OP the whole time.
I won't be convincing anyone of the repliers, I'm sure, but maybe there are a few lurkers who get my point. Anyway, I'm done here.
Peace out,
T