diy Split fins?

[guy_cy]

Let me start off by saying this is one of the best scuba forums i have ever come across. After i found it i spent the entire night scanning through all the posts and threads in this section. Also the next morning i went and built my own spring straps.

Now to the question... I have a pair of scubapro veloce hp fins. at first they were pretty decent fins but after swimming with them for awhile my ankle starts to hurt. (previous ankle injury) I was thinking about turning them into a pair of split fins to possibly help with the ankle until i could afford a better pair.

Any comments? Anyone know a good way to do it with out having them destroyed?

thanks

 

[Dsix36]

I made my own split fins from a pair of Cressi Frog's. Make sure to dril a hole in the fin at the start of the cut. This will stop the split from continueing to travel up the fin as you swim with it.

Also make sure that the side rails of the fin will be strong enough to handle stress.

 

[CuracaoJ]

I've had 7 ankle surgeries, so I can relate! The best thing that I have found is learn how to do a good frog kick. Of course this will depend on your ankle problems, but for me it works wonders ZERO ankle pain, and I can use the stiffest fins I can find.

 

[arkstorm]

Split fins are very specifically engineered to be split fins, they are not just a solid fin with a slice down the middle. The problem with trying to turn your solid fins into DIY split fins, as Dsix alluded to, is that the whole split fin concept is based on the side rails acting as a frame with a flexible middle to channel the water through the fin. Solid fins, on the other hand, just channel the water backwards. Therefore, if you simply split your solid fins what you end up with is fins that bleed power without gaining efficiency (same as if you cut a large hole in them) as opposed to a "split fin".

The whole split fin design is a complex concept from a hydrodynamics perspective. The key is to cause the water to channel through the center of the fin just at the right moment through the stroke and this is surprisingly difficult to engineer. It involves placing materials of specific flexibility at precise points to get the water to go where you want it to. In fact, the concept is patented (see: Nature's Wing) and anyone manufacturing "split fins" has to pay a license fee for the technology.

Well designed split fins will definitely reduce pressure on your ankles and reduce leg muscle fatigue but if you just slice your fins you are just going to ruin them and not end up with what you want.

Here is a better explanation of how split fins work:

http://www.split-fins.com/howtheywork.htm

 

[Couv]

Master Awap modified his thusly: