the math displayed was also interesting....
Force Fin Designs
- Thread starter Bob Evans
- Start date
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OP
Bob Evans
Contributor
The last two pairs of hockey force fins are large in cobalt blue. We will not be running this model in future production. It was a great Force Fin design but never caught on; more time was
spent on the "Frog. Three more Force Fin models will also be pulled and will let you all know what is left in inventory. Kick" issue. Nice review.
I’ve been using Force Fin Pros for surf photography for a few years now and absolutely LOVE them. But this week I got a pair of Bob’s underwater hockey fins, got out for my first session with them, and it was a total gamechanger!
I have to admit that for the first few minutes, I thought perhaps they actually weren’t the right fins for the job, as I started kicking the way I do with my Force Fin Pros, and didn’t feel like I was moving that fast. Shucks, thought I…
But then I bigger wave came and rather than the normal relaxed kick I use to swim around posiIoning myself for the shot, I kicked hard and fast to get as deep as possible as fast as possible. And that was when I felt the magic… I suddenly found myself twice as deep as expected, and could barely feel the wave above me!
So I started changing up my technique (just like I did when I got my Pros) to find the best kicking style. And what I found is that all I had to do was kick harder on the extension, and suddenly I was flying! AOer gePng dragged in a bit by a set, instead of my normal kicking back out on my back, I found that I could go into a sidestroke that allows me to see the waves coming and also swim really, really fast! I even intenIonally put myself in the Dead Zone of my local spot (Steamer Lane, in Santa Cruz, CA), where the current normally instantly drags me in against my will no maUer how hard I try to swim against it.
But with the hockey fins, it was no problem! I found myself able to swim right against the current, and as long as I kept kicking hard, I kept moving at speeds I didn’t think possible!
So that’s it, I’m a convert. Bob told me these hockey fins “kick like a donkey,” and he wasn’t kidding. I found, in fact, that the only missing link in the chain was my own legs! Not that they didn’t work – simply that I could feel so clearly that the fins were just begging me to kick harder to reach their full potenIal. So I’ll be back to heavier leg training to build the strength to be able to fully appreciate these incredible fins by the Ime the big waves come back next Winter.
Thanks again Bob, as always, for creaIng the tools that allow me to safely do what I love most in the world. I’m forever grateful and already can’t wait to get out for my next session!
I’ve been using Force Fin Pros for surf photography for a few years now and absolutely LOVE them. But this week I got a pair of Bob’s underwater hockey fins, got out for my first session with them, and it was a total gamechanger!
I have to admit that for the first few minutes, I thought perhaps they actually weren’t the right fins for the job, as I started kicking the way I do with my Force Fin Pros, and didn’t feel like I was moving that fast. Shucks, thought I…
But then I bigger wave came and rather than the normal relaxed kick I use to swim around posiIoning myself for the shot, I kicked hard and fast to get as deep as possible as fast as possible. And that was when I felt the magic… I suddenly found myself twice as deep as expected, and could barely feel the wave above me!
So I started changing up my technique (just like I did when I got my Pros) to find the best kicking style. And what I found is that all I had to do was kick harder on the extension, and suddenly I was flying! AOer gePng dragged in a bit by a set, instead of my normal kicking back out on my back, I found that I could go into a sidestroke that allows me to see the waves coming and also swim really, really fast! I even intenIonally put myself in the Dead Zone of my local spot (Steamer Lane, in Santa Cruz, CA), where the current normally instantly drags me in against my will no maUer how hard I try to swim against it.
But with the hockey fins, it was no problem! I found myself able to swim right against the current, and as long as I kept kicking hard, I kept moving at speeds I didn’t think possible!
So that’s it, I’m a convert. Bob told me these hockey fins “kick like a donkey,” and he wasn’t kidding. I found, in fact, that the only missing link in the chain was my own legs! Not that they didn’t work – simply that I could feel so clearly that the fins were just begging me to kick harder to reach their full potenIal. So I’ll be back to heavier leg training to build the strength to be able to fully appreciate these incredible fins by the Ime the big waves come back next Winter.
Thanks again Bob, as always, for creaIng the tools that allow me to safely do what I love most in the world. I’m forever grateful and already can’t wait to get out for my next session!
"So I started changing up my technique..."
This sentence is probably one of the most relevant things ever written about fins. I'm not joking (at least not entirely) and I'm not trying to make a stink. Bear with me a second, and let me explain.
I've been a certified diver since 1990, owned several different models of fins, and regularly I've seen fin models going from "the only fins in the world" to "utter piece of garbage" in the eye of the diving community. Fashion exists in diving too it seems.
When you talk with fellow divers about fins, many will have a dogmatic approach (see what's written above). Many divers, instructors included, tend to forget that when you change fins, you have to alter, even slightly, the way you kick. A pair of spear fishing fins won't respond well if you use them like diving fins.
I know I"m stating the obvious, but it may be so obvious that many of us have forgotten it.
One example : took me sometime to get use to my Force Fin Pros. Not surprising, considering they're utterly different from whatever I've dived before. Now, I'm used to them I won't change, even for all the gold in the kingdom. (Well, maybe, if someone could REALLY give me that, I might consider the thought, but I guess I'm safe).
What I find amazing is when divers try new fins, usually they go for a lap or two in a pool, and expect those fins to behave as their previous pair. According to me, that's just plain stupid, and cause for many disappointments, and wasted money, and foul mouthing. Especially as far as Force Fin are concerned.
This sentence is probably one of the most relevant things ever written about fins. I'm not joking (at least not entirely) and I'm not trying to make a stink. Bear with me a second, and let me explain.
I've been a certified diver since 1990, owned several different models of fins, and regularly I've seen fin models going from "the only fins in the world" to "utter piece of garbage" in the eye of the diving community. Fashion exists in diving too it seems.
When you talk with fellow divers about fins, many will have a dogmatic approach (see what's written above). Many divers, instructors included, tend to forget that when you change fins, you have to alter, even slightly, the way you kick. A pair of spear fishing fins won't respond well if you use them like diving fins.
I know I"m stating the obvious, but it may be so obvious that many of us have forgotten it.
One example : took me sometime to get use to my Force Fin Pros. Not surprising, considering they're utterly different from whatever I've dived before. Now, I'm used to them I won't change, even for all the gold in the kingdom. (Well, maybe, if someone could REALLY give me that, I might consider the thought, but I guess I'm safe).
What I find amazing is when divers try new fins, usually they go for a lap or two in a pool, and expect those fins to behave as their previous pair. According to me, that's just plain stupid, and cause for many disappointments, and wasted money, and foul mouthing. Especially as far as Force Fin are concerned.
OP
Bob Evans
Contributor
OP
Bob Evans
Contributor
Each Force Fin I hand shaped into a piece of Art. Here is the backside of the OPS. This Plug will soon have a mold made around it and then off to be poured. It's a fantastic
process. Robert Flores still helps Susanne and me each day—almost 30 years since he first started in my workshop. You can purchase a OPS on EBAY.
OP
Bob Evans
Contributor
I'm wrapping things up and have a few pairs left of the Excellerating and Extra Force fins. Both models were great for the TEX folks.
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