Force fins and 800 yard swim

[mullannix930]

I'm in the process of working on my Divemaster swim test skills. I'm not in a class but just doing the watermanship test to get ready and improve health. My problem is, I have a bad ankle from surgery 4 years ago. I had multiple tendons repaired and cartilage removed. I even had a section of necrotic bone removed and replaced. This has caused me a great deal of pain when doing the fin swims. I have changed to a split fin for that part of the swimming, but it doesn't seem to help. I get pain in the ankle and also in the balls of both feet. I know I am probably pushing with my toes without knowing it for that part.

My question is this. Do any of you have experience with the 800 swim with force fins, and if so, how do they compare to the same swim with regular fins?

 

[danvolker]

FORCE FINS push you in a different way than other fins do....They concentrate the primary contracting muscle force in the quadriceps--where cyclists are very strong, but also where even walking does have some conditioning of the muscles....meaning, most people already have muscle conditioning that is effective when they put Force fins on and swim with them...

More specific and perhaps important for you..the way the force fin stays on your foot....they don't even need a heel strap on for the flutter kick, as the fin pushes itself onto your foot--which I think may mean that it takes stress off of the ankle...There are several different "gear sizes" --meaning different models of Force fins that will allow more or less work with a given cadence (kick turnover rate/speed)
I have the Excellerators, which are their most ideal model for an elite level athlete.....I feel nothing at all in my ankles with them, but I use big DiveR Freedive blades in the stiffest blade model most of the time, so my ankles are used to so much stress from the freedive blades ( which put huge stress on the ankles) that I really feel like I have nothing acting on my ankles at all with the Force fins...

Also...could you do only frog kick for the 800 meter swim? When I did my DM swim test, I don't recall any thing like a test.....it was so easy that it was a joke.....of course, I was not coming off a major injury ( implication here I am not busting your chops). But I would imagine I would have had all the time in the world to do frog kick if that was more comfortable for my ankles....


On another note...if you are going to be a "working DM", there is a responsibility to be able to be powerful in the water, in order to assist those in your charge--whether dragging a diver, dragging a surface float, or any one of many other possible issues it would be your JOB to solve.
I think you should see about getting someone to let you try a pair of force fins..... Mine would be available for you to try if you were in Palm Beach....but probably there is someone in your area....try the Force fin forum!

 

[guyharrisonphoto]

Dan,

Are they still making force fins?

Maybe one day I can try you excellerators. I'm size 12??

 

[mullannix930]

I can swim the 800, it just causes a lot o pain. I can also swim with plenty of power when needed. The DM swim is just part of it. I am also working on getting on my fire department dive team. It uses the same basic test, but the times are more strict. Unfortunately even frog kicks cause discomfort.

Force fins moved and are back in production with some products (original and pro) and they are working on the others.

I may have to try and borrow some, or get some off eBay cheap.

 

[danvolker]

Dan,

Are they still making force fins?

Maybe one day I can try you excellerators. I'm size 12??

Any time.....We will dive somewhere on sunday, weather permitting

 

[danvolker]

While the excellerators I have might be challenging to find for purchase, last time I spoke with Bob Evans, he said the SD1 was still in production, and would perform very much like my excellerators....

There is a guy that works at Pura Vida that has a pair of SD1's you and I can try...

 

[SailNaked]

I did it twice, the first time with force(jet) fins and was the first to the middle, and the last to the end, then I did it with splits and was first to finish.

 

[danvolker]

I did it twice, the first time with force(jet) fins and was the first to the middle, and the last to the end, then I did it with splits and was first to finish.

Which fins were you using? Jet fins or Force fins? If Force fins, which model?
The original or Classic Force fins are the model they make which is the smallest gear--the least effort , higher cadence version...the Excellerator is the big gear version, lower cadence model.

Scuba Pro Jet fins are a lower cadence fin, that gets quite inefficient at higher kick turnovers ( whereas the Excellerators actually get more efficient at high kick turnovers).
Jet fins will tend to make your leg muscles work anaerobically in a fast swim.....Excellerators will tend to keep you using aerobic power in a fast swim. This is a very key difference.