How are pro force fins for surface swimming/ beach dives? I have heard that they are problematic on the surface. Is there any truth to this? Thanks. gary
Force Fins and Beach Dives
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fisheater
Contributor
For me, they work best while swimming on my back. Force Fins want to be fully submerged for the entire fin stroke.
The problem with ForceFins while swimming on the surface is the diver not the fin.
The beauty of the ForceFin partially comes from the reduced load on the recovery stroke that works with the weaker muscles in your leg to preform that motion when compared to the down/power stroke. This helps prevent cramping, minimizing fatigue and lactic acid production.
But this reduced load on the up/recovery stroke (when combined with the short blade), means that if you treat them like paddle fins that are really hard to drag upwards the ForceFin will "pop" out of the water and no fin is useful if its not in the water.
To successfully use Force Fins on the surface it takes some retraining your bad habits you learned from other fins. What I normally tell people is to either flip over to your back, which most people do with any fin, or to turn slightly to one side. The real trick is to not drive your leg on the recovery. Simply kick down, then consciously relax your leg vice pulling it back. What you will find is that even though you are trying to bring your leg up, is that it will be there, your muscle memory will bring it up.
Of my dives, I can honestly say that most (probably 90%) are shore dives. Some of the sites I would frequent had a 0.75- 1 mile surface swims, and the ForceFins are better hands down. Sure pretty much any fin is good enough for boat diving and most recreational diving in general since those dives are selected because of the mundane and gentle nature of the dive, dive operators don't like rescuing people and divers don't come back to operators that take them to really physically challenging dives. When you HAVE to go somewhere, ie surface swims/currents, a pair of ForceFins will make your day enjoyable and you probably won't even notice the challenge.
The beauty of the ForceFin partially comes from the reduced load on the recovery stroke that works with the weaker muscles in your leg to preform that motion when compared to the down/power stroke. This helps prevent cramping, minimizing fatigue and lactic acid production.
But this reduced load on the up/recovery stroke (when combined with the short blade), means that if you treat them like paddle fins that are really hard to drag upwards the ForceFin will "pop" out of the water and no fin is useful if its not in the water.
To successfully use Force Fins on the surface it takes some retraining your bad habits you learned from other fins. What I normally tell people is to either flip over to your back, which most people do with any fin, or to turn slightly to one side. The real trick is to not drive your leg on the recovery. Simply kick down, then consciously relax your leg vice pulling it back. What you will find is that even though you are trying to bring your leg up, is that it will be there, your muscle memory will bring it up.
Of my dives, I can honestly say that most (probably 90%) are shore dives. Some of the sites I would frequent had a 0.75- 1 mile surface swims, and the ForceFins are better hands down. Sure pretty much any fin is good enough for boat diving and most recreational diving in general since those dives are selected because of the mundane and gentle nature of the dive, dive operators don't like rescuing people and divers don't come back to operators that take them to really physically challenging dives. When you HAVE to go somewhere, ie surface swims/currents, a pair of ForceFins will make your day enjoyable and you probably won't even notice the challenge.
In my experience surface swimming in any of the Force Fin models I am dealing with a different kick concept and breaking my old mental conditioning I had from using the old boards on my feet- Terrestris Fins.
Forceful downstroke ForceFul downstroke forceful downstroke. I never feel strain or resistance on the upstroke. It is a smart fin! I put all my energy into the down stroke and nothing into the recovery or up stroke. With Terrestris Fins you always feel your fins especially in the up stroke. So not feeling your fins might be new to you. Good luck and safe diving!
Forceful downstroke ForceFul downstroke forceful downstroke. I never feel strain or resistance on the upstroke. It is a smart fin! I put all my energy into the down stroke and nothing into the recovery or up stroke. With Terrestris Fins you always feel your fins especially in the up stroke. So not feeling your fins might be new to you. Good luck and safe diving!
I have been fortunate enough to test out some new Force Fins lately.
One is the Tan Delta Flying Force Fin and the other is something from the past that Bob is looking into bringing to the public in the future. It is a Rip Force Style Fin , but it is not adjustable, does not have Force Wing options, it is longer and has an unique Blade shape that is different than any other Force Fin model.
It is a great swim fin that works well for snorkeling. As the waves have been down we have yet to test them in the Zone with any real waves. We have been surface swimming and snorkeling off of one of our Local beaches in Santa Barbara. Kicking the fins on the surface while free style swimming and snorkeling. I have found I kick different models a bit differently as ever model has its special function and design. Some models I find my hips moving more than other models, some models I need more strength in my down kick than others. The way I look at it is I have to be only 10% smarter than the fin to find out if it works for me or not.
Michael Hanrahan ponders the Flying Force Fin on his foot before diving to the bottom.
One is the Tan Delta Flying Force Fin and the other is something from the past that Bob is looking into bringing to the public in the future. It is a Rip Force Style Fin , but it is not adjustable, does not have Force Wing options, it is longer and has an unique Blade shape that is different than any other Force Fin model.
It is a great swim fin that works well for snorkeling. As the waves have been down we have yet to test them in the Zone with any real waves. We have been surface swimming and snorkeling off of one of our Local beaches in Santa Barbara. Kicking the fins on the surface while free style swimming and snorkeling. I have found I kick different models a bit differently as ever model has its special function and design. Some models I find my hips moving more than other models, some models I need more strength in my down kick than others. The way I look at it is I have to be only 10% smarter than the fin to find out if it works for me or not.
Michael Hanrahan ponders the Flying Force Fin on his foot before diving to the bottom.
sambolino44
Contributor
I've found that, to keep the fins in the water when face-down on the surface, it kind of feels like you're kicking something. If you kick your feet forward, or down, really, and don't go back as far as normal, they stay in the water and you really move. It feels kind of funny at first, but it didn't take too long for me to get used to it. It's not harder or anything, just different. I really like my Force Fins for snorkeling.
sambolino44
Contributor
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