Freediving fins when scuba diving from a boat

[Peter Bomberg]

Pardon my ignorance as a diver...

Wondering why you'd use long fins when scuba diving and when filming? Aren't shorter fins more appropriate for controlling your position -- backfinning, helicopter turns, sculling vertically, etc.?

As I understand it the freedivers need to be astoundingly efficient in their few seconds of finning before they run out of puff -- they can't exert themselves as they've such little time before the CO2 builds up. Freedivers wouldn't hang around for minutes on end in one place to get that perfect shot.

Scuba divers simply breathe underwater. Works well.

Ahh the tradeoff, yes there are some dives where you have to hold your position (often to take a picture) but I would say in most cases your simply propelling yourself trough the water (drift, catching up with somebody who zips around, etc. are exceptions) I can probably count the number of dives on one hand where exact positioning was critical if I exclude photography and technical diving.

However I can give you very long list of dives where efficient movement trough the water was critical for air consumption. I can't speak for other but my experience is most dives using less air outweighs some of the maneuverability you highlight (not all, you still have to .

 

[Bazzathemammoth]

Ahh the tradeoff, yes there are some dives where you have to hold your position (often to take a picture) but I would say in most cases your simply propelling yourself trough the water (drift, catching up with somebody who zips around, etc. are exceptions) I can probably count the number of dives on one hand where exact positioning was critical if I exclude photography and technical diving.

However I can give you very long list of dives where efficient movement trough the water was critical for air consumption. I can't speak for other but my experience is most dives using less air outweighs some of the maneuverability you highlight (not all, you still have to .

I 100% agree with this and have been scuba diving exclusively with freediving fins for years now. I'm not a photographer or tech diver though so can't comment from those perspectives.

Oh and my long fiberglass fins are fine with giant stride which is one of the most common ways I get in the water

 

[Wibble]

Ahh the tradeoff, yes there are some dives where you have to hold your position (often to take a picture) but I would say in most cases your simply propelling yourself trough the water (drift, catching up with somebody who zips around, etc. are exceptions) I can probably count the number of dives on one hand where exact positioning was critical if I exclude photography and technical diving.

However I can give you very long list of dives where efficient movement trough the water was critical for air consumption. I can't speak for other but my experience is most dives using less air outweighs some of the maneuverability you highlight (not all, you still have to .

Interesting. I infer from that that you enjoy hooning around underwater without stopping to closely watch what’s happening with the flora and fauna.

The long freediving fins are very much a one-trick-pony. Fine going forward scissor kicking but pretty useless for positioning using any of the myriad other finning techniques, nor in confined spaces even swim throughs.

Most finning efficiency comes from good technique, good trim, good buoyancy and streamlining.

Purely personally, I’m far happier underwater slowly mooching around a dive site enjoying the wonders of nature, even a small section of a reef/wreck, watching the world go by. It’s so divinely relaxing.

We enjoy our differences. Makes the world a more interesting place.

 

[happy-diver]

as the beige people tell me they don't like the colour

and on the next dive you can try a different style fin

 

[johndiver999]

I've used long fins for scuba diving for quite a while. I have never been able to swim backwards (using ANY fins), but other than that, I feel I can maneuver perfectly well with the big fins. I also do not do technical or cave diving or serious wreck penetration.

I wonder if some of these maneuverability comments are originating from people who do not have much practice using the long fins?

 

[Wibble]

I've used long fins for scuba diving for quite a while. I have never been able to swim backwards (using ANY fins), but other than that, I feel I can maneuver perfectly well with the big fins. I also do not do technical or cave diving or serious wreck penetration.

I wonder if some of these maneuverability comments are originating from people who do not have much practice using the long fins?

I'll admit to never have used long fins, unless you count my trusty Hollis F1s as long.

The reason why is exceedingly simple; their reputation is for the perverse free diver's few seconds underwater whereas divers using self-contained-underwater-breathing-apparatus have hours to mooch around a dive site. I value being able to manoeuvrer around, backfinning away from a lobster or bitey thing or a delicate coral, or just positioning myself around a wreck, or not kicking up silt to destroy the visibility.

Kind of core skills really. Good technique isn't restricted to "technical or cave" diving.

 

[johndiver999]

I'll admit to never have used long fins, unless you count my trusty Hollis F1s as long.

The reason why is exceedingly simple; their reputation is for the perverse free diver's few seconds underwater whereas divers using self-contained-underwater-breathing-apparatus have hours to mooch around a dive site. I value being able to manoeuvrer around, backfinning away from a lobster or bitey thing or a delicate coral, or just positioning myself around a wreck, or not kicking up silt to destroy the visibility.

Kind of core skills really. Good technique isn't restricted to "technical or cave" diving.

You might be surprised how much control the large fins give. You can do a frog kick if you want, you can move very slowly without hardly any movement - which can allow a closer approach to marine life (because you aren't flapping little fins) and they are very nice for stopping an ascent or descent - while in the vertical position. You just hold the fin blades horizontally, one forward and one backwards (legs split) and the vertical movement pretty much stops with all that surface area.

The issue with kicking up silt in open water is addressed the same way with large fins... you can do a bent leg flutter kick or frog etc.

 

[lexvil]

There are “compromise” fins available that do well at both, Seawing Nova, Sherwood Triton are a few I’ve used, they are a bit harder to travel with but can be worth it.

diving has its own rewards, some people love to cover distance and others go slow looking for every tiny detail, it’s all good.

 

[Bazzathemammoth]

Interesting. I infer from that that you enjoy hooning around underwater without stopping to closely watch what’s happening with the flora and fauna.

The long freediving fins are very much a one-trick-pony. Fine going forward scissor kicking but pretty useless for positioning using any of the myriad other finning techniques, nor in confined spaces even swim throughs.

Most finning efficiency comes from good technique, good trim, good buoyancy and streamlining.

Purely personally, I’m far happier underwater slowly mooching around a dive site enjoying the wonders of nature, even a small section of a reef/wreck, watching the world go by. It’s so divinely relaxing.

We enjoy our differences. Makes the world a more interesting place.

Don't underestimate how efficient long fins are. One of my regular dive buddies is a trim fit young guy with 2k+ dives, and I have the same air consumption on average. I'm not so trim, not so young and much less fit than him

I can go faster for longer compared to him with scuba fins too. Don't assume thats all I do though, one of my favourite things to do is hover and "be one with the fishes" as I tell my kids. It's just nice to have the power there when you need to fight current, get back to the boat etc.

I can't back kick with them (or any fins), but I can frog kick, helicopter kick, modified flutter etc fine. That's enough control for what I do. When I go on holiday I normally do a mix of freediving and scuba diving and using 1 pair of fins for both makes for more room on the boat too.

I should clarify that my freediving fins are composite spearfishing fins, slightly shorter and stiffer than traditional freediving fins.

 

[sea_ledford]

I generally prefer freediving fins, but they certainly have their down sides. Entering can be tricky, traveling with them is a pain, putting them somewhere on a crowded boat can be tricky. The only negative for me once I'm in the water are they are very negatively buoyant, at least my fiberglass ones are. When I was guiding I used them all the time as I didn't have the drawbacks listed above (didn't have to travel with them, I had place to keep them on the boat, figured out how to get in, etc). I would mostly just use a slow modified flutter kick (ie all calves and toes) and that was a good guiding pace. But I could cover some ground very quickly when necessary. Plus freediving for moorings was a breeze!

These days the downsides outweigh the benefits, so I've swapped to full foot Mares Quattro Avantis.