Has anyone here used swim fins for diving?

[H2O Gal]

I have a nifty little pair of fins I use to swim laps in the pool called Zip fins--they are little shorty split fins. They seem to have good propulsion on them and I was wondering if they would work for diving. Has anyone here used them in open water? Thanks!

 

[David Wilson]

I have no idea about the diveability of your plastic-bladed Zip fins, but I can tell you that all-rubber full-foot standard-bladed fins of the type also used nowadays in swim training were commonly used for snorkelling and scuba from the 1950s to the mid-1970s. For example, the American-made Oceanways Professional fin,

purchasable for $36.95 from Online Scuba at
Oceanways Aquapro Full Foot Rubber Fins: Online Scuba Gear
is not only used in modern swim training but is also based on the design of the old Cressi Rondine Extra rubber full-foot fin which came in blue or yellow and was very popular up to the mid-1970s among snorkellers and divers, particularly in the Mediterranean. The picture below shows a female scuba diver of the 1970s wearing yellow Cressi Rondine Extras:


I always use similar all-rubber full-foot fins when I snorkel off the North East coast of England and I wouldn't wear any other kind of fins because they match my foot size and my swimming style exactly. Of course, that doesn't mean that they would work for you as well. Everybody's different.

 

[slackercruster]

I used them once at STT. Didn't like em that much. They would work in a pinch. I had to work hard to keep up with the team that used reg fins. If I was not in any rush the'd be OK though. I use them as my snorkel fins now.

 

[nikwho]

i would think that you will just be exerting more energy thus using your air that much faster. i would say just give it a try and see how you like them.

 

[slackercruster]

i would think that you will just be exerting more energy thus using your air that much faster. i would say just give it a try and see how you like them.

Yep, that about sums it up.

Just curious why the OP was interested in using em for diving? My interest was I used them for the pool and snorkeling and was looking for light scuba fins to travel with...so the Zip fin seems like a candidate.

 

[meierdierck]

if your life depended on it, could you swim against a decent current, or swim you and your gear to the surface in an OOA situation?

 

[fdog]

Eeeexactly.

They're great until you have to ask a lot of propulsion of them. Which is usually in an emergency...

"Swim fins" are usually perfectly sized for someone in a swimsuit and nothing else. They're not big enough for a person in a BC, weight belt, tank, wet suit compressed by depth, and dragging a nonresponsive buddy.



All the best, James

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

Eeeexactly.

They're great until you have to ask a lot of propulsion of them. Which is usually in an emergency...

"Swim fins" are usually perfectly sized for someone in a swimsuit and nothing else. They're not big enough for a person in a BC, weight belt, tank, wet suit compressed by depth, and dragging a nonresponsive buddy.



All the best, James

1+

Many years ago, I rescued a diver at depth who had chosen to wear Churchill bodysurfing fins on a deep dive. His fins could not provide enough propulsion to get to shallower water after his wetsuit compressed; he was a bit overweighted (this was in the pre-BC days). I had to grab his harness and swim BOTH of us up from about 90 feet.

Best wishes.

 

[David Wilson]

Many years ago, I rescued a diver at depth who had chosen to wear Churchill bodysurfing fins on a deep dive.

Though associated nowadays with bodysurfing, Churchills were the original swim fins, named after Owen Churchill, the American yachtsman who patented them back in 1940:

Sports: Breaking Records, Breaking Barriers | Owen Churchill | Smithsonian's National Museum of American History |

According to

http://www.dtmag.com/Stories/Dive%20History/01-03-2feature.htm

and other sources, "Churchill’s fins went on to become standard issue for both the frogmen (combat underwater swimmers using rebreathers) of World War II and early sport divers".

 

[mnscuber]

I love my Finis Z2 fins for swim workouts, so on my last dive trip I brought them along just for snorkeling near shore.

They were fun for snorkeling -- easy to change directions and less bulk to carry to the beach. However, after about 30 minutes of prolonged kicking my legs had a beating and I was tired (what they're made for, a good workout). Even though I had recently emphasized kicking in my swim workouts it was still tiring to constantly kick those fins for that long.

For the rest of the trip I used my regular scuba fins for both diving and snorkeling. I wouldn't bring the Z2s along again. For me, the small benefit of using them occasionally for snorkeling doesn't make up for having to pack them. Plus, I like strap-style fins so I can wear booties to protect my feet.