Jet fins for your hands?

[shark girl]

I can see these as being great for snorkeling- that extra bit of propulsion to get under the water initially. Not sure how much I'd use them for diving, but the shore entry through surf suggestion makes sense! I'd love to try them for laps of the pool...

 

[RJP]

I see this site is still haunted!

"A fool and his money were lucky to get together in the first place!"



Me? I'm taking the DarkFin idea to it's logical extension. If "fins" for your hands are a good idea then "split fins" for your hands are even better:

 

[doctormike]

I'm not sure that I would just dismiss something that I had never tried... Yes, we all understand that you aren't supposed to use your hands for forward propulsion while diving, and that is the classic sign of a very new or poorly trained diver.

That having been said, it seems pretty clear from the product's website that these are NOT for that purpose at all. They are obviously too thin for local northeast diving (although let me know if you make a version of dry gloves!). However, as a photographer, I often use my hands to position myself precisely for macro shots, etc, as do most photographers that I know. It isn't a sign of inexperience, it's just not possible to do this without sculling (or worse, touching the reef) in many situations. So for warm water diving, these might actually solve a problem that DOES exist.

I think that I'll order a pair... There aren't many pieces of dive gear that you can get for $25 anyway, so it might be worth trying out!

 

[doctormike]

Me? I'm taking the DarkFin idea to it's logical extension. If "fins" for your hands are a good idea then "split fins" for your hands are even better:

 

[Nemrod]

Never mind, logic will not work here.

http://www.pbs.org/benfranklin/l3_inquiring_little.html

N

 

[Bryan]

"A fool and his money were lucky to get together in the first place!"



Me? I'm taking the DarkFin idea to it's logical extension. If "fins" for your hands are a good idea then "split fins" for your hands are even better:

You're gonna die.

 

[Bryan]

I'm not sure that I would just dismiss something that I had never tried... Yes, we all understand that you aren't supposed to use your hands for forward propulsion while diving, and that is the classic sign of a very new or poorly trained diver.

That having been said, it seems pretty clear from the product's website that these are NOT for that purpose at all. They are obviously too thin for local northeast diving (although let me know if you make a version of dry gloves!). However, as a photographer, I often use my hands to position myself precisely for macro shots, etc, as do most photographers that I know. It isn't a sign of inexperience, it's just not possible to do this without sculling (or worse, touching the reef) in many situations. So for warm water diving, these might actually solve a problem that DOES exist.

I think that I'll order a pair... There aren't many pieces of dive gear that you can get for $25 anyway, so it might be worth trying out!

That's my thinking, too.

 

[David Wilson]

Although the idea of webbed swimming gloves is attributable to Benjamin Franklin, it may be traced further back to another polymath, Leonardo da Vinci, whose sketch is reproduced below:

As for their use in underwater swimming, if you access the German diving equipment company Barakuda's 1961 catalogue at
http://www.sukellusmuseo.fi/esitteet/barakuda_1961.pdf
you'll find "Swim Gloves" featured on the eighth page. The resolution of the scan isn't good, but the "purpose" of these gloves is described thus: "Increases the speed of swimming by enlarging the area of the hand. When diving the glove enables the diver to turn and move more nimbly. At the same time they protect the hands and fingers against sharp objects (shells, sea urchins etc)". I recall seeing a pair in the sports department of the KDW (Kaufhaus des Westens) department store when I visited West Berlin in the mid-1970s, by which time they would have been around for at least a decade and a half.

Webbed swim gloves also appear on page 23 of Herb Taylor's The Sport Diving Catalog, published in 1982 by St Martin's Press of New York. A company called Ocean Motion Research manufactured them in standard and custom sizes, the latter being available to anyone who sent in a tracing or Xerox copy of their hand spread.

Webbed swim gloves are available nowadays in at least three different materials: natural rubber, silicone and neoprene. They're sold here in Europe mainly as swim training or "learn-to-swim" aids. I've tried several kinds, including the Darkfins, and those made from natural rubber appear to provide the best flexibility and manual dexterity.

Some people will never see the point of webbed swimming gloves, others will swear by their effectiveness. Ultimately, it's up to the individual. I'm a strong believer in choice when it comes to underwater swimming gear and whatever matches my requirements - I always snorkel with traditional full-foot fins and a classic oval mask whatever the conditions - may not suit anybody else. We're all different and that's a good thing.

 

[Bryan]

(although let me know if you make a version of dry gloves!)

...interesting idea

 

[elmer fudd]

If these gloves allow you to go faster I can see where they would be useful. When you're in a current a half knot difference in speed could be the difference between going forward and being swept backward.