Soviet fins 2

[JamesBon92007]

looks like a kind of dashboard with a compass, a depth meter and a clock built into it.

I looks like that to me too.

As for the "aquaped", I wonder how many attempts there have been at such a thing. I remember laying there at night not too many years ago thinking about just such a device. Fortunately I fell asleep wondering about the possible complications of buoyancy control, keeping it upright, how to pedal with fins on, etc...

 

[David Wilson]

Yes, it's an underwater orienteering device called an "акваплан" (aquaplane). Here is a rough English translation of the accompanying Russian text:

5. ORIENTATION DEVICES, DETERMINING DISTANCE AND SPEED
Special devices alone can do exact calculations when determining the direction, velocity and distance of travel under water. A set of these devices usually consists of a compass, a logging device (instrument registering distance of travel), a depth gauge, a clock or a stopwatch. There may be other instruments to use. For ease of use, all the instruments are mounted on a special stabilising device. Such articles with devices mounted on them are often called "aquaplanes". Aquaplane design, shape and dimensions do vary; aquaplanes are not yet in commercial production.

The simplest underwater orientation device is a special frame (1) with a compass (3), depth gauge (4) and a clock (2) mounted on it (Fig. 60). The compass comes with a convenient device to monitor the vertical scale. Lightweight smaller-sized KI-11 and KI-13 type magnetic compasses have this scale, which explains their widespread use. The presence of a sighting device enables the direction of the target to be determined accurately. A swimmer holds the device effortlessly in his hands (Fig. 60, b). The presence of two brackets (5) around the forearm ensures that the position, convenience and reliability of the sight remain stable. The big disadvantage is the lack of a logging device, which makes it impossible to determine directly the distance of travel.

I'll see what I can come up with in the way of further Soviet underwater devices when I showcase the next set of 1960s/1970s fins.

 

[USdiver1]

By the looks of some of those contraptions, the USSR must have some controlled substances that make LSD look like M&Ms.

 

[JamesBon92007]

By the looks of some of those contraptions, the USSR must have some controlled substances that make LSD look like M&Ms.

Yea, man, those tie-dye fins are out-a-sight!

 

[JamesBon92007]

I did a search for aquapeds but only found one image of what might have been the same device shown here, however I did find many pictures of people riding bicycles underwater while wearing scuba gear.

 

[David Wilson]

I'll divide the remaining vintage Soviet fins in this thread into three groups: adult fins, children's fins and drysuit fins. I'll deal with the first category here.

Akula

"Akula" is the Russian word for "shark". The second image above shows the outline of a shark above the word "АКУЛА", which is "akula" in Cyrillic characters. The original version (first image above) of this adjustable open-heel fin was made by Mosrezina with an open toe, while the current version (second image above) was manufactured by the Yaroslavl rubber goods plant with a closed toe that could be cut away to allow the toes to protrude.

Neptun

Unsurprisingly, "Neptun" means "Neptune", the name of the Roman god of freshwater and the sea. It was an open-toe closed-heel fin. It is no longer in production.

I'll move on to the Soviet children's fins next.

 

[Diver0001]

Well I'll be darned. I actually had a pair of those blue fins (or something very similar at least) that I used for years in the pool for giving lessons because they were small and didn't get in the way when the pool was busy. I retired them only a couple of years ago because they fell apart. I had no idea where they came from, I bought them 2nd hand online on a whim.

R..

 

[David Wilson]

OK - on to a couple of models of children's fins.

Zolotaya rybka

"Zolotaya rybka" (Золотая рывка) is Russian for "goldfish". This fin fitted the tiniest feet. The sole of the fin in the second picture reveals the date of manufacture by Mosrezina (1969), the size (EU 28-30) and the price (2 roubles).

The fin, with a marbled foot pocket, is still in production in the Moscow plant of Alfaplastik:

When children's feet outgrew the Zolataya rybka, the successor fin was the Malyutka:

Malyutka

Malyutka (Малютка) means "baby".

The fin, with a marbled foot pocket, is still in production in the Moscow plant of Alfaplastik:

I'll be proceeding next to two Soviet drysuit fins, which came with an interesting feature not found in their contemporary western counterparts.

Just to finish with another Russian diving book drawing:

Any idea what these devices are for? Answer later.

 

[tarponchik]

I used Del'fins back in the days my youth, they were OK for snorkeling. I also had a Soviet weight belt with a stainless steel 2-piece buckle. I've seen similar buckles used by divers from Europe, but not in US. As for the TM magazine, none of the devices was ever built, of course. This was just a fantasy.

 

[David Wilson]

I found the image in a book by I. V. Merenov. Here is the original Russian text describing the devices:

Металлические задники (рис. 38) сделаны из свинца в виде согнутых по форме пятки бота пластин. Для придания заднику устойчивого положения на ноге служат про дольная и поперечная планки. Задник крепится ремнем с пряжкой, для этой же цели служит крючок, за который может заводиться пеньковый шкерт, обвязываемый вокруг ноги.

The text infers that they are "metal heel supports" made of lead with the same purpose as a weight belt, but strapped and buckled to the heels.

Onwards to the last two fins in this thread. They are billed as drysuit fins. The first is the Tyulen', made by Mosrezina in Moscow in the 1970s:

Tyulen'

"Tyulen'" (Тюлень) is Russian for "seal". It may look like a full-foot fin, but there is a gap between the extended heelplate and the strap. through which the lace on the right-hand fin has been threaded. Which brings me to the feature distinguishing Soviet drysuit fins from the others listed earlier: shoelaces. This is the country's answer to the problem of finding fins that can fit over thick footwear.

Another and more common Soviet drysuit fin had no name but was dubbed "Tri Pukli" by its wearers:

Tri Pukli

"Tri Pukli" (ТРИ ПУКЛИ) is Russian for "three rivets" and you can see how they earned this nickname in the second picture above, showing how one end of the heelstrap was fastened to a buckle on one side while the other end was permanently fixed to the fin with three rivets. Once again, shoelaces were used to improve fit when the fins were worn over a drysuit. These fins were originally developed for military purposes and were manufactured at a rubber plant in Yaroslavl, north east of Moscow.

Here is one description of the fins from a Soviet diving book: "Popularly known as ‘ТРИ ПУКЛИ’ (three rivets), the fins are intended for scuba diving. They are made of dark green flexible rubber with two lateral ribs for reinforcement. The fins are trapezoid in shape. The foot pockets are wedge-shaped. The fin has lacing on the top. The heel strap is adjustable, fixed to the base of the fin on one side and attached with a buckle to the other. In later years, the heel strap has a reinforcement in steel with three rivets. The fins come in three sizes."

In my next Soviet Fins thread, I'll move on to five fin models made during the 1960s and 1970s in the "second city" of the USSR, Leningrad, now known as St Petersburg.