Split fin haters... please explain:

[danvolker]

Dan You are so full of sh-t. Apollo was the first company to bring the Nature's Wing design to market. It had nothing to do with any other company or design. Apollo never spent one cent on advertising with any magazine. After about two years of work and design the first models came to market. Last year our largest customer was the military. They do not care about brand names or logo's or some free diving fin. They care about what works.

If they work so well why is it so easy to swim twice as fast as an apollo fin wearing diver?

 

[mdb]

If they work so well why is it so easy to swim twice as fast as an apollo fin wearing diver?

You are certainly not a seal or any special ops guy. You might want to ask them.

 

[petrieps]

I've always been open minded on fins and over the years I've tried many different designs - including various split fins and force fins. But every time, for my kind of diving, I have gone back to Jet fins, or more recently the OMS Slipstream equivalent.

Split fins are easy to kick and allow a rapid kick cycle, but they don't produce much thrust, especially at lower forward speeds. They also don't have much of a glide phase with the high cycle rate flutter kick where they are most efficient. In a single tank configuration it does not matter much. But when a 200 pound diver has on 100-150 pounds of technical diving equipment and a drysuit, split fins lack the low speed thrust to get you moving with all that drag and inertia. And once moving, the slow frog kick and glide with a large pair of jets is more efficient and more sustainable over a 2-3 hour dive at a 50-70 fpm speed than are split fins. And with the extra drag of a tech configuration, doubles, stage, etc, split fins just don't get the job done in a cave, especially with a less silt producing frog kick where split fins are much less efficient.

Similarly, back kicks helicopter turns etc, have more authority with jets than with split fins, especially in doubles, and in a cave environment precision control is important.

And I am one of those people who maintain that split fins don't back up well. I do pool lengths backwards when swimming with no fins or scuba gear and as someone noted earlier, you can back up in a single tank with no fins at all. So before you claim the prowess of back kicking in split fins, try it with the fins off and see how much if any improvement the split fins really add.

I gotta say, this is the best and most accurate post about spit fins I have read so far in any thread! Right on the money without contempt.

I use both Mares Raptor splits and my original Wenoka Reflexes depending on my mood and the dive I’m doing. I like splits but if I could choose only one it would be paddle fins.

 

[danvolker]

You are certainly not a seal or any special ops guy. You might want to ask them.

Tell you what...get your fastest seal in your apollo spaghetti fin, and send them to Palm Beach....I'll cover the boat trip.....We will do a swim from the 60 foot reef to the shore, and I will use DiveR freedive fins....and your SEAL will not have a chance....If he had DiveR's on, I would not make the challenge

 

[mdb]

Tell you what...get your fastest seal in your apollo spaghetti fin, and send them to Palm Beach....I'll cover the boat trip.....We will do a swim from the 60 foot reef to the shore, and I will use DiveR freedive fins....and your SEAL will not have a chance....If he had DiveR's on, I would not make the challenge

I suspect the real deal guys have other things to do.

 

[danvolker]

I suspect the real deal guys have other things to do.

Fine. Pick your fastest guy. Pick Marc Spitz..My point will be the equipment will doom them to being left far behind.
If I need to, I'd consider chipping in for the air fare...just to prove my point.

 

[DevonDiver]

I just had a student turn up for an entry-level tec course with split fins. Given benefit of the doubt, but he couldn't move himself through the water with equipment. I couldn't spend the whole course with him struggling several meters behind and out of my angle of vision.... so he was put into Jets. Problem much alleviated.

Just one example. Small 'sample' size... but that's the first experience I've had with splits and tec.

 

[danvolker]

I am in the middle of trying to buy a house in Port St Lucie so I would love to dive with you.

I dive every week, weather permiting Anytime you want to dive, let me know. The difference in how much better the freediving fins are will blow your mind.

 

[DiveMaven]

Back to the OPs original question: I'm not a universal split fin hater, I just hate them for me. IMO they solve a problem for people with bad or inefficient flutter kicking styles who aren't much interested (or capable?) in doing other types of kicks. As a former competitive swimmer, I over kick splits to the extent that they become useless ribbons on the ends of my feet. I've also seen other divers with splits in current who do the same thing, and have actually had to pull 2 different divers (with splits) through current to help them. Incidentally both divers replaced their splits and went to paddles afterward.

I also prefer to frog kick 95% of the time when diving as I find the kick-glide rythym to be most relaxing and efficient. Splits are great for the diver who prefers to flutter kick, and who doesn't feel uncomfortable simply speeding up their little flutter kicks to deal with currents or to go faster. That's just not me.

 

[djcheburashka]

You are certainly not a seal or any special ops guy. You might want to ask them.

Hmmm... When you say the military is a big customer, are you really saying that one of the armed forces buys the fins in bulk and issues them to soldiers as standard equipment?

I would find that very hard to believe, and I wonder if what's happening, isn't just that people in the military are buying the fins for recreational use.