Splits, sand and kicks

[dk2943]

I have been thinking of switching from my Mares tris to splits. My only question is which ones: Apollo, Atomic, Oceanic, Mares or Tusa. This past week, I went reef diving in the Keys. I was buddied up with a guy with splits. We were swimming along the sand, looking under the reef. When he was in the lead, I noticed that he stirred up so much sand that I could hardly see at all. I backed off and noticed that, rather than a small flutter kick, he was using big wide kicks, bending his knees. Is this something common to all splits or was it just his kicking style?

By the way, he told me had paddles, but, once he got the splits, he would never dive anything else.

 

[TSandM]

What disturbs the bottom isn't the fin, it's the kick. Any time you use a large excursion kick with a big volume of water propelled downwards, the sand is going to fly.

Paddle fins, in my experience (as someone who has dived both) give you immediate feedback that a wide excursion, flutter-type kick is not a good choice. They just aren't comfortable doing it. Any time I switch to flutter kick in my Jets, I give it up quickly, because it's too much work and doesn't feel good. Splits, because they are so soft and forgiving, make a big flutter kick comfortable for the diver. At the same time, they move a lot of water downward in the process.

 

[Oceanna21]

According to the Atomic website, split fins are designed such that they kick up less sand and silt when used properly (i.e using small flutter kicks). I haven't really experienced that myself nor compared to other fins as I can't really turn around and look any my own fins when I'm kicking...I'm not that flexible ;P My opinion is that if you kick about wildly (whether in split fins or not) near the bottom, and, depending on the type of bottom sediment, you tend to kick up huge loads of sand anyways. Perhaps using another style of kicks might be better closer to the bottom...maybe frog kicks?

 

[kidspot]

It's technique, not the fins. I was taught to flutter kick with my body completely horizontal and directing the thrust more upward, so even inches off the bottom I don't leave a silt trail. Many divers I see "silting" are diving with a slightly heads up (and resultant feet down) angle - even a slight angle in this direction sends your "thrust" into the sand, if not your fins themselves.

 

[Splitlip]

I agree it is the kick and not the fins. In my experience, splits in fact push less water downward than paddles for the same flutter kick.
I proved this (at least in my own mind) in a swimming pool. With my elbows on the pool gutter (I was face UP) and my legs extended I flutter kicked alternating between splits and paddles. The "boil" at the surface was considerably more with the paddles.
Not really a controlled experiment, but made me a believer.

 

[vieque]

Hi;

I use (and have only used so far - since around 2001) Atomic Split fins and am very satisfied with their performance. Contrary to what some people say about split fins, I find that movility is great (as when you make sudden stops). Also you can speed up (when you need to) with very small and rapid kicks technique.
I think that your buddy was making a bicycle pedaling which is no good for either type of fins..

my 2 cents

 

[scubacorn]

Maybe it's trim related? Horizontal vs. diagonal? That will affect the direction the water is pushed by a fin.

 

[Geoff_H]

Why use flutter kicks at all in an environment like sand or silt?

 

[jeraldjcook]

Why use flutter kicks at all in an environment like sand or silt?

Because:

1) That's how they were taught.
2) It's the only kick they know.
3) They're oblivious to the fact their silting the dive out for everyone else.

 

[D_B]

Why use flutter kicks at all in an environment like sand or silt?

Because:

1) That's how they were taught.
2) It's the only kick they know.
3) They're oblivious to the fact their silting the dive out for everyone else.

...because "everyone knows" that you cant kick splits in a way that won't silt up the bottom ... regardless of what the others are saying in this thread

:lol: