Strong legs = non-split fins?

[archman]

Jarrett,

BTW, Any of you splits or paddle finners want to lose a C-note in an underwater race?

Those look like the same fins that our UW hockey coach used. He's a hardcore freediver, fit as a fiddle. I can outrun him in my Vortex V6 splits, but he creams me if I use my old Apollo Prestige's, Avanti HP's, or Avanti Quattros. Man did he get pissed when I got the Vortex fins! I believe "cheater" was shouted several times in the natatorium.

That's in horizontal surface swimming, mind. I haven't tried using these things competitively in anything but hockey.

 

[erichK]

Those look like the same fins that our UW hockey coach used. He's a hardcore freediver, fit as a fiddle. I can outrun him in my Vortex V6 splits, but he creams me if I use my old Apollo Prestige's, Avanti HP's, or Avanti Quattros. Man did he get pissed when I got the Vortex fins! I believe "cheater" was shouted several times in the natatorium..

When I got back into diving, our LDS owner talked my teenage daughter and I into buying the then new grey SP Twinjets. We both found them very comfortable--especially the soft, well shaped foot pockets-- but lacking in ability to transform leg motion into thrust in high demand situations. At 50+, I also found them difficult to put on and take off. However, when I tried switching to a pair of my old paddle fins, I felt like I'd put on boards, and they we certainly didn't seem to move any more efficiently...well, maybe a tad, at full thrust...until the cramps set in (and I do work out regularly!).

We finally got a good deal on a couple of pairs of Apollo Biofin XT Pro's (the extra stiff, natural rubber grey splits, with the steel coil straps). Their efficiency is fantastic. They seem both faster and less taxing on the legs than the traditional jets I used for years. And they're also stiff enough to allow almost any kick, from frog to dolphin to bicycle. They are a dream to put on and take off, but weigh a ton, and their stiff footpockets are not nearly as nice as the TJ's were. (Make sure you buy them large enough if you wear a drysuit...their is virtually NO give!)

So we've kept the TJ's for easy diving and use the XT's for the nasty stiff...but probably will not gom back to paddle fins. Except when we dive whatever Scuba Iguana provides in the Galapagos this Christmas: the Biofins are just too big and heavy to carry along! :06:

Before someone fires yet another salvo in this neverending debate, please do yourself the favour of trying on a pair of Biofin XT or similar later generation stiff splits and and really learning to use them. You may still decide to go back to your jetfins or turtles, but will certainly discover that these, too, are capable of THRUST.

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

Looks like all the scuba racers love those paddle fins

 

[pants!]

Before someone fires yet another salvo in this neverending debate, please do yourself the favour of trying on a pair of Biofin XT or similar later generation stiff splits and and really learning to use them. You may still decide to go back to your jetfins or turtles, but will certainly discover that these, too, are capable of THRUST.

Personally, trust is lower on the list than other things, so thanks but no thanks

 

[Santa]

amen to that. I recommend that all my UW hockey players use split-fins. It's like night and day. Not only are we discernibly faster, but can maneuver much quicker.

But the REAL plus is that cramping is drastically reduced. I can play an entire game without getting a single leg cramp. My other teammates report similar results. I can and have outperformed more athletic and better skilled players, so long as they didn't have splits. Simply amazing.

I've dived atomic splits for a while liked them and then quit them in favor of jets. I know you're right about cramps but I'm not sure you can really compare the vigorous alternate kicking you do in underwater hockey to scuba. More variables enter the equation (aquation?). I don't imagine you guys frog kick a lot.

 

[archman]

I've dived atomic splits for a while liked them and then quit them in favor of jets. I know you're right about cramps but I'm not sure you can really compare the vigorous alternate kicking you do in underwater hockey to scuba. More variables enter the equation (aquation?). I don't imagine you guys frog kick a lot.

Yeah, normal fins seem to do better with frog kicks. More thrust per kick. I do frog kicks with both splits and non-splits, and get more "juice" from my Avanti Quattros than my Vortex splits.

I also think you can be just as precise with either type of fins. You can back up with both types, and that seems to be some sort of diver's benchmark. The non-splits may be better for this particular action, but I haven't done much personal comparison. I think we had some threads on this a while back.

Every few months there seems to a "which fin type is best" thread.

 

[redacted]

Looks like all the scuba racers love those paddle fins

I'll bet they are sprinter rather than distance swimmers. I think it would turn into a tortoise and hare story on a 2 to 3 mile UW course.

I had USD blades that could really haul azz, and kick mine after a while. I took the knife to them and ended up with some fairly stiff split fins that do the job nicely, with no pain - in the legs or the wallet.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I'll bet they are sprinter rather than distance swimmers. I think it would turn into a tortoise and hare story on a 2 to 3 mile UW course.

I had USD blades that could really haul azz, and kick mine after a while. I took the knife to them and ended up with some fairly stiff split fins that do the job nicely, with no pain - in the legs or the wallet.

where did you split them and how far up. I've go two pairs of blades and would not trade them for anything. But your mod sounds interesting.

 

[pescador775]

I'll bet they are sprinter rather than distance swimmers. I think it would turn into a tortoise and hare story on a 2 to 3 mile UW course.

I had USD blades that could really haul azz, and kick mine after a while. I took the knife to them and ended up with some fairly stiff split fins that do the job nicely, with no pain - in the legs or the wallet.

LOL, tests at the U. of Rochester had a different twist. They taped the blades of a set of Apollos and got the same results as with split version. In the end, they allowed that the Bio Pro's were faster than the others, and no split decision at all.

 

[archman]

I'll bet they are sprinter rather than distance swimmers. I think it would turn into a tortoise and hare story on a 2 to 3 mile UW course.

I've had the fortune of actually seeing this tested. A place I used to work at puts a few dozen folks through a special rescue diver course all at the same time every year, and they each have to do the 1500m timed swim. Sometimes several times.

There doesn't seem to any winner here, regarding fin type; even with freediving fins. It all seems to boil down to the person's ability to maintain a minimum speed and not cramp up. Either you do a moderate flutter kick with the splits, or a slow flutter with the paddles. Flutter kicks aren't as tough with splits, so you can kick more often. But you get less thrust per kick.

If you're not going too fast, split fins aren't going to get you any extra speed. And if you don't push yourself too hard with the paddle fins, you shouldn't get a leg cramp. Leg cramps are the single biggest problem factor I've seen during these swim tests. Newbies go too fast and burn out.