surface swimming with FF

[suddha]

I was given a pair of older Force Fins by a friend who swears by them. They are a dark translucent green, if that helps narrow down the model. Anyway, I am eager to try them out. I am prone to foot and hamstring cramping and i suspect the long, heavy Mares Aventix fins I currently use are partly to blame.

I have a dive next weekend in Lake Superior. It is a shore dive on a wreck, with about a 200 yard surface swim to the marker buoy. One complaint I have heard about FF is that they are not as effective for surface swims. Is this the case? Should I stick with my bigger, conventional fins for this dive?

Thanks in advance.

 

[knotical]

I think Force Fins are fine at the surface. I used them back when the IE required an 800 yd snorkel (without scuba gear). As with several other fins, I bend slightly at the waist to minimize breaking the surface. Depending on how your weight is distributed, you might not need to do that with scuba gear.

p.s. For longer surface swims, I often flip onto my back for part of the time.

 

[uncleavi]

They are Tan Delta's it sounds like.
I live in Alaska and used to teach in Sault Ste Marie Ontario and I have many Great Lake Dives.
Force Fins are fine at the surface. One thing you might try is swimming on your side as that will prevent the blade from breaking the surface. I think you will like that your toes are not inclosed in a foot pocket. I am Diving today and you can be sure that I am wearing Force Fins.
Avi
The Ex Yooper

 

[meesier42]

they sound like some vairant of the Tan Deltas (this material is the only translucent plastic FF uses), all of the Tan Deltas are fantastic, but I have found that the Tan Delta material can be too stiff for many people, they really seem best suited to the elite swimmers.
As for surface swimming FF can be difficult, they will work fine though, I have found the best thing for me is to swim on my back and the fins will be great. Your side works as well, but I have found it hard to be comfortable swimming on my side.

 

[dittrimd]

I have been diving for 7 years with my force fins. I had the same problem as you. My really big feet combined with my really big and uneven toes caused my feet to be cramped and uncomfortable. When a friend of mine let me try his force fins it was diving Zanadu. I think you will find that these fins can really help you in that regard.

One piece of advice I would give you is to give the fins a good try before deciding whether they are for you or not. When I first tried them it did not feel as if i was getting the same force from my fins as my old fins. I did some testing in a pool and found that I was as good or better with my fins and due to my feet not cramping actually performed better at the end of my swim with the FF becuase i was not as fatigued. I think one reason who try them and say they do not offer the same force as other fins is becuase of the open toe design. With the open toe pocket you do not get the same amount of feedback from the fin as with other types of closed pocket. This makes people think that they are not getting the same amount of force. Like I said based on my testing I have not seen that to be the case.

I am a recreational diver, a public safety diver and I enjoy snorkeling with my force fins as well. In all the time I have been using these fins I have never had any problem with surface swimming. With any fin breaking the surface will cause you to loose momentum and slap your fin against the water. I have tried all the positions mentioned and for me the bent waist feet slightly down works the best. Try it out and find what works best for you. If you can try the fins prior to your dive. I personally never like to break in new gear on a planned dive just in case I have a problem and the new piece of gear keeps me from diving. That can be a real downer.

Good Luck,

Mark

 

[Blair Mott]

I always try and swim on my back when surface swimming with full dive gear, but this is just not possible in all situations. If you have ever used fins in the water your mind and body will be waiting to feel the load from moving your legs in the water. This is something we get used to and become conditioned to experience when we enter the water with Fins. Force Fins are shorter fins than most on the market so it is easier to lift your leg out of the water than any fin that is larger in size. This sometimes will also give the diver/swimmer a false feeling of no power or thrust.

With Force Fins there is not as great of a load on your legs as with other fins. This can be most noticeable on the up stroke portion of the two cycle kick. The rebound from Force Fin adds in propulsion and because of our design you will not have the resistance and the load on your muscles. If you pull your leg up in response to the lack of feeling, then it will pop out of the water, you will suck air and lose propulsion. Like with all fins, it is in the technique and like uncleavi said, just keep your fin in the water and you’ll surface swim fine.

I believe the main reason it sometimes takes people a few dives or a few swims to get used to the fins is because we are used to feeling a lot of load on our calves and legs to move through the water. The design and dynamics of our fins maximizes the energy to thrust ratio and you just don’t have to work as hard as you do with the fins of the past design concepts.

 

[suddha]

Thanks all for the responses. I'll give the FF a try this weekend and report back. I can't wait to try them!