Why the hate/ridicule for split fins?

[aquacat8]

I am still intrigued by the idea that some split fins act like propellers. If so it would explain why some are so fast, others not. I think propeller design is probably pretty specific as to what works. I wonder which ones are the “propellers”.

 

[Marie13]

I am still intrigued by the idea that some split fins act like propellers. If so it would explain why some are so fast, others not. I think propeller design is probably pretty specific as to what works. I wonder which ones are the “propellers”.

I’ll tell you that I can be quite the speed demon in my Atomics (pre-bum leg)!

 

[Allison Finch]

Go to any swimming site and read the description of flutter kick. That's the proper technique for split fins, force fins, and most other fins. With the possible exception of very long freediving blades: it is apparently possible to send some of those into "flutter" with short fast kicks.

I VERY rarely use flutter in my splits. I pretty much live with the frog kick, which is easy in the splits, though a bit different in technique.

 

[mdb]

Natures Wing bastardized their patent by selling to everyone. Many poor versions were
then produced.

Apollo produced the first split fin, using all natural rubber with high side rails and a precise
design that made a fin with good response. Later, a stiffer version-the XT-was produced for
those who wanted more "feel" and liked a traditional scissors kick or wanted other kick styles.

My first fins were SP Jets, then Voit Duck fins, many versions of Mares fins.

I think, as previously mentioned by others, that fins are like snow skies in a way.

Different fins for different dives.

For me it is usually Apollo XT's, or when travelling, Mares Quattro's since they weigh less
and pack easy.

 

[dmaziuk]

I VERY rarely use flutter in my splits. I pretty much live with the frog kick, which is easy in the splits, though a bit different in technique.

Correction: "that's the proper technique for using flutter kick with..." You don't have to use flutter kick with any of them, no argument there.

 

[Azur Salino]

When split fins came out in the 90s, the some but not all of the cool scuba kids extolled the virtue of the fin and proclaimed by acclamation that only dweebs or outlaws would wear "paddlefins." Remember at this time tec diving with its insistence on the "one best way of doing it right" was just coming into its own as an extreme sport diving activity. It had not yet been sanctioned by the mainstream alphabet certification agencies and was therefore an "outlaw.". Then in the 2000s the trend among the cool kids changed as tec became more mainstream and amnesty was given by the alphabets to the outlaws. Now the cool kids all discovered the virtues of paddle fins and wearing split fins became heresy against the orthodoxy of tec. You see the same progression from horse collar bc to stab jackets, to backplate/wings. Salt water isn't the hardest thing on a diver's gear; its other divers.

What you said is right! Let's don't get the gruppies and dive fanboys dictate what is good or not. Different fins have different weak and strong points.
Split fins have an awesome energy - thrust ratio when it comes to flutter kick. But they perform way worse in frog kick, turns, and back kick.
Long and narrow fins (free diving like) are very powerful but require a lot of strenght, being not really recommended for long dives, and they are also pretty useless when it comes to maneuverability.
Short-wide fins (jet like) are more versatile and allow for better control while positioning, like in turns and back kicking.

The split fins were an interesting attempt to mimic the hydrodinamics of marine mammals, which are unbeateable, but they only work in thrusting forward...the difference is that we divers, need to use a wider range of kicks and fin techniques that involve a different approach to these hydrodinamics.
In my opinion, shorter but wider paddle fins have yielded the best result overall