Why we don't always use freediving fins in scuba?

[OTF]

One thing I have wondered about: How do freediver fins work for surface swimming? Imagine that you have to surface swim an appreciable distance (say, 0.5 miles) in full gear with full cylinder, using your snorkel, to the spot where you are to commence your descent. Will freediver fins work for this? If so, then how well (compared to, say, Scubapro Jet Fins)?

rx7diver

They will work exceptionally well in this scenario. You would immediately notice strikingly better performance over any regular paddle fin on the long surface swim. But you'd be stuck dealing with big unwieldy fins during the actual dive and entry/exit so choose carefully.

 

[rx7diver]

They will work exceptionally well in this scenario. You would immediately notice strikingly better performance over any regular paddle fin on the long surface swim. But you'd be stuck dealing with big unwieldy fins during the actual dive and entry/exit so choose carefully.

Yes, @OTF, I suspected that this ("They will work exceptionally well in this scenario") would be the case. Remembering way back to my involvement with my university scuba course (first as a student, and then, later, as a teaching assistant), those of us who actually owned fins (always Scubapro Jet Fins) would always revert to the university-owned Scubapro full-foot rubber fins when pool swimming using mask-fins-snorkel-weightbelt. Those more flexible full-foot fins simply worked much better (and were more comfortable) for this.

Still, I wonder about the punishment that long, expensive, fragile (?) freediver fin blades suffer each time they slap down on the surface. Not really a concern?

rx7diver

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Still, I wonder about the punishment that long, expensive, fragile (?) freediver fin blades suffer each time they slap down on the surface. Not really a concern?

rx7diver

I always jumped off the deck backwards off a boat and then kind of “sat down” butt first as I hit the water allowing the water to stream off the length of the fins.
A long time ago I ruined a pair of Esclapez open heal freediving fins whilst giant striding in off a boat. Never again.

 

[johndiver999]

You want to have your fins in the water when swimming. There should be little or no slapping of the fins at the surface. A non-issue.

 

[John C. Ratliff]

Yes, @OTF, I suspected that this ("They will work exceptionally well in this scenario") would be the case. Remembering way back to my involvement with my university scuba course (first as a student, and then, later, as a teaching assistant), those of us who actually owned fins (always Scubapro Jet Fins) would always revert to the university-owned Scubapro full-foot rubber fins when pool swimming using mask-fins-snorkel-weightbelt. Those more flexible full-foot fins simply worked much better (and were more comfortable) for this.

Still, I wonder about the punishment that long, expensive, fragile (?) freediver fin blades suffer each time they slap down on the surface. Not really a concern?

rx7diver

Those fins are very robust. The ones I've owned had more problems with the foot pocket deteriorating over time, usually due to exposure to sunlight rather than the surface.

Finswimmers compete using "bifins," which are now not as long as the freediving fins, but they swim competitions in these fins:


SeaRat