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Atomic Aquatics has anounced and is now shipping their new tech oriented split fin that has a stainless steel spring strap.
http://www.atomicaquatics.com/products/Smoke_fin.gif
http://www.atomicaquatics.com/produc...ingstrap_C.jpg
These fins are stiffer for technical diving than a regular split fin.
drop-dead sexxxxxxy........
:)
RAS
How many failure points are there? Let's see..... The plastic clip at the fin. The large "handhold" device in the center of the strap, sure to be a entanglement hazard. The split blade feature is not optimal for use under less-than-ideal situations. The list goes on. There is no need to re-invent the wheel here.
OK. Here we go. This is one of my favorite subjects.
As a former Scuba Instructor (Naui/Padi) I have an opinion, and as a 6 foot four, 225 lb. waterman raised on So Cal Beaches, I have another.
Here is what decided it for me.
I was bored at the dive shop one day, and saw the "swimming belt" we had lying on the pool deck.
This belt was made of stout surgical tubing, and was tied to the hand rail in the deep end of the pool.
The other end was tied to a weight belt, without weights. The tubing was long enough to stretch from the rail to ALMOST the farthest corner of the pool.
Get it?
We could swim non-stop and not touch the corner. We also didn't have to do flip turns in our small POS pool. ( POS = not very good.)
I took every type of fin we had from our sales shelf and tried it in our pool.
Don't forget, I am a monster in the water.
Some fins got me just so far; others fell off my feet! Repeatedly!
My UDT's stayed on and got ME the furthest. Period.
That is the fin I used, and my safety divers used.
Of course I was trained by a former Navy SEAL, and that is what he used. I just wanted to see for myself.
Later on as a Marine in BRC, that is what we would use as well.
There is no substitute for a stout fin and strong leg muscles.
For me, there is no second choice.
I am not a fan of split fins myself. I don't know any serious wreck diver that uses split fins. Most use Turtles or similar style fins. Most do use spring straps as well.
What are turtles?
HE was talking about those kind of fins...Quote:
Originally Posted by scorpio5031
http://www.alohashoredivers.com/projects/fins/fin8.jpg
It would take an atomic bomb to get me into any split fin again! Tried them hate them and know they're a dive industry hoax to sell more fins! I still have my Jet fins from 1972 and that is why Splits were invented! One reason to sell more fins! To sell fins to people who don't want to put in the time to make their legs stronger! The easy way out! Why do they have to make them stiffer so they will be like real fins! Splits also tear so they can sell you more of them! Most split fins owners keep buy more of them! Ever ask why?
Hey,
As a North Atlantic wreck diver living on Long Island, NY, I am a BIG fan of split fins. First of all, Papa, I have taken the time to get my legs strong. I am a former Divison 1 Lacross player who is a competitive marathoner and triathlete. Strong legs I've got.
The advantages of the split fin are quite simple. Efficiency. Here in the North east, we have some strong currents. The opportunity to decrease strain thereby decreasing gas consumption is always welcome.
It allows me to kick half power and get same results, leaving a reserve for when I run into a strong current or miss the tides due to circumstances.
I started with ScubaPro Twin Jet, left them in the Bahamas and will now move to the Atomic Smoke on the water (great song BTW.)
I have a set of late 60's turtle fins and love them, but they are not always the best option. I find myself using them less often.
Split fins may be less durable (if not lost, my twin jets were in like new condition after 250+ dive) but that has yet to be proven. Any piece of equipment that is not properly taken care of will have a shorter lifespan. I also am a believer that in all industry there is a concept known as planned obsolescence. It's design. Cars, electronics, appliances, etc. They are cheaper to dispose of than repair.
So you are correct, they want to sell you another pair. Isn't that their job?
They are here to stay, and I urge divers to embrace the technology that comes with them. Over time, they will improve materials and design.
-FD
You know what Spilt fins are good for?
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Nothing
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I Use the OMS Slip stream.. Lighter than the turtles (If you're feet heavy)
I remember a long conversation I had with an old timer who does the U.S. scuba show circuit as a manufacturer. He said the guy who owns the split fin patent took a pair of regular fins and using a scissor, cut a split down the middle of a pair of fins, and went around scuba shows talking with manufacturers trying to get them to license the cut. They all laughed at him as they should have. Now most companies license the cut.
Fins are displacement devices. The more you displace at a given period of time, the faster you might go, but the harder it might be, all tradeoffs. You can increase the displacement by making a fin stiffer to a point, by making the surface area larger to a point, or a combination of both.
You can decrease the displacement by making the surface area smaller, the fin more flexible or a combination of both. You can also cut a split in the surface of the blade. This does not accomplish anything different than either of the above two, it's just simple physics.
But the guy who owns the patent is laughing ALL the way to the bank! :)
Sorry for the book that follows, but I have a lot to say and millions of ideas flowing through my head.
Changing the stiffness of the fin, ANY fin, does not change displacement, only perceived displacement, in this case, force. The only thing it does is change how much displacement is created at certain points in the kick cycle. Size of the fin will be the only thing that changes displacement: big displaces more than small.
Take two fins, the exact mold, make one soft (not wet-noodle soft), and one firm. In order to move through the water, the fin is creating displacement, though firmer fins create more force. Used optimally, with proper form, split fins are more effective. While needing to be comfortable in water to scuba dive, most divers are not good swimmers, technically speaking. Kick form is horrible. I see it with some of the best divers I dive with, instructors included.
As an American Red Cross Water Safety Instructor, trained to teach proper form in all swimming strokes, the crap I see would disgust the ARC.
Traditional fins feel better to most because they communicate with the diver and indicate propulsion. Turtle style fins, stiff as they are, being shorter than most, including splits, have a place tight quarters on wrecks and caves, etc. but even soft split fins which are longer, displace more water, and if form is correct, will propel the diver just as well, if not better when you take into consideration the ease of strain, increased efficiency and decreased air consumption.
If you want to argue that split fin engineering and design is only better in a lab experiment with 1% of the population because no one knows how to kick properly (even those who boast they do would amaze you), I will agree with you.
But, if you want to become a better diver, learn proper swimming techniques and kick strokes for various settings and conditions (when to bend knee, when to short-kick, when to high-kick, when to off-set kick, stutter-kick, etc.) your opinion of split fins will change.
I have no study to prove it, but if you were to look at the divers who claim to like split fins and those who don't, I would bet my money that those who like them are better swimmers, technically speaking.
Like mentioned in my previous post, I kick less hard, use less air and have no cramping and exhaustion. My legs are plenty strong as a competitive marathoner (sub 3 hour) and triathlete. I move faster and easier than my buddies using traditional fins in the same north atlantic currents.
It's OK to be old-school, but new technologies and equipment aren't always a bad thing, just new and the need to learn how to use them; not just in scuba diving. I would say that divers buy new gear, latest and best quite often, as it's an addiction. Only they don't change their fins... ever wonder why? They want all the new equipment to make them better divers, do more, last longer, etc., but won't change fins. Because they would need to actually learn a new skill called kicking.
-FD