Skin diving fins

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2 total messages Started by Barrie Kovish Tue, 04 Mar 1986 17:34

#233

Author: Barrie Kovish
Date: Tue, 04 Mar 1986 17:34

49 lines
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Recently I purchased a new pair of wet suit boots. Not wanting
to repeat past experiences of frozen feet (the waters near Vancouver
can be a tad chilly!) I bought 3/8 boots. Guess what my fins are now too
tight O(. So time to retire my old USD Duck Feet. But wait I can't 
find a pair of fins I like. Since I almost exclusively skin dive
(ie no tanks but most definitely a wet suit) I suspect my requirements 
are a bit different than SCUBA divers. So far I've tried

USD Compro
Power Plana
At least three other plastic/graphite fins vented and unvented whose names
I can't remember.

The problem I always find is that these fins are toooooooooo stiff. When
surface swimming (which I do a lot) I find I don't have the leverage to
push the fins into the water. When underwater I have to expend a large
amount of my energy (and O2) to get to the bottom. Quite often a
fin will pop off my foot and I have to stop mid dive and put it
back on. I've been diving for over 15 years and I play underwater 
hockey 4 times a week. Is it possible I have week legs?

Too illustrate the effect I will relate a recent diving experience.
I took a SCUBA diver friend skin diving the other day. He wore his 
plastic vent fins I wore my old USD Duck Feet. We were diving on a wreck 
which starts at 35 feet (I still can't dive metric). However 
he couldn't get below 10 feet on a dive. So I swapped fins with him.
Suddenly he could dive to 40 feet no problem and I was left floundering 
at half my usual depth!

So I'm woundering what SCUBA divers see in these stiff plastic fins.
I suppose there OK for mucking about in a small area but what if you have
a bit of a swim to the best diving? 

I'm also wondering if anyone out there has had the same experience 
and found a good set of fins to solve my problem. Theres a somewhat
limited selection of fins in the local area and most of us import
our own fins for underwater hockey. The following list are fins I like but 
can not fit into with my boots on,  Cresse Sub Rondine, Plana Plus (maybe), 
Plana Concords, Technisub Ala, Voit Duck Feet and USD Duck Feet. 

Comments?

-- 
    Barrie Kovish
    New Media Technologies
    ..decvax!microsoft!ubc-vision!winston!kovish
    ..ihnp4!alberta!ubc-vision!winston!kovish

Re: Skin diving fins

#240

Author: debrunne
Date: Thu, 13 Mar 1986 02:00

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  I own two pairs of fins: a pair of US Divers Rocket fins which I use for
SCUBA and snorkeling and a pair of Dacor Plana (? I think that's what
they're called, those ones with white plastic blades and black rubber
full-foot pockets?) which I use for Underwater Hockey.  I wear the Rockets
for diving because I can fit my feet+booties into them, and I have never had
trouble swimming with them.  They are stiffer and heavier than the Planas,
but I feel I can go just as fast (or maybe faster) with the Rockets.  I prefer
the Planas for Hockey because I find it easier to maneuver in them.
I also sometimes get foot cramps with the Rockets when I swim far, but I
think that is because they are a little too narrow for my feet.

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