Seadog Mask and Split Fins

[commonerg]

I stopped in at a scuba store here in Atlanta on a whim. The shop owner was very friendly and turned out to be an old time skindiver. He was telling me all about skindiving "way back when" and showed me a few news clippings from some spearing competitions in the 50s. He actually had two pairs of longblades and a few cressi-sub minimas in stock, a very rare find for a shop around here.

After around an hour chatting about freediving, and the benefits of the split-fin design he pulled out this great little mask that looked a lot like the minima. He said he received it as a sort of promotion. It was small, clear, frameless, and fit like a glove. The maker of the mask was Seadog. I would have bought it on the spot if it was for sale, and if it didn't have "Seadog" printed permanently on the lens. I searched for the company on google and their page seems to be down. Does anyone know about this company "Seadog" or about this mask specifically?

Now, on the topic of split-fins. The owner was raving about their maneuverability and speed. He seemed to think there were a lot of freedivers out there using them. I was under the impression that they were a bit more inefficient than longblades. Perhaps he was just partial to them because of their profit potential, but is anyone out there using split-fins for freediving? What's the comparison between a good pair of split-fins and a pair of longblades?

[Erik]

Nothing against your old friend, but split-fins stink. More like shit-fins. They're good for out of shape scubadivers that can't summon up the strength to actually push water around with the biggest muscle set in their body.
Try them and you'll see.....especially if you try a 40+ metre dive I'd wager that what you see on that dive will be Elvis, Jimi, and Janice!
Cheers,
Erik Y.

[JMD]

Ditto, don't know about Georgia but I've never seen anyone down here wearing them freediving.

Are you sure he wasn't saying a lot of spearfisherman wear them? Cause their appears to be a fair share of them down here doing it on scuba (no comment on whether or not they're fat and out of shape)...

[mundial]

Originally Posted by Erik

Try them and you'll see.....especially if you try a 40+ metre dive I'd wager that what you see on that dive will be Elvis, Jimi, and Janice!
Cheers,
Erik Y.

this is great!!!! eric

[commonerg]

These are the sort of responses I expected. I included the question about the fins as a sort of afterthought. He did have quite an effective salespitch though.

More importantly, any word on this strange mask?

[marshallh7]

I don't have any info on that particular mask. But I can tell you that several years ago, I read and listened to way too much propoganda about fin designs, and was convinced that there must be something to all the hype about split fins. Well, they are easy to push through the water. That's it! If that's what you want, OK, but they are easier to push through the water, because they push less water. Manufacturers try to make it sound more complicated and say they've engineered something new that has revolutionized fin functioning. Nope. Push less water and it's easier, but you don't go as fast, you don't have as much power when you need it.

I have tried so many fins. Shown up at the pool with 6 or 8 pairs and spent the afternoon testing and changing fins off and on and changing longfin blades. In regular scuba fins, a standard old paddle fin will move you through the water as well as any hinged design, or split fin, or Force fin. Even Rodales and other dive equipment tester's often reach that same conclusion. Some of the cheapest old-design fins are still the best fins on the market. Flaps and hinges and split designs only sell new fins and make manufacturers more money, they don't move you through the water any faster or any easier or any better.

But then step up to long fins and it's a whole new ball game; nothing else can touch the speed and power (short of going to a monofin).

I show up on a commercial dive boat in Mexico to scuba dive with long fins, and the dive masters always look at you funny. But then after the first dive and watching the fins move through the water, and seeing that you blow everyone else on the boat, including them, out of the water for less air consumption, and they all realize what longfins are all about. I've had poor, broke divemasters in Jamaica and Mexico both begging me to sell them my longfins because they have a tough time getting them as cheap as we can in the U.S.

[Jon]

Split fins suck.

I don't even like them for scuba. The ONLY thing going for them, from a divestore point of view, is that you can make some cash selling them.

Never heard of the mask before.

Jon