Diving fin market and companies

[Forslid]

hello there

I´m currently finishing my fourth year at konstfack royal school of arts and crafts to become a master of industrial design. my project concerns diving fins and my question is regarding market shares in % for companies that manufacture fins.

Aqua Lung
Mares
Poseidon
Scuba Pro
Spora Sub
Apollo
Dacor


I´m also interested in knowing about which fins are the most popular in %.

Open Heel
Closed Foot
Long Blade
Power Fin
Mono Fin

my last question is. who invented fins in the first place?

I should be very happy if you would answer these questions as soon as possible since my report has to be delivered by friday please...

with regards

Filip Forslid
Student

Ps. I´m developing a hole new concept for diving fins

I´ll keep you posted if you are interested in this matter bs.

[Erik]

Hi there, the only question I can answer is regarding the inventor of fins. The first patent on fins was taken out by the Frenchman Louis DeCorlieu in 1933. Owen Churchill, an American, patented improvements to the fins and distributed them in America under a contract with DeCorlieu.
Before that, Leonardo Da Vinci drew up some designs for swim fins. Tahitians were diving with home made rubber fins for ages when Churchill bought a pair, giving him the idea to patent them in 1938 (too late...Louis had already patented his fin).
This reflects the Western idea of history....similar to Columbus' or the Norwegians' "discovering" of America, with not too much regard for the fact that civilizations had lived there for 1000s of years before Europeans "civilized" them.
I suspect that people have been strapping fins on for thousands of years.
Good luck with your paper, and keep us posted with your development of new fins!
Cheers,
Erik Y.