40 - 50m range difficulties.

[Skindiver]

Sebak fin

Hi Peter

I use a 'hard' Peter. I really like this fin. I have not been able to compare it to many except for a brief dynamic with a teppo and a waterway.
The teppo did not appeal to me with the excessive wings ( simply ugly ) and the waterway was too soft and the foot pockets were too small. ( i forced my feet in anyhow and the thing felt like cellophane when kicking )

The fin simply performs as i ask it to. If i kick hard / fast i get going. Its definately not a dynamic blade.. much too hard for relaxed slow swimming. It stalls. ( wont bend )

For my current style of diving its perfect. Not much kicking down anyhow and cracking it upwards. I dont pay much attention to the backstroke unless i am 'vibrating ' rather than kicking it. Then i use a short fast backstroke to keep up the frequency i need. ( 2 -3 strokes / sec )

I am convinced that finswimming classic mono style and freediving style ( CW) cannot be the same all the time. Nor do i care much for 'technique', not that mine is too bad to begin with..

I am really stoked that this fin with my natural technique works for me so far.. and bears out my diving theories. perhaps i am diving to suit my theories, but.. i am known for learning the hard way. Not too long ago i was quite proud of the fact that i kicked all the way down...

Skin

 

[DSV]

Skin,

Nice work on reaching 50m! I use almost the same kick pattern as you, but on the descent I keep kicking to about 40m+- . On the ascent I try and make my body like a ribbon in the water, undulating so I'm not working any one muscle group at one time.


Peter,

I have recently spoke with Maksim and hope to have "your" model fin in the near future. I use a Waterway LD 1 fin now (very soft) and like it. How does this compare to your model? I'm looking forward to using a fin with the angled blade it looks to be more streamline for the glide on descent and upper part of ascent.


DSV
aka "7 min man"

 

[derelictp]

Skin:

I agree about the "Peter" model beeing too hard for slow relaxed swimming BUT that is, in my opinion, only because that the part that is under and 10cm in front of the foot. The middle and the tip of the blade is good.

I tried to get SEBAK to make a new model based on "Peter" with the bending line that is softer under and in front of the feet but they have problem with fragility in this construction.

(That's why I now do some experiments myself)

DSV:

I think the Waterway LD1 has a very nice blade and I think it suits especially dynamic apnea very good.

The angle in "Peter"/"Teppo" is, to me, beneficial for all swimming but especially for the descent in CW where I would never consider using a "straight" fin.

The blades of the SEBAK's is not better than Waterway's blades. (probably not as good yet)
But the benefit is, to me, so big with the angle that the fin outperforms normal mono's anyway in CW-diving.
One girl in the swedish team in Hawaii told me afterwards that her 60m (training) with the "Peter" model felt like 50m with her normal fin because she could relax better on descent. (dive time 2'30'' is a very relaxed 60m dive... )

Another good thing with the model is the very comfortable footpockets. I have problems with normal finswimming pockets.

The "Peter" blade is much harder than the LD1 under and 10cm in front of the foot. At the tip it's slightly softer.
The angle makes a fin FEEL softer than the same stiffness without angle though.

This is difficult but I hope I have helped you a little.

If you don't understand what I'm trying to explain just tell me, remember I'm just a swedish amateur in english...:head

 

[Bill]

Nice dive Skin. I enjoy reading about someone who learns the hard way. Have you checked the depth for neutral buoyancy?
Aloha
Bill

 

[derelictp]

Profile

By the way here is one of my 50m dives. Not so different on descent but much slower ascent.

Interesting wiew with the boyancy Bill, some divers like to be heavy and some likes to be very positive boyant.

I prefer to be neutral at about 10m but I'm not shure what's the best. I think that an effort in the beginning of the dive affects the O2-consumtion more than an effort at the end of the dive when CO2 is high and the diving reflex is slowing down the metabolism. If we see it that way maybe one should not be to positive boyant.

 

[Skindiver]

Neutral bouyancy

Thanks for all the kind words chaps.

I wear a 3mm suit , ( high waisted pants to cut down on neoprene). A rubber belt with 3 kg. One in the small of my back and two to the front, either side of the buckle. This keeps my weight forward enhancing glide stability. I weight in at 108KG myself. Bringing the 3kg back up is a non - event. ( The mono is quite heavy too )

Without packing i am neutral at 5m with packing 10m. ( fresh water )

I glide with one arm on the nose and look down all the time
( great drag. )

The angle on the Mono's blade works well. My feet are relaxed the whole time. Infact the only time i think of them is at 42 m when the neoprene socks shrink under pressure and my feet loosen up in the Omer pockets and let the cold water trickle in.

Skin. aka - 50m man


PS. I realise i will be chucked out of the comp standings but i wonder if i will be allowed to dive in the comp with fluid goggles and a nose clip in Cyprus for record purposes. ?

 

[loopy]

I'm weighted pretty much the same... I'll have to try just gliding down around the 10m mark (sans packing) - it's funny, I know I should be doing it but now I think about it, I've never tried

 

[PILOT]

record purposes

"I realise i will be chucked out of the comp standings but i wonder if i will be allowed to dive in the comp with fluid goggles and a nose clip in Cyprus for record purposes. ?"- Skindiver


Which record are you talking about?

 

[Skindiver]

Record

South African Constant weight record.

skin.

 

[PILOT]

good question about the fluid goggles, nose clip.....i thought they were only for world record attempts....what is the S.A. record for constant weight anyway?

 

[Herman]

Fresh water : 54m
Salt water : 55m

 

[Skindiver]

Record attempts.

You may well be right. I had assumed records were world or national. Will have to find out. I'm sure someone here knows.
( 55m ) SA Record. T. Hutton i believe.

Skin

 

[PILOT]

Well at the rate your going you should be able to bang out 55m bye the end of the weekend....good luck

 

[Skindiver]

Turning on the bottom

Ok. We progress.

I have given some thought to turning, and plucking a tag on the bottom, with a Mono.
All i can think of is to grab the rope quite high off the bottom, push myself down to the tag such that the fin remains high in the water... at least parallel to the bottom and wrench up quickly with the gripping hand so that the fin never gets to drop down and hang up on the floor. Sounds easy enough in theory.

But, if i dont get away clean and it does hit the floor and i give a couple of silt busting kicks i can only predict disaster. Its not a good time to be thrashing around in the mud and rocks.

How we do it ?

I have only one shot at this, this weekend. It has to count.

Skin.

 

[Skindiver]

No Problem

The floor didnt feature. except for giving me an adrenaline rush. I grabbed that tag and hightailed it out of there before my fin had time to hit the ground.

Skin.