Extreme Dolfinism

[dolphinladyD]

Wow, I am just totally amazed at what is being invented, better more proficient designs! Amazing! and the way the dolphins loved it...Who makes the Extreme Dolphinism fin...The one that is blue? The stuff a few years ago was NOTHING compared to this. Great! I NEED one.

 

[cdavis]

Ron Smith, Smith Aerospace, inventor and maker.

 

[REVAN]

What exactly is the difference between the Orca and the X-20 (except for the shoe part)? Which one is more efficient?...

The X-20 uses shoes for the foot interface and has an exposed frame for the fin's support. The Orca uses a foot binding-strap system and has a streamline fairing covering the frame.

I made some manufacturing simplifications to the fin suspension system on the X-20 that help keep the cost down. This difference seems to be performance neutral. In fact, the red, white and blue fin I set the US Dynamic record with actually has the X-20 suspension hardware installed on it because I have been evaluating the possibility of sharing common components for the two models.

The Orca is a little more efficient because the streamlining can reduce the swimmer's drag by a few percentage points. From a thrust generation perspective, the X-20 and Orca monofins are basically equivalent.

 

[pingshui]

Thanks for the quick answer! I guess for a competition the Orca is a wise choice then, but outside of comps the x-20 is just as fine.

 

[REVAN]

Thanks for the quick answer! I guess for a competition the Orca is a wise choice then, but outside of comps the x-20 is just as fine.

That is pretty much how I see it.

A few more things to consider as well: The X-20 occupies less volume in a suitcase and is a little lighter in weight. It is also a lot less expensive.

I have both, and I use my X-20 a lot. It is simple and durable and I never have to worry about scratching up the fairing, because it does not have one. I use it for most of my recreational swimming and training. The lack of streamlining seems to be less of an issue for depth diving than for dynamics. I've actually had the X-20 deeper than the Orca.

The two fins swim so similarly, they are interchangeable. I can train X-20 and put the wear and tear on the less expensive fin. Then, switch to the Orca when I want that little bit of extra performance.

 

[Fondueset]

As mentioned above, the DOL-FIN has a curious effect on wild dolphins. They go nuts. check the link below. The good part starts just before minute 3.

simon1dolphins2012 - YouTube

Note my less than perfect technique. I normally just laze along, and don't need much core undulation, knees and ankles seem more efficient. Here I needed some speed and power, that would come from undulation, and did not have it.

Thanks to Ron for such a cool piece of kit. This dolphin experience alone was worth the price of admission.

Connor

Great video, Connor. I noticed this when I was in Hatteras. There was a spotted Dolphin eating some of the chum and I reasoned that if I swam like it, it my really like that. I dove and shot up dolphin kicking. Upon surfacing I turned and saw a spotted Dolphin, maybe 15 feet away, completely airborne and headed directly at me. It seemed extremely excited and proceeded to show off - meanwhile providing a humbling tutorial.

FYI the best exercise I've found for developing good mono fin technique - which I took up only because Will Trubridge said he struggled with it - is doing 25m underwater dolphin kick lengths in the pool - trying to keep legs straight all the while.

 

[REVAN]

...FYI the best exercise I've found for developing good mono fin technique - which I took up only because Will Trubridge said he struggled with it - is doing 25m underwater dolphin kick lengths in the pool - trying to keep legs straight all the while.

And, don't forget about rotating the hips!

 

[REVAN]

I was looking at AIDA International Ranking the other day. When I filtered for US Men's Dynamic for 2012 and added my knowledge of the equipment the divers used, this is what I saw for the top positions. I thought it was interesting enough to share.

2012 US Men's Dynamic Ranking:
1) SMITH Ron.....175m 2012-09-15 DOL-Fin (National Record)
2) LAPP Wesley...172m 2012-05-06 DOL-Fin (National Record)
3) MEVOLI Nick...156m 2012-05-06 Hyperfin
4) WEISS Ben.....127m 2012-09-15 Hyperfin ...

Other interesting news:

I saw the latest Lunocet monofin at the WC in Nice. One of the coaches from the Denmark team had brought it along. As with all the Lunocet models, it was a nice looking piece of diving kit; compact and lightweight. It works very differently from the previous Lunocet models. Ted has abandoned the twisting foil and membrane configuration. The new design appears to have its design roots in the "Leviathan" monofin, a student design project. I am wondering if Ted consulted with these guys in developing his latest design. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSMWG-yJM6U]Leviathan Monofin Final - YouTube[/ame]

Unfortunately, with the hectic nature of the WC, I did not have a chance to try the new Lunocet in the water. Based on what I saw, I'll predict that many freedivers may complain that there is not enough power transmission [i.e. - distance per stroke]. But, like the DOL-Fin X-20; new Lunocet looks durable, travels well and should be relatively easy to learn to use. The Lunocet.com website seems to be down at the moment, so maybe Ted is in the process of updating it. I don't know how much it will cost when it come out.

Cheers,
Ron Smith

 

[cdavis]

Very interesting Ron. Leviathan looks an awful lot like the x20.

Does the tapered blade of the leviathan contribute to stability, like the winglets on the x20?

 

[REVAN]

Very interesting Ron. Leviathan looks an awful lot like the x20.

Does the tapered blade of the leviathan contribute to stability, like the winglets on the x20?

No. I think lateral stability is an issue with the Leviathan and you can see it in the video above. However, I think Ted addressed this problem with his evolution of the Leviathan concept.

In the new Lunocet, Ted has a partial span inner spar molded inside the fin blade. The fin itself is an elastomeric material, so it is flexible. The spar gives it spanwise rigidity, but the outer 1/3 of the fin is unsupported and flexes to add dihedral to the fin blade when it is loaded. This will add lateral stability to the fin that I think should be effective based on what I saw. Between this and the overall small size of the fin blade, I am predicting that it will be relatively easy to control this fin.

This feature is very similar to the DOL-Fins that have raked fin tips (Orca, X-20, HP). The DOL-Fins have a rigid aluminum center foil section, but the fin tips are both flexible and swept to create a dihedral effect for improved stability when the fin is stroked. It worked for me, so it should work for Ted also.

 

[trux]

Ron, in the Apnea.cz ranking, it is possible to specify at each DYN and CWT performance the type of fins used (bifins, mono, hydrofoil, other). Since you know which performances were done with DOL-fins, I'd appreaciate if you could edit the respective entries. It is enough to click the Edit icon on the right of the performance, and then selecting the type of the fin.

Currently the data about the fin type are not sufficient, but as soon as I collect more of them, I'll add some separate reports, statistics, and comparisons for different types of fins.

 

[REVAN]

Ron, in the Apnea.cz ranking, it is possible to specify at each DYN and CWT performance the type of fins used (bifins, mono, hydrofoil, other). Since you know which performances were done with DOL-fins, I'd appreaciate if you could edit the respective entries. It is enough to click the Edit icon on the right of the performance, and then selecting the type of the fin.

Currently the data about the fin type are not sufficient, but as soon as I collect more of them, I'll add some separate reports, statistics, and comparisons for different types of fins.

It was a bit more work to get an account set up to make changes than I would have liked, but I have added fin information for several dives on the list that I have directly witnessed. Thanks for keeping all the statistics Trux.

 

[trux]

Thanks, Ron, for the effort. It is appreciated!

 

[Simos]

It was a bit more work to get an account set up to make changes than I would have liked, but I have added fin information for several dives on the list that I have directly witnessed. Thanks for keeping all the statistics Trux.

Did you fail the test too? Lol

 

[adelito]

That's a cool snorkel design too.... That's you at the blue spring right?

 

[REVAN]

That's a cool snorkel design too.... That's you at the blue spring right?

Yes, I have a YouTube video of me swimming with the DOL-Fin HP at Blue Spring on the Ichetucknee River in Florida. That is a really cool swimming spot and it is fun to swim down the river too. River running in that clear spring water with a DOL-Fin is a real hoot! I have done the first several miles of Rainbow River also.

It is on my to-do list to produce a video to show people how to make their own loop snorkel, but the task has proven elusive so far.

Ron

 

[diN0bot]

A month or two ago I bought a lunocet. It is nicely compact and durable, which is very important to me (I bike everywhere). It is my fastest fin so far, first monofin.

LUNOCET PICTURE


The shoes screw directly to the center blue piece. The two blades sit between that black piece on the end and the blue piece, with two screws bolted through the sandwich for each fin.

The problem is that the blades rock around a bit, as if the holes for the screws are too big. Or may three points are needed?

I tried putting neoprene in there....but it didn't really solve the problem, plus it was super fiddly to do, and on my last swim I broke the white spring in the center, presumably because the neoprene got in the way of its motion and it snapped. :-(

I'll call Ted tomorrow and see if he can help. A replacement white spring would be great, plus a fix for the blades rocking. New and expensive blades----but they're SOOO fun!! I highly recommend them. As soon as these two kinds are worked out I will feel better about things.

Sorry I keep forgetting to take pictures. I've taken them all over the SF Bay and Lake Sonoma on a long trek. The speed is the best part, though. I got the marathon blades but now I see I should have gotten the super hard ones so that I can breach over the splashline (being set up over the water in the picture's background).

 

[REVAN]

Thanks for the Lunocet picture, diNObot. I didn't have a camera with me on that training day when the Lunocet was there. So, I didn't have any pictures of the latest Lunocet to post here.

For all the X-20 customers out there (the list is growing fast), I have posted a Tutorial video on Youtube showing how to replace the bungee system inside the fin that hold the fin tips in place. Also, for anyone thinking about the X-20, HP, or Orca; this provides a good perspective of fin construction details and the simple, user friendly nature of the DOL-Fin's design philosophy.

The parts of the fin that can wear out (not that any actually have so far) are all simple and inexpensive parts that are easy to replace. The parts that make up the bungee system are common parts that can be easily purchased off the shelf at local stores and replaced with basic tools. It is so simple that it is almost ridiculous until you think about how practical it is to have something that can be repaired while on vacation by scrounging parts from local stores. And, if that is still too much work, fin tips can always be temporarily fixed in place with some duct tape to get you through a vacation.

I have been to three competitions since June. In each of them, someone at the competition has had a hyperfin failure. :crutch
The first two were bad enough that the fins were unusable without extensive composite material repairs. I suspect the second fin was eventually discarded. The third fin just had a chipped fin blade that was repaired by cleaning up the break and creating a symmetrical break in the other side of the fin blade to even it up.

The X-20 was designed to do everything possible to make sure that the fin is able to support your dives when you are counting on it to perform.

Cheers,
Ron
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJzDBW7KE2c]DOL-Fin X-20 Fin Tip and/or Bungee Replacement - YouTube[/ame]

 

[REVAN]

I have an Orca available that is very slightly used. The Orca can accommodate up to about size 46. The fin would still be with the original customer if he had actually been a 46, but he later discovered he was a 48 and his feet were too big for this fin. :ycard He is happily fitted into an X-20 now.

The fin looks like new, but since it is used, I'm lowering the price from $1500 to $1200. Standard shipping rates and conditions will apply. PM me if you are interested.

 

[REVAN]

...I'll call Ted tomorrow and see if he can help. A replacement white spring would be great, plus a fix for the blades rocking....

Hey diN0bot, did you get your Lunocet problems resolved with Ted?