Fins for swimming pool

[spook2]

Hi everyone,

I've been lurking for a while around here, read the forums but did not find an answer to my question:
I was training during the off-season in a 60ft length pool with Deep See Sea Star fins. The problem is, as I've found the hard way, dynamic of those fins is nothing like Sporasub H. Dessault's which I wear while swimming in the ocean. So the question is: which short/training fins would approximate the leg movements and load of the long blade fins?

Thanks for your advice.

 

[azapa]

those fins look nice! real rubber short fins with full footpocket, hard to find these days, and a great price.

I would say they look perfect pool training fins. You could learn a very nice dolphin kick with them too.

Long bifins suck in the pool IMHO, there place is in the ocean. No short fin will emulate a longer fin movement, but don't focus on that aspect of your freediving, there are so many other areas to improve upon (hydrodynamics, relaxation, breathing etc).

Good ;luck!

 

[DRW]

I'm a complete traditionalist when it comes to fins. Having started snorkelling back in the late 1950s, I've always been very happy with simple full-foot all-rubber fins. I still use such fins when I snorkel in the North Sea and I don't regard them only as "pool fins". It's often forgotten that the pioneers of freediving in the 1970s used all-rubber fins to great effect in the ocean as well as, presumably, in the swimming pool. The concept of "pool fins" is relatively new and can do a grave disservice to fins that have been, can still be, used perfectly satisfactorily in both environments.

Azapa is right that all-rubber fins can be hard to find these days, but they are still being made around the world and can be sourced if you know where to look. For what it's worth, and I don't know whether this may be what you have in mind, there are three models of all-rubber long-bladed fins:

1. Adalilar Concorde. Turkish-made fin.
2. Gull Barracuda. Japanese-made fin.
3. SubGear Stream. Taiwanese-made fin.

The Japanese manufacturer Gull, which specialises in high-quality all-rubber fins, makes several kinds of standard-bladed fins of various stiffnesses to complement the Barracuda, for example the Mew, Soft Mew, Hard Mew and Supermew.

All-rubber fins continue to be popular, both in the sea and in the pool, in the Far East. They are still made in Brazil, China, France, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Russia, Taiwan, Turkey, Ukraine, Uruguay and the USA. They can be purchased online from diving, swimming or general sports gear stores. Local dive stores don't normally stock them as there's more profit in expensive plastic fins and many new divers, ignorant of the history of dive gear, associate them with lap swimming in the pool.

I don't suppose I've answered your original enquiry, but I've come to the belief that the feel and capabilities of any fin are down to the individual's own judgement. The best way to find a fin that matches what are subjective criteria is trial and error, experimentation. I'm very wary of the advice of people who claim that one particular brand of fin will fulfil somebody else's requirements. The problem isn't helped by the fact that manufacturers and retailers usually don't even publish data about the stiffness of blades and foot pockets in durometer-rated "shores" so that comparisons can be made. In the meantime, I have to agree with Azapa that you have already found a pair of bargain fins that are proving their worth in the pool even if they are falling down in their promise to duplicate the characteristics of your freediving fins.

 

[spook2]

Thanks for the advice. I think I had to explain my problem in more details. I am training in a 60ft/18m pool. The shallow end of the pool is only 3ft deep. I am 5'11"/180cm. It makes it very awkward to make the turns while under water at the shallow end, especially while wearing the fins. And there are a lot of turns in a 60ft pool. So I need small fins. The See Stars that I have are very comfortable, but it appears to me they are too soft - my foot moves through the water almost as if I do not have the fins on. When I wear my long bladed fins the foot is going through the slow ark - a different load and a different set of muscles at work. So my training in the pool is not get translated into the performance in the ocean. Hence the question of the pool fins. Any opinion on something like SpecialFins Training fin?

 

[spaghetti]

Azapa (or anyone) what's your take on short carbon bifins?
It's been years now I've been considering to get a pair for pool or spearing in shallow, but can't make up my mind if it's worth the extra cash for CF.

Meanwhile, more and more manufacturers are investing to offer very short carbon fins...

 

[Spear0Joe]

Spaghetti, my take is if you are diving shallow and rocky (-10m), then stick to the plastics because the difference would be so minimal, and when I'm diving 30ft+ whack the carbons on

 

[spaghetti]

Makes sense, Joe.
It's just that carbon looks so attracting...

 

[Spear0Joe]

I know what you mean :inlove

 

[jmilez1]

In contrary, I'm not a complete traditionalist when it comes to fins. But I believe that "shinfin" swim fin is awesome in achieving maximum leg movement. Take note that your feet, ankles, achilles tendon and calf muscles must be in a comfortable position. It can also help you swim with a smooth and streamlined stroke like good swimmers do.

 

[alyafi]

On a related but somewhat hijacked note:
Does anyone have any feedback on open heel fins for pool work? I will be attending a full day pool only apnea course soon and need to decide what fins to take. The only full foot fins I own are the Gara Pros. The other alternative would shorter scuba fins with boots.

Thanks,

Al Yafi
Dives well under pressure

 

[DRW]

On a related but somewhat hijacked note:
Does anyone have any feedback on open heel fins for pool work? I will be attending a full day pool only apnea course soon and need to decide what fins to take. The only full foot fins I own are the Gara Pros. The other alternative would shorter scuba fins with boots. Thanks, Al Yafi Dives well under pressure

If you're looking for open-heel fins, what about bodyboarding fins, such as Churchills:

Over the decades, they've changed little from the originals:

because the classic design doesn't need to be tinkered with. The originals were used successfully by lifeguards before combat swimmers discovered their usefulness in the water.

Just a thought.

 

[hteas]

I use a pair of the old style Dessault fins with the blades cut off at the end of the ribs.
I find them easier to use in the pool, but cutting the blades short does make them temperamental. With the end of the blades gone, the entire kick feels harder, giving a better workout in a pool with limited depth and a lot of turns.
They are easier to use under these conditions, but retain the general feel of a long fin, as compared to my Churchills or Jet-fins, which feel more like there is less fin there.