Hydrodynamic suit

[Noah]

Been on my mind for a good while now... I'm sure SOMEBODY has thought of this... basically, "smoothing" out the lines... turning a "sluggish, dragging figure 8" human body shape into a slip, streamlined pelagic one...

"Filling" a wetsuit out with neutral buoyancy material to SMOOTH the human body outline for more efficient gliding.... It will work... I've just never seen it yet....

 

[landshark sa]

I suppose filling out the bumps could have some positive effect, but don't you think it will make the suit firstly, really uncomfortable and secondly, a pain to get into?

I think incorporating something like Speedo's Fastskin, a swim suit which mimics a sharks dermal denticles to reduce drag, would be a better option.

 

[sross]

Otter Bay has developed a paractical "mermaid suit" with an incorporated monofin that provides a fish-like contour.

It has had very postive reviews, and women wearing it have noticed that they can easily outswim divers wearing regular gear.

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[Mullins]

I think that performance might have more do with the fact they're wearing monofins sross.

Noah - it's been raised in the past and would have a huge effect on efficiency. Thing is, nobody has bothered to go to all the effort while records have remained beatable using simple gear. Might change in the future and governing bodies will presumably have to legislate against it. Otherwise all DYN swimmers will end up wearing torpedo suits and big pointy hats.

 

[Noah]

I think that performance might have more do with the fact they're wearing monofins sross.

Noah - it's been raised in the past and would have a huge effect on efficiency. Thing is, nobody has bothered to go to all the effort while records have remained beatable using simple gear. Might change in the future and governing bodies will presumably have to legislate against it. Otherwise all DYN swimmers will end up wearing torpedo suits and big pointy hats.

Haha, I figured SOMEBODY had thought of this... personally, I don't give a chit about governing bodies... I just want to glide deeper, faster.... the quicker I can get there, the more time I have to be there to do what I want to do

As for the suit, it would undoubtedly be heavy(any additions necessarily being the same density as water), and thereby difficult to put on... FINE BY ME ... as long as I get what I'm after

Any of you wetsuit engineers that feel froggy, call me... I got lots of ideas and I can't wait to test them...

Noah Metzger 386 937 3381

 

[sross]

I think that performance might have more do with the fact they're wearing monofins sross.

Could very well be!

It'd be interesting to do comparisons both with a drag scale and simply measuring average speed with women using the same monofin, but alternately wearing "legged" wetsuits and "fish body" wetsuits.

 

[Ms Mer]

Could very well be!

It'd be interesting to do comparisons both with a drag scale and simply measuring average speed with women using the same monofin, but alternately wearing "legged" wetsuits and "fish body" wetsuits.

Check out the books written by Wade Doak - "Dolphin, Dolphin", "Swimming with Dolphins" and "Encounters with Whales and Dolphins". He is a New Zealand author, sailor and lover of the sea who has studied dolphins in the wild. Part of his research involved creating a dolphin suit and using it when swimming with dolphins to see if interactions with them changed, compared to interactions without it. Interesting books. The suit wasn;t as hydrodynamic as the pics you show but seemed to have some effect on the dolphins.

 

[sross]

As for the suit, it would undoubtedly be heavy(any additions necessarily being the same density as water), and thereby difficult to put on...

Well, the mermaid swimming community has found that you have to make tails that are neutrally bouyant, or even slightly negatively bouyant if the wearer needs weights, if they are to be able easily maintain the best swimming attitude, and to hold their head out of the water without expending a lot of energy.

Why neutral bouyancy would make the suit hard to put on though?

 

[Noah]

Why neutral bouyancy would make the suit hard to put on though?

Neutral buoyancy means any additions to the suit would necessarily be the same density of water... 62 pounds/cubic foot...

Putting the suit on in the water would be a possible option...

... for the purpose of a mental picture, what is easier to tow behind a boat at 15knots? A 200pound diver or a 200pound Tuna.... ?