short fins

[FreeRestriction]

hey ive been using churchill fins for freediving... im sure you all know of them.. there the blue and yellow fins that body boarders use.

anyways... ive been using them because ive yet to find a decent full foot fin that i like. all the stores here are for scuba and i refuse to use a rediculous boots required fin to free dive.

so what are my negatives using such a short, power required fin?... ive been doin pretty good with them though i must say.

 

[cdavis]

Know'em well. I've been body surfing with them for many years. If you match your kick style to churchhills, you can do pretty well, but you will do far, far better with longfins. They are much more efficient than even the best style with churchhills. In southern California, there are bound to be some freediving oriented shops not too far away.

Connor

 

[trux]

Short fins can be quite efficient, but their problem is that they require much higher frequency of kick. This has several negative consequences. With high frequency kick, you cannot calm down as much as with a slow relaxed kick. And also the faster you move your legs, the more energy is being lost in drag and turbulences. Simply the oxygen consumption is higher. If you do "pretty well" (whatever it means) with short fins, you can do much better with long blades. Simple switching to freediving fins won't cause any immediate miracle though - you need to learn first the right kicking style, and adjust also your overall diving style (getting more zen).

 

[FreeRestriction]

Short fins can be quite efficient, but their problem is that they require much higher frequency of kick. This has several negative consequences. With high frequency kick, you cannot calm down as much as with a slow relaxed kick. And also the faster you move your legs, the more energy is being lost in drag and turbulences. Simply the oxygen consumption is higher. If you do "pretty well" (whatever it means) with short fins, you can do much better with long blades. Simple switching to freediving fins won't cause any immediate miracle though - you need to learn first the right kicking style, and adjust also your overall diving style (getting more zen).

yea i know what you mean.... i need to get into "the zone" but i cant really do that when im kicking like a puffer fish. as far as stores around here im sure there are many near the beach but you pay double the price for anything in a dive shop where you can sea the ocean from the window.

 

[Tony Babowicz]

I once bought a brand new pair of cressi gara 2000 from ebay for less than $70 with delivery. Pretty cheap considering that I did not leave my house.

 

[hteas]

Do what whatever it takes to get a pair of freediving fins. Fit is the first pointing point. They have to fit comfortably. Hit the local freediving stores and try on all the models you can. Sports Chalet used to carry a selection. Then figure out how much you can spend and stick with that. Hana Pana Fishing in Honolulu has really good prices, and Florida Freedivers has really good prices too. Imersion greens are very good if you have wide feet, Dessaults are good for medium feet, and Cressi 3000LDs are great if you have narrow feet. All of these are medium stiffness, which will be a huge improvement over the Churchills.

I have churchills and can hit 50-60 ft without a problem, but they are so inferior to good freediving fins that there's simply no comparison.

Howard

 

[hteas]

I just looked at the new Hawaii Skindiver. FreediveShop in Hermosa Beach is a local connection with good prices and a good selection. The special right now is their Picasso Stimulus fins. They sound like a very good deal for $105.
Howard

 

[FreeRestriction]

Do what whatever it takes to get a pair of freediving fins. Fit is the first pointing point. They have to fit comfortably. Hit the local freediving stores and try on all the models you can. Sports Chalet used to carry a selection. Then figure out how much you can spend and stick with that. Hana Pana Fishing in Honolulu has really good prices, and Florida Freedivers has really good prices too. Imersion greens are very good if you have wide feet, Dessaults are good for medium feet, and Cressi 3000LDs are great if you have narrow feet. All of these are medium stiffness, which will be a huge improvement over the Churchills.

I have churchills and can hit 50-60 ft without a problem, but they are so inferior to good freediving fins that there's simply no comparison.

Howard

yea i guess im just going to have to make a trip to the coast on a day other then when im diving to find some decent fins.

 

[DRW]

Churchills, of course, are named after yachtsman Owen Churchill, the American developer of swim fins, who patented modern-day fins a few years after a French naval officer, Louis de Corlieu, had submitted a French patent for his own swim fin design. Owen Churchill is profiled here:
Sports: Breaking Records, Breaking Barriers | Owen Churchill | Smithsonian's National Museum of American History |

Allied frogmen used Churchill's fins for underwater operations during World War II. They were also used by female lifeguards around the same time:


It's a tribute to his original design that they have survived virtually unchanged for fifty years and have found a new following among bodyboarders.

 

[FreeRestriction]

It's a tribute to his original design that they have survived virtually unchanged for fifty years and have found a new following among bodyboarders.

not only a following with body boarders but they are an excellent fin for body boarders. and even body surfers. ive done some body surfing with them. they work great