Ciao Spaghetti,
I asked this question to myself too, and actually I tried it once to use a normal snorkeling fin for shallow water hunting (to about 5 - 6 m). That time I used a 5mm wetsuit and 8 or 9kg of weights. Well, I gave that up immediately. I had to paddle so much compared to diving with long fins that I didnt reach the same relaxed and slow motion mood that I normally have when underwater with long fins.
I think short fins dont give u enough propulsion when u are quite heavy weighted, which is often the case when u dive shallow, especially in the colder seasons. The other way round - if you are heavy weighted for shallow diving, with long fins u can easily do some deeper dives in between without taking off weights cause your fins bring u readily back to the surface even if u feel quite like a rock when starting the ascent.
Originally Posted by
spaghetti
-bigger blades make more splashing, vibrations and noise: an alarm signal for the fish
-bigger blades are more likely to hit and scratch rocks
-bigger blades require more physical effort to kick (and when you hunt in shallow you do lots of surface swimming).
- I dont think bigger blades make more splashing. If I am lightweighted, then with long blades a smooth and narrow kick on the surface is enough to swim along; with heavy weights, my legs are more immersed in the water on the surface and I can use a wider amplitude stroke, again without splashing.
- your second argument could be true, but just under very special circumstances. I know such a diving spot in Croatia. Shallow water, max. 3m, full of crevices, deep little valleys almost too narrow to fit in, going criss cross in every direction. That was the only time I wished I had some very short fins (and very short gun too, 90cm was far too long), cause I couldnt move through this labyrinth without hitting the rocks continously with my long blades. But for the rest I think you will not hit too many rocks if you move slowly, carefully and fluently when proceeding on the bottom.
- your third argument ("more physical effort to kick required with long fins") seems to me just the opposit of what all freedivers tend to believe their long fins are good for: to save precious oxygen
. Maybe one stroke with the same amplitude requires more effort with a long blade than with a short one, but if u need just half the number of strokes to cover the same distance at the end longer blades are less energy consuming.
But I guess u know all that better then me
. Not without reason you had a nice pair of omer record fins in your bag, and you should have used them instead of leaving them on the beach :t :t
One argument against long fins could be their bad camouflage factor. But there are the Omer Ice, and many long blades with different camu patterns.
So, my opinion is clear. If I use (bi)fins, I use long ones (the only exception are the small rubber fins for mono training :inlove ). For me they are better in every way.
But why dont u try out a normal snorkel fin? Cressi has quite a nice one, the Pro Star model, in Italy u get it for 30 €. If I was to try shallow spearing with small fins, I would maybe get this fin to check it out.
Ciao, e comprati anche le Mustang
,
Ivo