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Waterwings

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
It can take a long time to get an up-to-date response or contact with relevant users.

Adrian

Deeper Blue Beachcomber
Supporter
Nov 23, 2002
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Hey Adrian,

That is cool that someone else found Jan's site. I found it quite a while back and tried emailing him to see if he had any spare waterwings he would be willing to ship to Canada. I never got a response back. Maybe I will try again now. I was hoping that he would maybe give me the design specs or some tips so I could build my own. My interest is now rekindled! :)

I don't know much about hydrodynamics but I wanted to build one just to see if I could induce a fairly tight corkscrew with a mono or pair of bifins.

Jeremy
 
Waterwing

Hiya Jeremy and Adrian,

Yesterday I was told about your discussing the waterwing and I would like to ad some comment. Not only can you direct your swimming with the waterwing in a more or less straight path, by alternatively using the flat and the edge, you can make the most intricate maneuvers. This property of the waterwing makes it grand to swim with a friendly wild dolphin. Also you can push water backwards by heaving and pushing the wing up and down. A third effect of the waterwing is that is serves as a push-off for the monofin. Together it is not so much an imitation of dolphin movements, as that it basically happens to be the same movement.

Jeremy, my apologies for not responding earlier. I am trying to make the waterwing available for all water lovers, but though I have designed a model that is very suitable for cheap mass production, I am very much looking for a factory that is interested in making them. As soon as there are developments they will be posted on my website. Of course that is also the place for other information about my Dolphin swimming. Jan
 
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Hi! Just thought I'd bump this thread. It's very interesting and I was wondering if there might be any updates as to its availability; whether it would be useful as far as dynamics with a mono, etc.?
 
Hi Guys,
Just got pulled in again by Deeper Blue. Been very busy with the website. My last attempt to mass production of the waterwing in Munich sadly failed. This is the fourth failure and it's all about money. I want a max price that equals that of the monofin, 150 euros and they're all to greedy. I'll keep on trying though these things take lots of time and frustration. I would like to have a list of interestees, so tell me. Jan Ploeg
 
I had a go with this at the Recreational Freedive Meet last year - it looked great when other people used it but I found it very heavy and awkward to manoeuvre - I only think it would be really fun if you could equalise hands free as you need to hold on tight with both hands!

having said that, they look beautiful - so maybe just buy one and keep it on the wall!

S
 
The waterwing swims great. When using a noseclip (+pipemask) equalisation is no problem. I think it swims more efficient, which is always very nice. I hope they will go in mass production.
 
Thanks very much for your responses. The funny thing is that some people swim away with mono and wing like they never done otherwise and some will never learn. The vast majority is in between, it is an acquired skill, like windsurfing or skieing. I swim the wing for 13 years now and I still discover new possibilities. I might add though that I had dolphins for teacher, Fungi and Dusty. Not that you specifically need one. In my own waterhole in Holland I used to be my own dolphin. Keep in touch, Jan Ploeg
 
It seems to be the natural accessory for those who swim with dolphins!

See Jacques Mayol: "One fine day I was near the Club with a diver friend who was also an amateur filmmaker. I had made a kind of underwater wing, a small glider, for him out of wood so that he could be towed by a boat along the surface or underwater and have a good look at the sea floor.

A wild and lone dolphin got attracted by this strange vehicle and swam right toward us. I recognized him immediately: he was certainly "our" little dolphin (who had grown)."
Source: http://www.timespub.tc/Features/Archive/Summer2001/dolphin.htm

They would certainly be a hit with those practicing dolphin therapy. I've never swam with dolphins personally, but am very interested in this subject.
 
The waterwing can be used for towing, but is primarily for pushing en heaving with armstrength in combination with a monofin. It is very active streamline wise. There seems to be a path to follow, only to find it. Jan ploeg
 
Hi there!!

I tried out a strange appliance from Finis, some time ago.
It´s basically the same Idea as the Waterwing but, instead
of holding it in Your hands, it´s strapped to Your hips
(one winglet per side).
I´m sure it makes a benefical change, but also that the
winglets are too small in this case.

Check this link:

Hydro Hip ist ein Hüft- und Beckentrainer von Finis für das Training beim schwim

Buén Aire, Compañeros!

Hmm, either you posted a link to a wrong product, or I am afraid you misunderstood the principle of Waterwing. The effect of the Finis Hydro Hips is exactly opposite to the Waterwing. While Jan Ploeg's Waterwing improves your hydrodynamics and propulses you faster and with less effort. the Hydro-Hips do the exact opposite - they serve to increase the water resistance, slowing you down considerably and requiring more effort (or more efficient swimming) to move forward. Hydro-hips are used only for training and therapeutic purposes, not as a propulsion device.

From the product description:
The FINIS HydroHip is ideal for swimmers who want to improve stroke efficiency. It provides resistance and helps to train swimmers hip rotation for freestyle and backstroke, and promotes quick arm recovery out in front of the stroke for breaststroke.

Or in German:
Der Hydro Hip Beckentrainer von Finis hat an jeder Seite eine breite winklige Flosse, um den Wasserwiderstand beim Training zu erhöhen. Dadurch wird eine Stärkung der Beckenmuskulatur erreicht und die Körperrotation bei den Schwimmbewegungen optimiert.

There are more unusual propulsion devices listed in the following thread, but I won't add the Hydro-Hips there, because they are no propulsion devices - they are hydro-brakes (or stabilizers at best).

http://forums.deeperblue.net/bi-fins/67558-collection-weird-fins.htmlhttp://forums.deeperblue.net/bi-fins/67558-collection-weird-fins.htm
 
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