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Split fins were made for people with a high air consumption rate diving on shallow reefs. I tested a couple pairs of those things when they first came out. They allow for less work (meaning less air consumption) traveling around in a non-current type environment. From a technical standpoint they are useless. Most cave/wreck divers use the frog kick. When I attempted to use the frog kick with them I went absolutely nowhere (must be the physics of the design?) With a standard open water flutter or modified flutter you DO move with less effort but not as far - so is that less effort or not? But at twice the price I would be glad to sell you a pair <big grin>. Call me at the store. <another big grin>. Jim ----- Original Message ----- From: "Don Burke" <donburke56@ne*.ne*> To: "Techdiver" <Techdiver@aquanaut.com> Sent: Saturday, August 04, 2001 9:19 PM Subject: Re: Split fins > From: Joe Citelli <joe@po*.co*> > > > How could a fin with less surface area and rigidity possibly generate more > > thrust in the water than a fin with greater surface area and rigidity? > > If the smaller fin puts less water in the wrong direction, less surface area > is needed. > > If the flex in a fin causes more water to go straight back, the flex is a > good thing. > > An extension of your argument is the use of a 4 by 8 sheet of plywood on > each foot. Since that doesn't seem to work very well, perhaps the > hydrodynamic problem is a bit more involved than just surface area and > rigidity. > > > People like them because they are easy to kick with. > > Perhaps > > > But you travel less distance. > > That isn't how I interpret the test results I have seen. > > > Personally, I'd rather kick hard once to cover a given distance > > than kick easy three times. > > I doubt the ratio is that high. In any case, isn't the figure of merit gas > consumption for distance traveled? > > > The manufacturers simply had nothing to sell so they made this up. > > Perhaps, although the test results do look encouraging. > > > Funny how people that buy this kind of stuff typically keep going back to > the > > stuff in their garage that works. > > I'm watching all of this. They have my attention. Perhaps one day they'll > get my money. > > The entanglement issue needs to be addressed. I touch my line with a fin at > least once a dive and don't need anything else to wrap the line around. > > I saw a fin with vents down the center in one of the magazines and perhaps > that is the wave of the future. > > The best performers seem to have the blade bent downward in a sort of > "ballerina set." It would not surprise me to find that much improvement > comes from that. > > Don Burke > Chesapeake, Virginia > > ---------------------------------------------------- > NetZero Platinum > Sign Up Today - Only $9.95 per month! > http://my.netzero.net/s/signup?r=platinum&refcd=PT97 > -- > Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. > Send subscribe/unsubscribe requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'. > > -- Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. Send subscribe/unsubscribe requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'.
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