This week we have the second of two Blog posts covering the topic of the highly essential piece of diving/snorkeling equipment FINS.
Fins
To recap the basic function of a fin is to propel you the diver/snorkeler through the water with as little effort as possible for the most propulsion, to this end there are a multitude of designs now available on the market to suit everybody’s needs.
A fin consists of a foot pocket, either full foot “slipper fins” or open heel, and a blade which can be of many different designs.
In this Blog post we will cover the Open Heel adjustable design fins which are used predominantly by seasoned divers, dive professionals and in colder waters.
Open Heel Adjustable Fins
These fins are generally larger than full foot fins and provide more power which grea
tly assists the diver when wearing a full set of SCUBA diving equipment. We will introduce SCUBA equipment in the next Blog post, they have an Open Heel, hence the name, foot pocket with an adjustable strap to hold the foot in the foot pocket. The foot pockets come in a variety of sizes from extra small to extra large so they can encompass all foot sizes. The use of neoprene boots is also requir
ed.The fin straps are generally made of rubber and are fixed to the fins using adjustable buckles some fin buckles also have a quick release mechanism to allow the diver to easily remove the fin strap and fin, especially useful when waiting to climb up the ladder of a boat. There is also the option to use spring heel straps such as the Saekodive Spring Strap with buckle. In place of the rubber strap a high powered spring is used to hold the foot in the foot pocket.
The blades are made from either rubber such as the Scubapro Jet Fin Classic or a mixture of rubber and techno polymers which encompasses the benefits on both materials.
The blades can incorporate channels to ease the flow of water across the fin but at the same time maximizing the thrust a good example of these would be the Seac Sub Propulsion fins and some fins have a split fin design which provides the diver/snorkeler with a propeller thrust effect, see diagram, such as the Scubapro Tw
in Jet fin or Max Twin Jet Fin.
You would normally find ribs down the edges of the blades, these tend to aid the flow of water down the length of the blade enhancing thrust and preventing the blade from twisting under stress.
To find out more about fins available form Dive Supply please contact us for more information.
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