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Swimfin
Swimfins, '''swim fins''', '''fins''' or '''flippers''' are worn on the foot or leg and made from finlike rubber or plastic, to aid movement through the water in Water sport (recreation)|water sports activities such as swimming, bodyboarding, bodysurfing, kneeboarding (surfsport)|kneeboarding, riverboarding, and various types of underwater diving.
Scuba set|Scuba divers use fins to move through water efficiently, as human Foot|feet provide relatively poor thrust, especially when the diver is carrying equipment that increases Fluid dynamics|hydrodynamic Drag (physics)|drag.History
Early inventors, including Leonardo da Vinci, toyed with the concept of swimfins.
Benjamin Franklin made a pair of early swimfins when he was a young boy living in Boston, Massachusetts near the Charles River; they were two thin pieces of wood, about the shape of an art palette, which allowed him to move faster than he usually did in the water.
Louis de Corlieu in France and Owen Churchill in the United States, working independently of each other, were the first to make swimfins a practical reality. Churchill's design caught the attention of the US Navy, which issued it to their Frogman|underwater demolition teams in the early 1940s. Fins of this design can still be found in just about any sporting goods store or Surfing|surf shop.
In United Kingdom|Britain, Dunlop Rubber|Dunlop made Frogman|frogman's fins for World War II, but after the war saw no market for them in peacetime, and, after the first supply of war-surplus frogman's kit was used up, the British public had no access to swimfins (except for home-made attempts such as gluing marine plywood to plimsolls), until Oscar Gugen began importing swimfins and swimming goggles from France.
In Australia, starting in the 1990s, Marc Lee designed swim fins which attach to the leg above the ankle, thus leaving the feet free to walk and swim. Kicking power from the thighs and torso connects directly to these shinfinSpecialized types of swim fins
Different types of fins have evolved to address the unique requirements of each community using them. Scuba diving|Scuba divers, in particular, need large, wide fins to enable them to overcome the water resistance caused by their diving equipment; Snorkeling|snorkelers need lightweight, flexible fins; ocean swimmers, bodysurfers, and lifeguards favor smaller designs that stay on their feet when moving through large surf and that allow less awkward walking on the beach. Other, more specific design trends are listed below.
Paddle fins
These are the most basic fins—a pair of simple stiff plastic, composite, or rubber blades that work as extensions of the feet while kicking. Some paddle fins have a water vent through the blade, opening backwards on the underside and forwards on the upper side, as in the third image. As the hip joint is flexed, a jet of water blows backwards out of the vent in the fin. This type of fin is sometimes called a "jetfin"; but the name Jetfin is a brand name. Other paddle fins have convoluted channels and grooves to improve power and efficiency though it has been shown that the desired effect does not occur.Split fins
Some swimfins have the end of the blade split. In hydrodynamic principle, split fins operate similarly to a propeller, by creating suction and lift forces to move the swimmer forwards. [ Due to the nature of the design this type of fin is also commonly used for snorkeling due to the fins being able to break the tension of the water with less effort than other designs when swimming along the surface, allowing the swimmer to conserve energy. Split fins are sometimes called "Biofins", although "Biofins" is a tradename.
]Force fins
"Force fins" represent a type of fin that is only manufactured by Force Fin.Delfins
The Mor-Fin Corporation produces "delfins", which are swimfins that have a secondary fin which looks similar to a caudal fin|forked homocercal caudal fin. It is based on a the anatomy of a dolphin's fluke.Freediving fins
These are very similar to paddle fins, except they are far longer, and designed to work with slow stiff-legged kicks that conserve energy and oxygen. Though primarily intended for high efficiency at variable depths, they can still deliver impressive acceleration if necessary. The vast majority are made in the "full-foot" design with very rigid footpockets, which serves to reduce weight and maximize power. Freediving fins are commonly made of plastic, but are also often made from materials such as Fibreglass|fiberglass and Carbon fibre|carbon fiber.
Monofins
A monofin is typically used in finswimming and free-diving. It consists of a single surface attached to footpockets for both the free-diver's feet.
Monofins can be made of glass fibre or carbon fibre. The diver's muscle power and swimming style, and the type of activity the monofin is used for, determine the choice of size, stiffness, and materials.
Training
The upper limit of a diver's fin-kick thrust force using a stationary-swimming ergometer was shown to be 64 Newton|Newtons.See also
- Swimming
- PowerSwim
- Diving equipment
- Scuba equipment
References
Category:Diving equipment
Category:Sports footwear
Related Images- A pair of Viper swimfins
- Full foot fins
- Cressi-sub vented paddle fin
- Force Fin Pro
- A freediver using a monofin
Sources: StartLearningNow, Wikipedia | Usage license: GNU FDL
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