Split Fins and Rescue Course
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Using muscle power to bring someone up can be really hard work. If that is combined with air sharing and a distressed buddy, you'll soon become a freediver. That's probably the reason for the freediving fins 
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You really should "try" the free dive fins....tell the guy at the dive shop you really are interested, but you believe he should have the responsibility and foresight of a Ski shop offering demo skis.....this IS the way skiers find the right ski for themselves, and it is ABSOLUTELY the best way for a diver to find the best fins.... The only caveat for you, is that with split fins there is no need to understand any ideal kick mechanics to get yourself moving in the water....if you thrash your legs around, they will move you forward...maybe not with much power or very fast, but they will move you....
With free dive fins, they require a well coordinated series of muscle contractions--the right ones, and if you do this, the speed and power they put out is exponentially more than what splits are capable of. Do it WRONG and the free dive fins will be unwieldy, and you may not even get to kicking them.... The big "BUT" is that in a perfect world, you would have a buddy that is good with free dive fins, make sure you know the right kick stroke/shape to use, so that you actually get to feel the real propulsion and control possible with the free dive fins.
Here is a thought.....take ANY DIVER IN FLORIDA....put them in splits like apollo bio fins....I will wear my free dive fins....we will do the equivalent of a face off at a football line, I try to drive him backward, he tries to drive me backward....This really won't come down to strength....what it will come down to is that the thrust potential of free dive fins, will be so exponentially higher than the splits, that I will drive him back quickly, and there will be nothing he can do about it ( other than switching to free dive fins...or Force Fins Easy to show this
*** On a related note, imagine a scenario where a scuba diver with free dive fins, is headed directly toward a split fin wearer --they pass, and get hooked on the trailing float line one has.....each keeps swimming forward, until the line pays out....NOW it is a "tug of war"---and the free dive fin wearing diver keeps right on going, while the split fin divers is getting pulled backwards, still kicking, and he is going faster backwards than he was going forward before....this is an image worth considering...
The other benefit of free dive fins is that when you want to swim slowly, you make almost imperceptible fin motions, and move as fast as the split fin wearing diver that is kicking at their cruising pace/comfortable effort for diving. You with the free dive fins, are relatively almost asleep underwater, effort-wise....this equates to much more bottom time--you can use a al 80, while your evil twin with the splits would need an HP100 for the same bottom time...or maybe even a LP 120
With free dive fins, they require a well coordinated series of muscle contractions--the right ones, and if you do this, the speed and power they put out is exponentially more than what splits are capable of. Do it WRONG and the free dive fins will be unwieldy, and you may not even get to kicking them.... The big "BUT" is that in a perfect world, you would have a buddy that is good with free dive fins, make sure you know the right kick stroke/shape to use, so that you actually get to feel the real propulsion and control possible with the free dive fins.
Here is a thought.....take ANY DIVER IN FLORIDA....put them in splits like apollo bio fins....I will wear my free dive fins....we will do the equivalent of a face off at a football line, I try to drive him backward, he tries to drive me backward....This really won't come down to strength....what it will come down to is that the thrust potential of free dive fins, will be so exponentially higher than the splits, that I will drive him back quickly, and there will be nothing he can do about it ( other than switching to free dive fins...or Force Fins
Easy to show this *** On a related note, imagine a scenario where a scuba diver with free dive fins, is headed directly toward a split fin wearer --they pass, and get hooked on the trailing float line one has.....each keeps swimming forward, until the line pays out....NOW it is a "tug of war"---and the free dive fin wearing diver keeps right on going, while the split fin divers is getting pulled backwards, still kicking, and he is going faster backwards than he was going forward before....this is an image worth considering...
The other benefit of free dive fins is that when you want to swim slowly, you make almost imperceptible fin motions, and move as fast as the split fin wearing diver that is kicking at their cruising pace/comfortable effort for diving. You with the free dive fins, are relatively almost asleep underwater, effort-wise....this equates to much more bottom time--you can use a al 80, while your evil twin with the splits would need an HP100 for the same bottom time...or maybe even a LP 120
DiverAmy
Prism2 CCR Diver
Did rescue in Scubapro twin jets, which were my fins at the time. Have since switched to Hollis F1s. The difference in power is astounding! But, truth is the fins caused me no problem in successfully completing my rescue course.
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And now I am thinking...for the Ultimate Diver Challenge event taking place in Palm Beach this coming June.....I am going to see about getting them to add a diver TUG OF WAR underwater......This should get alot of the the split fin manufacturers in a tizzie
My prediction is that it will come down to Force Fins, and Freedive fins.....The big "Extra Force" Force Fin, may have an advantage though....it channels huge thrust, but has the potential to allow more "gear changing" in the kick stroke for a tug of war type effort than freedive fins do....most of the "gear changing" that freedive fins have is in the hi and overdrive type gears you can simulate with different kick shapes....overdrive is a quick oscillation of the blade, with very little amplitude, not that much exertion in relation to the high speed it generates, but this will not work with high drag at all--it requires slickness of the diver to work.
My prediction is that it will come down to Force Fins, and Freedive fins.....The big "Extra Force" Force Fin, may have an advantage though....it channels huge thrust, but has the potential to allow more "gear changing" in the kick stroke for a tug of war type effort than freedive fins do....most of the "gear changing" that freedive fins have is in the hi and overdrive type gears you can simulate with different kick shapes....overdrive is a quick oscillation of the blade, with very little amplitude, not that much exertion in relation to the high speed it generates, but this will not work with high drag at all--it requires slickness of the diver to work.
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The concept that you need free-diver fins for rescue class is absurd ... and an indication that either someone's trying to sell you something you don't need or they lack a fundamental understanding of the purpose of the class.
As for RJP's example ... imagine that neither the victim nor the rescuer is wearing doubles. When you train in doubles, you use equipment adequate for the type of diving you anticipate doing. When you're a basic recreational diver ... the person the rescue class was designed for ... all you need is basic recreational equipment.
If you think there's a question about your ability to tow someone using the equipment you own, get out and try it before deciding to purchase new gear. Otherwise, all you're really doing is trying use equipment to solve a skills problem. There's way too much "you need xxx gear because that's what I prefer to use for the way I choose to dive" attitude in here.
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
As for RJP's example ... imagine that neither the victim nor the rescuer is wearing doubles. When you train in doubles, you use equipment adequate for the type of diving you anticipate doing. When you're a basic recreational diver ... the person the rescue class was designed for ... all you need is basic recreational equipment.
If you think there's a question about your ability to tow someone using the equipment you own, get out and try it before deciding to purchase new gear. Otherwise, all you're really doing is trying use equipment to solve a skills problem. There's way too much "you need xxx gear because that's what I prefer to use for the way I choose to dive" attitude in here.
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
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As you already know from a thousand of my past posts, I believe Freedive fins would be a much better type of fin for MANY divers to use, than Split fins. One of the problems in getting divers to understand the why of this, is the impossibility of a demo for any given fin, at most dive shops...this needs to change. The Rescue Class is not the reason to buy freedive fins...BUT, a large diver rescue is ONE scenario where one of the benefits of freedive fins will shine well above the splits.
Most divers will not be doing that many rescues...the ones that do, tend to be DMs...and strangely enough...if you visit S Fl, there are an awful lot of DM's wearing freedive fins ( they also have to tow dive floats...).
The "better bottom time" when going easy, is a better "main reason" for freedive fins...less effort to go slow...much lower breathing rate. I would much rather see the freediving fins being bought for this, than heavy large scuba tanks to fix the hoovering issue many divers have from propulsion and trim issues.
I know you're not picking on me, but to clarify... my example was intended more as a follow-up to my "train the way you dive" post. Around here, we dive BP/W, 7ft hoses, steel tanks (whether singles or doubles) and drysuits.
Ultimately one should endeavor to take a rescue class - and select gear - that is consistent with and appropriate to the way they dive. A recreational vacation diver shouldn't gear up for their RD course the same way that a year-round NJ coast diver does. But neither should an aspiring NJ wreck diver leave their own "regular" gear home and take their Rescue Diver course in a poodle jacket, AL80, wetsuit, and freediving fins simply because it will make it easier to get through the course.
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... it's a preference issue, Dan. In my area, an awful lot of people use backplate/wing systems. Should I, as an instructor, be telling people that in order to do a Rescue class they should have a BP/W? I don't think so.
Different equipment choices offer a variety of advantages and drawbacks ... and they ALL have both. That doesn't mean that what works best for you or me will be the ideal choice for everyone else ... or that they need it in order to be an effective diver.
Split fins have their place ... and that place is recreational diving. A person who's taking a recreational-level rescue class will do fine in split fins. Yes, they won't provide the power that you get in a blade or free-dive fin ... but it's not necessary in order to either affect a rescue or achieve the class objectives. And besides that, you're assuming that everyone would have the levers to push them through the water. As someone who works with recreational level divers on a regular basis, I can assure you that's not the case ... free-dive fins are great for people with the fitness and technique to use them properly, but they'd only give the typical recreational user leg cramps ... which wouldn't do a whole lot to help that person rescue somebody ...
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
Different equipment choices offer a variety of advantages and drawbacks ... and they ALL have both. That doesn't mean that what works best for you or me will be the ideal choice for everyone else ... or that they need it in order to be an effective diver.
Split fins have their place ... and that place is recreational diving. A person who's taking a recreational-level rescue class will do fine in split fins. Yes, they won't provide the power that you get in a blade or free-dive fin ... but it's not necessary in order to either affect a rescue or achieve the class objectives. And besides that, you're assuming that everyone would have the levers to push them through the water. As someone who works with recreational level divers on a regular basis, I can assure you that's not the case ... free-dive fins are great for people with the fitness and technique to use them properly, but they'd only give the typical recreational user leg cramps ... which wouldn't do a whole lot to help that person rescue somebody ...
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
Damselfish
Contributor
While power is very useful in some of the Rescue scenarios, it's counterproductive to use gear for the class other than what you will normally dive with. It's possible taking the class will make you consider gear changes, but that's a different matter.
When we took Rescue, I do actually recall the instructor saying something like "good, you don't have split fins." But I'd say your guy is just trying to unload some fins. If I was going to buy different fins for Rescue (which I wouldn't) I wouldn't choose freediving fins, they're powerful but I think long fins could be a nuisance in other ways.
When we took Rescue, I do actually recall the instructor saying something like "good, you don't have split fins." But I'd say your guy is just trying to unload some fins. If I was going to buy different fins for Rescue (which I wouldn't) I wouldn't choose freediving fins, they're powerful but I think long fins could be a nuisance in other ways.
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