Advice for diving with one fin?

[haha49]

can you wear dive boots to protect your feet? I find wearing booties and an open fin is the way to go. Slip them on slide them in and go. If they're fitted fins they chew up your feet I find but with boots you can get thicker ones that give way more padding just go with 7 mil boots with rubber on the bottom then it's like wearing a form fitting shoe. You could go with the fins on your hands. You could go 1 fin or you could even add a scooter depending on what you want. I find split fins help allot because it becomes just like regular kicking in the water like you have nothing on you only notice when you take the fins off you don't move at all.

I use a seasoft ti stealth boot. Seems to protect my feet really well. I wonder if changing the sizes might help 1 being smaller then the other on the misshaped foot use a size smaller. I like it because the rubber can walk on shore and it protects the top of your feet with the top rubber part.

For hiking they recomemend you wear 2 pairs of socks that way the rubbing will be between the 2 socks instead of your feet could try something like that and see what happens. It sounds like your feet move inside and rub like crazy.

 

[The Chairman]

First, I wear socks and boots on my feet. Second, I do the frog kick. A flutter puts pressure on the top of your feet while a frog puts it on the bottoms of your feet. Finally, I try to go as slow as possible. It conserves air, allows you to find more and it's just plain more fun. It's a big ocean. You won't see it in just one dive, so why try?

Amazon.com: New Balance Men's Abyss II 8-Inch Tactical Boot: Shoes

 

[Cap335]

I lost my right foot and since then have found a modified flutter to now be my most effective kick

 

[divezonescuba]

The other organization that you might try for some more information is the handicap scuba association. They have a list of specially trained instructors.

https://www.hsascuba.com/

 

[klausi]

I lost a fin lately and spent the first 10 minutes of the dive with one fin, searching for the other. I pretty much swam like I would with 2 fins, just generated less propulsion with the finless foot. No problem - I just had to adjust the swimming direction. I wouldn't do it in strong current, but in benign conditions 1 fin is enough!

 

[Rooster59]

There's a guy at the pool who swims with a large mares quattro type fin with a heel strap on one foot, and a small flexible looking fin that looks like it's been custom trimmed on the other. He swims for quite a while every time I've seen him.

 

[frontiernurse]

Thanks so much for all the considered and specific advice here! I will definitely look into the Force Fin pockets Dan Volker recommended. The deformity/failing graft is over the entire dorsum of the foot/toes and over the lateral ankle but those fins are worth a look. haha49 - I've been using 7mm booties with various waterproof athletic tape wraps and medical crap and other stuff underneath but no love so far. Maybe trying a good dive sock under the boot would be good along with some other recommendations on this thread?

And hey, Cap355, would you mind describing the modified flutter that works for you?

I so appreciate everyone's kind responses!! Thanks again.

 

[tridacna]

I dove with a diver in Bermuda who had one leg. He used a Force Fin and kept up with us throughout an 80 minute dive. Most challenging part was getting back on the boat. He had a harness that was given to him after he removed his gear in the water. Crew helped him up. During the dive, his tank slipped out of the strap. I went over to help and he would have none of it. Very accomplished diver.

 

[Z Gear]

I lost a fin in the surf zone once. Since I was already wet I made the dive. I used a dolphin kick for about five minutes until I found that making a flutter kick worked just as well and didn't wear me out as much. I swam over 1/4 mile underwater with no problems using both legs and only one fin.

I had the same thing happen to me on a night dive. We were going on a night spear fishing dive.The surf was picking up, all the gear night and getting on the fins. Well it happened when one of the waves knocked the fin right out of my hand as I was trying to put it on. It told my buddy lets just get out past the surf line. I was amazed on how I was keeping up with my dive buddy with no real difficulty. I made it past the surf line and we continued our night dive. I would have to say that it would have been a lot easier if the conditions were calmer and I didn't really have to worry about keeping up with my dive buddy. But I was impressed on the fact that it is definitely doable and I could easily continue my dive, no problem.

 

[Cap335]

And hey, Cap355, would you mind describing the modified flutter that works for you?

I bend my knee about 30 degrees up but still have the fin going strait back.