ARE “POWERFUL” FINS REALLY BETTER?

a person swimming underwater

Force Fins are specifically designed not to be felt; Force Fins are designed to work efficiently for you.

One of the biggest areas of confusion regarding fins is the notion of “power.” Many divers believe that the more they can feel their fins, the more they’re getting out of them. And to capitalize on this belief, many fin manufacturers have responded by making longer and stiffer (more “powerful”) fins that fool divers into thinking that they are generating more propulsion with less effort.

The laws of physics don’t agree.

You are the power for your forward movement, the more you can feel your fins, the more energy you’re expending and the more you’re working for them, instead of having your fins work for you.

“Power” is a measure of energy expenditure. More power requires more energy, and more energy requires more effort, not less. A 100-watt light bulb is more powerful than a 60-watt bulb. It puts out more light, but it also uses more electricity and costs more to operate. The same with fins. What divers believe to be power in fins is really resistance. That’s what you feel. “Powerful” fins rapidly waste your energy supplies and actually transfer a much smaller percentage of the effort into forward propulsion than you think.

Since the name of the game in diving is to decrease energy use (which decreases oxygen consumption and increases bottom time), it makes sense to use more efficient fins, not more “powerful” ones, as long as they do the job of moving you through the water.

The fact is, no fins have power. You are the power for your forward movement, the more you can feel your fins, the more energy you’re expending and the more you’re working for them, instead of having your fins work for you.

Force Fins are specifically designed not to be felt; Force Fins are designed to work efficiently for you.

 

And, for those of you who really want “power” our EXTRA FORCE FIN is the best fin. The Extra Force Fin has the largest surface area for extra leverage under load. The way Master Fin Designer Bob Evans puts it, “You don’t fly a learjet to carry a herd of elephants. You fly a 747 or C130. The EXTRA FORCE FIN is our C130.

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Extra Force Fin

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