Swimfin
Swim fins or flippers are flotation devices that increase the thrust surfaces of the legs of a swimmer or diver. They allow faster movement or help a learner, better to feel the water resistance. Depending on the swimming style and sport different flippers are used.
Sports
Swimming
When so-called Freestyle Freestyle Swimming fins are used. When the butterfly swimming monofin gives better performance than the Freestyle fins. When breaststroke Flap Fins can be used, as other fins do not generate much thrust at Grätschbeinschlag.
Diving
When diving, preferably Flippers are used, which have larger areas than propulsion Freestyle fins. When apnea diving and snorkeling with ABC equipment (diving mask, snorkel and fins) all fin types can be used. The diving industry, however, has now become specially adapted to the needs of free divers Apnoeflossen.
Rescue Sport
In rescue Sports fins must not exceed 30 cm wide and 65 cm long ( including foot ). Fins used in the following individual and team competitions are used:
- Save a doll with fins 50 and 100 m (25 and 50 m to swim with fins, high diving doll and 25 or 50 m drag the doll with fins)
- Save a doll with fins and rescue tube (50 m fin swimming, dolls takeover and 50 m tow the doll with the rescue tube )
- Super Lifesaver (75 m freestyle, recording dolls, doll 25 m tow, creating fins and rescue tube, 50 m swim fins with rescue tube, dolls takeover, 50 m hauling doll with fins and rescue tube )
- Rescue Season
- Gurtretterstaffel
Construction
Commercial Schwimmmflossen be made of rubber, EPDM, polyurethane, PVC and other plastics. Increasingly, glass fiber or carbon fiber- reinforced composites are used.
All fins are made of a shoe-like foot and a fin blade. Depending on the shape of the foot, a distinction is
Special forms of flippers
- Split Fins In the middle of the longitudinal split fins. According to the manufacturer, the movement should therefore be less power consuming. Moving is faster at these fins mainly by an increase in step frequency possible - in contrast to normal fins, in which a wider Fußschlag leads to acceleration. Diving fins write this a fatigue and cramp freer diving.
- Apnoeflossen Most long and narrow. They provide a strong driving even with slow motion and fins have efficiency as a primary goal.
- Monofins Be used for deep and dynamic apnea, and when kicking, but find lately also in freediving are increasingly application. In swimming, the monofin is used as a tool for learning the butterfly swimming. In the monofin both feet stuck in a large fin, generate the propulsion with the dolphin -like movements of the whole body.
- Rescue Fins Fins for rescue sports, underwater rugby and underwater hockey. They are used for competition and are made of fiberglass or carbon fiber. The maximum size in the competition is set to 30 cm width and 65 cm in length including foot ( according to both the ILS and also according to German regulations ).
- (Also called swim shoes ) Flap Fins Flippers for the breaststroke. Flap Fins are particularly suitable for learning the leg shock breaststroke. Due to increased propulsive surfaces of the water resistance is increased in the impact phase and can be better felt by the learner. A user learns from the outset a symmetric kicking, so swimming errors such as "scissors kicking " or the so-called " drop foot " be prevented.
- Force Fins A strongly broadened elastic adjustable fin with modified foot that will generate more thrust.