Strong Current? No Problem!
Iโve been scuba diving with long fins for one year now and I super love it. I totally recommend it ย to anyone who wants to breeze through diving strong current.
I finally boughtย my long fins earlyย last year (2016) for my Komodo dive trip because as we know,ย Komodo is all about crazyย current diving. It turned out to be a timing acquisitionย because I dove Tubbataha and the Maldives the same year.
Long fins are the so calledย freediving fins or spearfishing fins, because they were designed for freedivers and spearfishermen. But more and more scuba divers are finding the long fins desirable for open water diving. Or maybe itโs just people I know who doveย South of Maldives with Maldives Princess.
Last yearโs diving Tubbataha with Solitude One, almost half of the 22 divers usedย long fins. Of course half of the boat was team Scuba Studio and they tooย doveย South Maldives.
I donโt remember if Iโveย seen anyone scuba diving withย long fins before, but it never made impression like it did in the Maldives. All the dive masters of Maldives Princess usedย long fins and they glided through strong current with ease while we fined like we never before. As we recall, diving South Maldives channels was traumatic for many in our group.
How to Use Long Fins?
- Put on fins
- Jump into water
- Kick per normal
I know Iโm mocking. I too wondered the same when I first saw the dive masters in the Maldives using them. You know itโs like your normal size fins just longer, but just because you drive a car, doesnโt necessarily mean you can easily drive a 10-wheeler truck (or can you?). Anyway, itโs normal to have questions and I will tell you that you put them on the same way, and you kick the same way, except for 1 minor difference:ย Youโll exert less effort for more power. Yeah!
Iโve been through many fins in my 10 years of diving. I usedย Force Fins for many years because it was recommended to me by Ellen (Diverโs Point) who said it minimizes muscle cramps. I used to get cramps during dives a lot, and Force Fins took care of that problem. It is also very powerful even if it looks funny and very lightweight. In fact, Zara and I used Force Fins during our Maldives โcontinue, continue, continueโ diving and only the dive masters descended faster than we did.
The problem with Force Fins is when I do macro photo diving. The fins are so light, my legs tend to float up whileย I try to keep low to shoot. So in 2014, I got myself everybodyโs favorite jet fins: a baby pink fins with purple strap. They weigh a ton and is good to keep trim.
When to Use Long Fins?
Itโs best to use long fins diving inย open water when current is strong. I used it in Komodo and it was amazingly easy to fin down to 30m at Castle Rock in extreme current. It was the same just this month in Raja Ampat at Blue Magic. There was one dive in Tubbataha, I think it was at Shark Airport when everyone was holding on to a rock and I just had to fin (not even too hard) to keep steady.
When in Hanifaru trying to swim great distances to get toย the mantas, these fins proved to be awesome! I mean, look at how my fins simulate the mantaโs wings. You just knew these fins were engineered right.
So when not to use long fins? You donโt want to use it during reef dives because theyโre so long itโs hard to navigate around the reefs andย risk damaging the corals. Youย neither want to use it during shallow dives onย sandy bottom, you may get sand storm.
Which Long Fins to Buy? Where to Buy Long Fins in the Philippines?
Iโm using HammerHead Spearguns Kaudal Fins. Itโs made of polymer plastic which is the cheapest material, but gets the work done. Iโm pretty happy diving with it.ย Squires Bingham Sports in BGC sells Hamerhead Spearguns fins.ย Diverโs Point in Greenhills sell Beuchat Freediving fins.ย Scuba Studio in San Juanย conducts regular freediving course with Carlo and they also sellย freediving fins. The guides in Maldives Princess used Mares Freediving Fins.
Basically the long fins are made of 3 types of materials: Polymer plastic, fibre glass, and carbon fiber. The plastic is the cheapest one and gets the job done basically. Honestly Iโve not tried the more expensive materialsย because Iโm afraid I canโt go back to the plastic and have to buy them. Itโs supposed to be more efficient and powerful. More???
Anyway, if youโre thinking about using long fins for scuba diving but have reservations because it might be difficult? Trust me, itโs not. Just go for it!
How to Travel with Long Fins?
Because these long fins usually measures between 40-45 inches (100-115cm), theyโre too long for normal dive bags. Iโve seen dive bags specially for these fins (Beuchat, Cressi, Seac) but theyโre the cost of the fins, so I normally just use a mesh bag and hand carry them. Iโve traveled with them locally and internationally with no problem.
