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Force Fins: The Ugly Ducklings of the Diving World

What the heck are Force Fins? hey are some of the ugliest, most absurd fins I�ve ever seen in my life!

They look like I�ve got mini fish tails on my feet. This won�t do at all.

Look at my other gear. It�s so stylish. Why would I ever buy these hideous things?

That pretty much describes every conversation I�ve ever had with someone looking at Force Fins for the first time.

Unfortunately dive fins can sometimes be a lot like fishing lures. People tend to buy them more for how they look rather than how well they work, so I�ve decided to compile a little defense statement for these ugly ducklings of the dive world.

How do Force Fins work?

Force Fins were designed to mimic a whale�s tail.

In short, they aren�t ugly, they�re functional. The fin is rounded on one side and cupped on the other to provide you with maximum thrust on your down stroke.

Why is that design so important?

Consider the anatomy of your leg. When you kick forward (down stroke) you engage the major muscles in your legs, the quadriceps. These muscles are incredibly strong and provide you with maximum power. Force fins harness this power to shoot you forward in the water.

In fact, the manufacturer claims that the force generated is so great that you don�t even need to use straps to keep the fin on, (I�ve never tested that claim personally, but the fins sure do pack a punch).

When you return your leg back to a horizontal position, your powerful quads disengage and your much weaker hamstrings take over. In order to prevent fatigue, dive fins have to make this recovery as easy as possible on the diver. That�s where the rounded side comes in.

Water rolls off the back of the Force fins making recovery quick and virtually effortless.

Force Fin wingtips?

Okay so the force fin has power, but what about those wingtips?

They�re just ridiculous accessories to make Force Fins more marketable right?

Yeah, if you consider hard science is a ridiculous accessory. These fins were tested in Boeing�s wind tunnel. The purpose of those absurd looking wingtips is to lift your legs up so you stay in that perfect horizontal position to minimize drag when you�re diving.

The design is so effective that one of America�s Cup teams stole the idea to use for the keel of their boat. Not so funny looking now is it?

Bottom Line?

So what does all of this mean to you?

It basically means that Force Fins, while ugly, work and they work extremely well. Their state-of-the-art design will allow you to cruise through the water as fast as all those pretty fins and they�ll let you do it with less effort.

Your dive buddies may make fun of you when they see you don your fins on the boat, but you�ll have the last laugh when you�re using less air and clocking more bottom time.

Like your mamma used to say, you really can�t judge a book by its cover.

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