This is a post by Sanne Buurma.

Last night Jorg and I had the chance to test our new Waterway Glide fin from www.finswimworld.com and it’s hard to not like it instantly. Although I’ve already tested with Daan and Judith’s Glide fin, we now had the chance to properly train some more with it. Although the technique to use for both these fins differs, I’ll try and put down my findings for both monofins independent from the technique used.

Buoyancy

Waterway Glide Fin - Freediving

Turning

Leaderfins - Flyer

Pockets
Having a tight fit into the foot pockets is essential with both monofins, to keep the efficiency of the throughput of power into the fin optimal. Both fins go at this a different way and of course in that way it’s not fair to compare these versions. But as we’re giving our first impressions on the difference in these fins, we’ll do it anyway ;).

The Flyer Pro doesn’t really feature an internal profile of a foot, but just a pocket with a tight band around the heel. Where as the glide does feature a more profiled inside pocket, which genuinely has advantages over just having a tight fit like the Flyer Pro. Even though both fins do have a proper tight fit and do not loose a lot of energy that way, the profile in the Glide fin makes it overall more comfortable to swim with.

Overall performance
If I compare the first thing I noticed between the two fins, it’s the fact that I need far less kick cycles to reach 25 meters. Where I use 3 kick cycles or more to reach the 25 meters with the Flyer Pro, I now seemed to be able to reach the other side by only using 2 kick cycles and one arm stroke. This is due to the fact that one fin is a glide fin and the other fin for a continuous motion, but I did want to point it out. As I believe it felt less of a hard performance to reach 50 meters if I compare both fins. Which in the end matters most, because with less energy wasted it will leave you with more distance in the end.

I believe that the Flyer Pro is a very good fin, but it doesn’t work out good the way I seem to be able to utilize it. (Also the reason to put the fin up for sale.) So for the time ahead we will try and optimize the use of the new Waterway Glide fin and I will write a more detailed impression about the experience with the fin when I have been training with the fin for an extended period of time.

This is a post by Sanne Buurma.

Sanne swimming with the Leaderfins Flyer mono-fin.

…or actually how we think we should choose a mono-fin. As Jorg  and I were training last week, we tested a few different kinds of mono-fins. We wanted to see the difference between the fins in areas like;

• if they were comfortable
• how they performed
• what the efficiency is
• how the balance is using the mono-fin

The tested mono-fins were three kinds, two were from Leaderfins and one was from Special fins.

1. Leaderfins Freediving Sport
2. Special fins ‘Dolphin‘
3. Leader fins Flyer

Comfort

The first thing to notice when putting on a mono-fin is the difference in foot-pockets. All three mono-fins, differ very much in how comfortable they are when you put them on.

1. The least expensive one form Leaderfins, wasn’t all that tight around the feet. Supposedly making it a good to wear fin as it goes easy on the feet, but the thing to note here is that your feet are in direct contact with the foot pocket – although so it feels.
2. The special fins mono-fin was already a bit more comfortable as the foot pockets are surrounding the feet with a layer of rubber. They have a somewhat tighter fit and in this part of the test they feel they nicest to wear.
3. The Leaderfins Flyer mono-fin has extra tight foot pockets to improve the efficiency when bringing the freedivers power to the water to propel. This is also what you immediately notice when putting them on your feet. They are as tight as you can expect them to be. In the beginning I could only wear them for 20 minutes or less. Over time this seems to be a thing you can get used to, but this is a process we’re still going through.

Performance

Specialfins - Dolphin

Testing the performance comes down to how we feel and see each other perform a good technique with the fin.

1. For me personally the Leaderfins Freediving Sport was the lesser one of the three, because I could totally not feel that any the effort I put in, was going anywhere… In my experience this fin was just dangling from my feet and making me all unbalanced and Jorg’s feedback on the technique was even worse. The other way around Jorg could say the same and I spotted the same lack of technique in Jorg’s runs.
2. This mono-fin already has a way better feel and with proper training it is feasible to improve your technique and thus your performance. For me personally I think I still better of with a slightly harder blade, Jorg could already find a good balance and technique with this fin.
3. The weight in the arch of this mono-fin -about 5 kilograms – makes it easier to control the performance, because once the proper motion is executed the weight is behaving somewhat like a damped movement. Not that the amplitude is dampened, but actually no real peaks and no excessive movements. As if you’re movement is filtered.  Once the fin is set into motion, it feels as if your guided into your next stroke either up or down.

Efficiency
When it comes down to how much force you put in compared to the output that the blade delivers we’re talking about efficiency to see where the least amount of energy is lost into things like footpocket clearance, blade surface, stiffness of blade and rubber.

1. As I mentioned above in the comfort, this mono-fin has a minimal layer between your feet and the blade. Furthermore the rubber used on this fin is supple and the blade is soft. For me these factors are not ideal and proved to be making it hard for me to effectively make a full mono-fin movement. Overall it felt like having to really put all the energy into the blade through the tip of my toes. Which made my feet and ankles hurt after only 4 lanes. Jorg could make easy movements with these fins, but had to agree that you have to put energy into the fin with your toes.
2. The footpockets on this mono-fin are already a big improvement compared to the first one we tested. You feel that more power and energy is put into the blade, but for me the stiffness of the blade is slightly on the soft side. We tested different kinds of techniques on this one; kick-glide & constant kick. Overall Jorg and I both have a good impression about this mono-fin, but the somewhat loose foot pockets and supple rubber still makes us believe that not all of our power was transformed into propulsion.
3. With the 2 preceding mono-fins we’ve experienced foot-movement and supple rubber and soft blades, but this type of mono-fin really excels on the area of efficiency. The arch with added weight, keeps the motion going. The foot pockets are really a tight fit, which makes it feel like all energy put into it is transformed into propulsion. The rubber used for the pockets and arch are pretty rigid, combined with a stiff blade makes this feel like you’re being efficient when executing the mono-fin movement.

Balance

Leaderfins - Freediving Sports

Swimming with a mono-fin is particularly difficult when it affects your balance, Jorg and I witnessed this effect with Sandi Bitenc’s world record attempt last week.

1. In my experience with this mono-fin the balance was very hard to find, because of the toes having to put in all effort. The thing I spotted when Jorg was doing his test runs with this one, the movements to the side were very much present, not looking like a controlled motion at all. This also influenced the position of the upper body making it tilt and roll during the test runs.
2. For me the balance with this fin comes down to putting more exercise into the technique. I dislike the somewhat soft blade, which makes it less controllable for me. But this can also mean a lack of experience in mono-fin swimming from my side. Jorg seems to get away with this mono-fin easily and makes the movement look controlled and balanced.
3. For me this mono-fin was first up in the test runs, making my previous judgments very clear and pointing out that I really have the need for a rigid mono-fin and a stiff blade. From the start this mono-fin makes a normal movement and does not tilt me or roll me over when applying force. After exchanging thoughts, Jorg’s experience after he tested the other two fins was almost the same as I had felt it. Of course we have to put more time and effort into our technique, but this goes for all the mono-fins.

Concluding

Leaderfins - Flyer

To conclude our small test with these types of mono-fins, is that we’re now continuing with the Leaderfins Flyer mono-fin. Not because of the comfort, but of excelling in all other test areas that really matter when doing a distance performance in the pool. Our conclusion on the test areas we picked is that we’ve setup a pretty good test method to find a fin to continue our training. Having tested the different mono-fins, makes us realize that technique is everything with freediving with a mono-fin, not because we’ve just started using the mono-fin, but because efficiency is really all that matters and makes a mono-fin excel the bi-fins for most freedivers.

Next review/test

Leaderfins - Hyper

We’re very keen on testing a mono-fin which features the foot pockets that are placed on the mono-fin blade more, like the Leaderfins Hyper. As we refer to them as rocket-pockets ;). These are more likely to have a better angle for your feet  and the fit should be better, but still in the efficiency area. All these are assumptions are based on feedback we received from the freedivers who already wear them. This will be a topic for the next test/review we do in our quest into choosing a mono-fin for the pool.

This is a post by Sanne Buurma.

Cressi Superocchio

Freediving material is all about the right equipment for the best experience. As for freediving masks, there is a wide variety of masks available. What do you want to look out for and how did we come to our choice of freediving mask.

I think that if you narrow it down, a freediver will choose a mask and go by this mask for a long time. A good example of this is that I met Jorg in the end of 2003 and cressi superocchio was his choice, today he’s still using that same type of freediving mask (he actually bought this mask in 1998 and is using it as his primary mask since 11 years, the same one!). Although you might have different masks for different applications, your experience is improved by choosing a freediving mask of your liking. In the process of making a choice, every freediver has different reasons to choose a mask over another. Our choices were based on and influenced by the parameters; comfort, volume, material & durability. Ultimately these parameters also lead to a good freediving experience, which is the base for our choice.

Comfort
The comfort of a mask will impact a great deal of the way you experience your freediving with it. In our experience you should execute the following tests with a mask, if you want to see if a mask is for you.

1. Testing on land
So the silicon/rubber that is used for the mask should have a good fit to your face profile. A good way to test if a freediving mask fits you is to stand on dry land and press the mask against your face, suck a small amount of air out by your nose. See if the mask will stay on your face while you let gravity try and pull the mask off your face by tilting your head down and look at the ground. Be sure to catch the mask if it doesn’t fit your face profile and before it plummets to the ground ;)

2. Spot pressure points
If the silicon/rubber has a good fit, also check if your nose doesn’t get any pressure points from the frame of the mask. If this is the case, it will lead to an unpleasant felling and it will not benefit your freediving experience.

3. Testing submerged
Now take the mask testing into the water, put it on and submerge your head. Do a small static and see if the fit you checked on land, also proves right when you’re submerged. If there is no water is leaking into your mask, the silicon/rubber is doing it’s job. It might be when you put a smirk/smile/grin on your face that some water leaks in at the nose area, but I think no silicon/rubber can withstand every face motion, so don’t let that influence the overall test.

4. Testing the mask strap
Every mask has a strap that is adjustable to ensure a comfortable fit. Keep in mind that when you’re using a mask for dynamic ways of freediving, speed will prove you need to adjust the strap configuration. You can test this by putting on the mask, adjust the strap to a comfortable level, put on your fins and submerge for a flat out dynamic with fins. Some mask have a low profile and proof to be comfortable even under high speeds, others leak in water and you’ll have to tighten the strap. Be sure to check if you’re still comfortable with the tighter fit of a mask.

Volume
Freedivers from all around are usually looking for a mask with a low internal volume, that way you don’t loose too much air to equalizing the mask. If you’re really keen on checking out what internal volume a mask has in combination with your face profile, you should:

1. Put on the mask
2. Submerge your head into water
3. Let the mask fill with water
4. Reemerge from the water
5. Let excess water drip from your face, or dry your face with a towel
6. Release the water from your filled mask into a bowl
7. Measure the volume
8. Compare it to other masks

If you do not wish to take it to the extreme, just find yourself a low profile mask. Low profile means it’s a mask with the lenses close to your eyes. Lens size is smaller than the regular scuba masks. Also the frame size of a low profile mask is smaller than a regular scuba diving mask. Be sure to know what your application for the mask is, because low volume only really counts when you’re freediving into depth’s. Low profile (thus low volume) could be helpful while doing dynamic freedives as discussed before.

Material
The choice of material, especially the see through materials for lenses, is important in making the right choice. Some lens applications are directed at flexibility of the mask, where-as other designs focus on no distortion. The material choice for the frame is subject to the design purpose; flexibility or rigidity. So you might want to choose a design where rigidity is a focus, to ensure there is no distortion in your view. On the other hand you might want to go with the more flexible design, as you’re into deep freediving where the frame will follow your face profile more under the high pressure.

Besides the purpose of the material, the color of the lens can be an issue as well. However these are personal opinions and as far as I know, there are no rules or tricks to find a proper lens color until you’ve tested a mask in your application area. To the readers who do have a tip or trick about this issue, I would like you to comment about it.

It’s quite hard to really determine the material used for the silicone/rubber for the interface with your face and the strap. When you’re testing a mask, you can not test the longterm effect UV and water have on the material. However the things you can check is the flexibility and stretch of the material.

Durability

The material discussed in the paragraph above greatly influences the durability of a mask, but how long you’re able to use one mask depends on the way you use it. The way you treat your mask greatly influences the durability of your mask. Pay attention to the following:

• Be careful with it and your lenses will stay clear of scratches or cracks.
• Don’t leave it in the box while it’s still wet
• Don’t leave the silicon to dry in the sun for hours.

Freediving Experience
All of the parameters will ultimately lead to a mask which will improve your freediving experience instead of ruining the moment. What are the things that can ruin your experience:

• Negative feeling from the pressure points hurting your face.
• A high profile mask, which slips down because of the speed in dynamic » thus loosing it during your performance.
• Water leaking in, while you’re on the verge of breaking your personal best in static
• An imploding mask at depth

Our choice
Because we can’t deny that we own more than one mask, but only use a few types. We will list our favorite masks and why we like them.

Sanne’s favorite masks

Aqualung Sphera

Aqualung Sphera
+ Flexible frame, good for deformation when diving deep.
+ Flexible lenses, good for deformation when diving deep.
+ Low Volume
+ Silicon fits good, because of flexi frame
+ Low profile, great for dynamic runs without ever slipping off.
- Lens material (scratches easily)
- Lens assembly design, could lead to lens coming out of frame after extensive usage.
- Low durability

Sporasub Samurai

Sporasub Samurai
+ Rigid frame
+ Low volume
+ High durability
+ Lens material glass
+/- Silicon sometimes doesn’t totally fit, because of the rigid frame
- Medium profile, would slip if I swim fast during dynamic
- Has some pressure points to my face, but minimal.

Jorg’s favorites

Cressi Superocchio

Cressi superocchio

In short, this is the same mask as the Sporasub Samurai. Here are Jorg his points why he favors it, written down by him:
+ Lowest volume for my face
+ Best fit for my face
+ Great durability of mask strap: already used it for at least 2000 freediving sessions
+ View is good enough, allows you to concentrate with not flashing lights from the sun
- Profile is not ideal, but then again, nor am I

The need for a freediving suit is highly recommended where ever you go , for sure when you’re freediving the dutch waters. But what kind of freediving suit do you want, as there are so many different out there. For me goes without saying that a suit can make a freedive or totally ruin it…

When I first got into freediving me and my buddy got a scuba diving suit from about 7mm thick, the one with a zipper pushing up against my chin. The hood, arm and ankle seams were far from tight, so water came in immediately as we entered the water. Even though our motivation to check out the underwater world was high, the experience was far from relaxed or comfortable. But back then we didn’t know any better…

Now, a few years in with more experience with different suits, I like to share my findings. The whole deal with a proper suit is that it’s totally dependable on the freediver who wears it. Every freediver has other boundaries when it comes to cold and warm, but by explaining my own findings when choosing a suit might make your search a bit easier…

Layer thickness

2,5mm Smooth skin & Open Cell

You can vary the thickness of your suit ranging from 1mm to 10mm suits. The determinant factor is the types of water temperature you want to use the suit for. So ask yourself: “Am I going to use it in a sea, a lake or a swimming pool?”. Also keep in mind that the temperature of these can also vary throughout the season or location, which make it hard to go by only one freediving suit to do the job. When you’re selecting your first ever suit, choose it for the situation you’ll be in for 90% of the time. In my case I started out with a 5mm suit for both pool and lakes here in the Netherlands, but nowadays I prefer a 2,5mm for the pool competitions and a 6,5mm for the outdoor sessions. This change has to do with how comfortable I feel in those situations. Going to the seas in Egypt, Dominican Republic or other remote locations, I’d go by either 2,5mm for warmer waters and 5mm when I’m early in the season.

Surface types
Different sets of surface types are available for freediving suits, ranging from lining, smooth skin to open cell structure surfaces. The choice here also depends on what you’re going to use the suit for, or in which conditions or surroundings you’re using the suit. The first freediving suit I ever had, was an Elios with smooth skin on the outside and the inside featured open cell structure. In between I bought another similar type of suit, but this one was 2,5mm thick and from a slightly better neoprene. The last one I bought is a 6,5 mm, but now with lining on the inside and smooth skin on the outside.

Inside: Lining or Open cell?

Inside: Open Cell structure

At first I wasn’t very keen on the whole lining principle, but now since I tested one and eventually own a freediving suit with lining on the inside, I can say it’s just as comfortable as an open cell structure, but with less of a hassle to get into. Because an open cell structure will “suck” itself onto your skin with only a thin layer of water in between, you’ll have to keep in mind that by changing into this suit, you’ll need to have a bottle with soap water to prepare your suit before you put it on. Never the less an open cell structure on the inside is also very comfortable.

Outside: Smooth skin or Lining?

Inside: Lining | Outside: Smoothskin

I’m the type of freediver that likes the outside to be smooth skin, this sololy to the fact that a smooth skin surface will dry fast when you’re at or above the water surface. On the other hand lining on the outside will better protect your suit from tearing when putting it on or swimming in rocky underwater areas.

Tailor made or standard size
Until now I’ve been a lucky guy, where I’d be able to send my body measurement over to the suit maker and they’d suggest one of their standard sized suits to go with. Only my 2,5mm suit I have is a tailor made suit, which fits very nice.

The only reason why I should consider going with a tailor made suit is the fact, that a tighter fit will improve the ability of the suit to keep the water from coming in and keep the water from flowing through your suit, thus keeping you warm for a longer period of time. A standard sized one will be cheaper than a tailor made suit. So if a standard size is within your options, then my suggestion would be to try one from a fellow freediver with the same body measurements, to see if you’re able to go with the standard sized one.  Otherwise the tailor made is the best alternative.

Comfort & Warmth
The most important thing you want to achieve by selecting your suit, is a balance between comfort and warmth. Although a thick suit may make you feel like a Michelin-man, if you really need the thickness in terms of not getting cold, this is a concession you might have to make. Believe me when I say that a very comfortable suit, like my 2,5mm, just didn’t do the trick for me in terms of staying warm whilst freediving outdoors at Panheel. This makes a freedive not only uncomfortable, but even dangerous. It’s all about the best experience and finding a balance between the different parameters is a very personal choice.

Concludig
By selecting the proper combination from the points described above, you should be able to find a suit that is a balance between comfort and warmth. Furthermore it must be functional and practical as well, because you’re going to be freediving with it for about a year or two. Making the selections is a process where you’ll have to decide for yourself what you like and where you want to use your suit. These are all personal decissions, so I hope this article will aid you into selecting the right freediving suit for you.

PS. I haven’t discussed the different types of material, because this differs so much, I’d be writing a whole new page. Plus the different manufacterers feature enough information about the materials on their websites.