Friends of Force Fin

I have recently returned from the 50^th NOGI Awards Gala which was held in Orlando Florida. It was a great event where you could meet and listen to many legends in the dive industry. I would like to thank everyone who attended and everyone whose hard work went into making the 50^th NOGI Awards Gala a night to remember.

Among the many guests that attended the awards gala was Nick Caloyianis. Nick Caloyianis is an award winning cinematographer who has been working in the film and documentary business for decades. It was great to catch up with him and a wonderful surprise when he presented me with a disc with photos from some of his latest work.

For swimming the IMAX camera underwater for the film "Mysteries of the Great Lakes" Nick chose the SD1 Military Force Fin which I designed as a result from the request from military divers wanting a fin that could push heavy loads through the water. The SD1 Military Force Fin is the answer.

PHOTOS by Clarita Berger

When he was filming Basking Sharks for another film project he needed a fin that would provide him with quick acceleration and was fast enough to keep up with the big sharks. He also needed a fin he could swim all day long with out becoming worn out. For this he chose the Excellerating Force Fin and he told me" the Excellerators are a perfect match"

PHOTO by Greg Skomul

Force Fin 30 30 30 PROMO

For the First Time ever Force Fin will be presenting a new program though out the year
It is called the 30 30 30 PRODUCT PROMO

30% off the Force Fin retail price
30 day money back guarantee
30 day special

This also includes Free Shipping anywhere in the world!

So far this year we have featured the PRO Force FinThe Tan Delta Force Fin

Pierre Seguin and Jonathan Bird with their Tan Delta Force Fins while shooting for Jonathan Bird's Blue World series for PBS.

Currently the Original model is the Force Fin product in the 30 30 30 PROMO until November 14th. The Force Fin Original is an all around fin that is great for travel, snorkeling, diving and having fun in the Surf Zone.Stay in touch with the latest Force Fin 30 30 30 Promo at www.forcefin.com

Shaq - Michael Phelps - Men's Health & Slim Fins

Crazy days are when you receive a late Friday afternoon call, "We need your fins next day air, early morning delivery on Saturday to Fort......" This time, the call came from ABC, who needed a pair of Force Fins for Shaq to wear in a swim against Olympic Gold Medalist Michael Phelps. Shaq has a 23 size foot and he knows I am the man for fin sizing options.

Today, I was reviewing ForceFin.com website stats and much to my surprise, there were thousands of hits coming in from an article in Men's Health, where Writer Matt Bean in an interview of Michael Phelps recommends our Slim Fins.


I swim with Slim Fins every morning at Los Banos, our city pool in Santa Barbara, California

Inter-Seas Exploration

For over Forty years, Luke Clyburn, of Inter-Seas Exploration Ltd. has pursued exploration and adventure on and under the Great Lakes, and has enlisted many others in his quest for knowledge. He and his team are Force Fin users with in depth experience and we are proud of their accomplishments and continued work towards exploration and education.
I have know Luke for many years, but my product specialist, Blair Mott, first met Luke and his team while filming part of an episode for the Jean-Michel Cousteau's Ocean Adventure Series for PBS. Using the the Pride of Michigan as their mother ship they explored the wrecks of Lake Huron and were introduced to the Sea Cadets Program.
Luke is in a constant mode of Exploration and I received this photo from on of his recent 10 day diving trips in the Straits of Mackinac.Luke wearing his new Tan Delta Excellerating Force Fins. Photo by Kathy Trax.
The work he described to us at Force fin was very intersting and with Wayne Lusardi , Michigan Maritime Archaeologist, on board we are looking forward to hearing and seeing more about their trip. Thank you Luke ! Your programs are great and we look forward to hearing more!
Fair winds and following seas,
Bob Evans

Bob Meistrell's Birthday SCUBA Dive

On July 31st, Iwas invited by Billy Meistrell "JR"
of Body Glove - to be part of his uncle's - Bob Meistrell's birthday dive!


Back in 1966 I was certified as a SCUBA from Bob Meistrell through the LA country Certification Agency and worked at their Dive and Surf Shop for seven years as a teen ager. The Twin Meistrell brothers helped me start the Force Fin company back in 1980. The Historical story can be read in The Journal of Diving History vol 16 issue 2 number 55 Spring 2008.

Bob Meistrell of Body Glove is filmed during this exciting day.

Jocko Robinson with his faithful Pro Force Fins. He accompanied Bob to the Depth of 162 FSW off Redondo Beach, California.


Bob Meistrell prepares to Dive in his Force Fins. Check out more photos and a short video from Body Glove.


Both Bob and Jack were wearing the smart fin the FORCE FIN! It was great day! Happy Birthday Bob.

All photos shot by Bob Evans

__________________

The learning Curve

Concerning the learning curve. I have found if you take a new diver, a
diver who has never used Force Fins or any other type of fins, Force
Fins are the quickest to adapt to and easiest to use. In fact, dive
dealers and their instructors have found that if they line up all the
fins available at their store or in their locker, and let new divers
choose which fin they prefer, most, if not all will choose Force Fins
because they are very easy and natural to kick. Force Fins simply make
sense.

The learning curve only exists if you have used other fins and
conditionally interpret the strain in your lower legs as power. It is
the diver who has built in mental and physical conditioning using
regular paddle fins that has a learning curve of about 4 dives to get
used to not feeling the strain and stress associated with normal paddle
fins. As Susanne, my wife and executive Vice President of Force Fin, stated in Chris Kostman's article
Force Fins

".... when you 'feel' your fin, it gives you a lot of security. We're
terra creatures. Our whole frame of reference for moving forward on land
is resistance points on our feet. But when you're moving efficiently in
the water, as with Force Fins, you don't actually feel your fins working
for you. You have to use other independent cues or frames of reference
to know that you're moving efficiently. Force Fins are the only fins
that you don't feel when you're using them, because they're the only
ones moving the force vectors off your legs and onto the blade of the
fin. So the paradox is that you have to use other cues to feel your
momentum instead of the resistance points on your feet."



The best way to short cut this learning curve is to start out by kicking
while on your back. Then your eyes will tell you what your feet and legs
are missing. Seeing the boil of water following the Force Fin as it
moves you forward should help the diver who is conditioned to using
other fins relax on their first dive. It still might take a few dives,
especially for the most experienced to enjoy the freedom of diving with
Force Fins, but, after that, they'll never go back.

Just another reason why I say that Force Fins are a Smart Fin.
The Truth About Dive Fins

Design and Materials

Design and Materials
I chose to use polyurethane over any other material and use a special manufacturing process for Force Fins for one main reason -- rebound, snap and recovery. When you are ready to investigate the design and materials used in Force Fin products, you are ready to understand how and why Force Fins are the most efficient fins on the market.Here I am perform a snap test where I snap the fin off of my knee with an Excellerating Force Fin made out of the Tan delta material .


Polyurethane is an elastomer, a class of plastics designed to mimic the characteristics of rubber…. And then some. The special polyurethane formula used in Force Fins has been designed to maximize its SNAP. Some of us might remember it as a “super ball” effect. The energy that is put into flexing the material (as in kicking on the power or downward stoke) is stored then released as rebound energy. A kick with power and recovery is the most efficient, but Force Fin gives you even more. When the fin snaps back on the recovery or upstroke, water is thrown behind at a faster rate than you can kick any other fin through the water. Propulsion during the recovery is unique to Force Fin

Force Fins are one solid material so the energy applied and extracted are not loss or filtered out by having to go through different materials that are glued, fused, bonded, bolted or tied together. This is one reason that makes kicking Force Fins so naturally efficient.

We have received countless comments from customers explaining how natural the fins feel when kicking them. Their first impression is that the fins are not even on their feet. I talked to a research diver last week and he told me he uses Force Fins. His first impression was he jumped in the water and thought he was not going anywhere and almost started to panic when he looked to his side and saw that he was fast approaching the oil rig and understood his energy input to energy output in his new fins doubled.


Some of this is due to the patented open toe design and the upturned trailing edges, but it is the rebound or snap of the fin that releases a force of propulsive energy. It happens automatically on the recovery phase of a kick cycle in response to compression of the structure of material within the Force Fin blade. The structure is most apparent with the backside ribbing of the Excellerating Force Fin. During the recovery phase of your kick the recoil gives propulsion without any real energy input from the diver or swimmer.

To free your body, you must first free your mind. If you have been using other fins for sometime, then you should commit to dive Force Fins 3 or 4 times to allow any mental and physical conditioning your mind and body have built up over the years to fade away. Then you will be ready to welcome the freedom in using Force Fins.
Materials - Poly Who?