Finswimming

• What is finswimming?
• A short history of the sport.

What is finswimming?

Finswimming is defined as "the progression with a monofin or with two fins either on the surface or underwater, by means of the swimmers' muscular force only and without use of any mechanism, not even muscle-powered. For underwater disciplines with breathing equipment, only compressed-air sub-aqua equipment is allowed" (CMAS, 2008).

Finswimmers use either monofins or bifins (also known as stereofins in some countries - see Equipment) to race over set distances. Instead of strokes (as in swimming), finswimming races are subdivided into four disciplines (Surface, Apnea, Immersion and Bifins). There are races in the pool and in openwater. All openwater races are raced on the surface (Immersion in openwater is known as Underwater Orienteering).

The disciplines describe the equipment that is used and whether the race takes place on the surface or underwater:

All surface races involve the use of a centre-mounted snorkel and a monofin. There are different styles of snorkels and monofins for different races and abilities (see Equipment).

Apnea races are competed totally underwater and without breathing. The competitor only uses their monofin.

Immersion races involve the use of a simplified demand-valve and a small sub-aqua tank, to allow the finswimmer to breath underwater.

Competitors in bifin races wear a centre-mounted snorkel and normal fins. More detail on equipment is included in the Equipment wiki.

The following are the internationally recognised distances raced (CMAS, 2008):

• 50 m, 100 m, 200 m, 400 m, 800 m and 1,500 m Surface in a swimming pool,
• 3 km, 6 km, 12 km and 25 km Surface open water
• 50 m Apnea,
• 100 m, 400 m and 800 m Immersion,
• 50 m, 100 m and 200 m Bifins.

A short history of the sport.

The history of finswimming, like many other sports, is not well documented or understood. Even the origins of fins are shrowded in the mists of history. This section is based on the Equipment chapter from Smith (Unpublished).

It is widely stated that ordinary fins were invented by a French Naval Captain, Captain de Corlieu, in 1934 (de Corlieu, 1934). However, it is thought that there is a freeze in a tomb in Egypt showing a man with wooden extensions to allow him to swim faster. Other claiments for the invention are Da Vinci, in 1490 (Da Vinci, 1518), Borelli, in 1680 (Borelli, 1680), and Franklin, in 1716 (Colwin 1999). Borelli even included a picture of a diver wearing his fins in his manuscript. However, the first modern fins were patented by a Norwegian, living in San Francisco, called Halvor Olsen, in 1868 (Olsen, 1868).

Even monofins have a clowded history. The first patent showing a monofin belongs to William Beeson, of Dillon, Montana, which was granted in 1881 (Beeson, 1881). However, both his and that granted to Hartfig Mohr (a German, living in New York) in 1927 (Mohr, 1927) were inpractical. The first practical monofin was invented by Hans-Joachen Bergann and Kurt Ristau (initiators of the fameous "Barakuda" club and SCUBA manufacturers) in 1955 (Ristau & Bergann, 1960; Biscarini, 1995). They patented a series of designs, including a design with an inclined footpocket, very similar to modern hyperbaloid monofins. These monofins were designed for racing. Two Russian clubs, Skate and Altai, manufactured the first practical racing fins in 1972 (Biscarini, 1995; Bideau et al., 2002).

Finswimming racing was first officially recorded in France in the early 1920s, in Italy in the 1930s and in the United Kingdom in 1940s (perhaps even earlier). There are, possibly, earlier records of racing with fins (included one source from 1779) but these are fairly unsubstantiated. Until 1972, international finswimming races were all bifin races. The introduction of monofins at the 1972 European Championships, by Russian finswimmers, revolutionised the sport (Bideau et al., 2002). Monofins gave the sport a visual and technical difference from swimming, which is still volving and developing.  

References

1. CMAS (2008). Finswimming: International Rules. Version 2008/2. CMAS, Rome, Italy.
2. Smith, A.B. (Unpublished). The British Finswimming Association Finswimming Manual. BFA, Tonbridge, UK.
3. De Corlieu, L.M. (1934). Propulseurs de notation et de suvetage. Ministère du Commerce et de l’Industrie: Brevet d’Invention 767013.
4. Da Vinci, L. (1518). Codex Arundel. Folio 24v. Held by the British Museum, London, UK.
5. Borelli, G.A. (1680). De motu animalium. Published by family posthumously, Rome.
6. Colwin, C. (1999). Gadgets, widgets and fins: 19th century pool toys.Swimming Technique, (January/March).
7. Olsen, H. (1868). Combination of Life-Preserving and Swimming Apparatus. United States of America Patent Office, United States Patent 74931.
8. Beeson, W. (1881). Swimming Apparatus. United States of America Patent Office, United States Patent 243834.
9. Mohr, H. (1928). Swimming Device. United States of America Patent Office, United States Patent 1675372.
10. Ristau, K. & H.J. Bergann (1960). Gleitzeitig von beiden Füßen eines Schwimmenden zu betätigender Schwimmhilfskörper [A mechanical attachment for kicking with both feet during swimming]. Deutsches Patentamt, Auslegeschrift 1085798.
11. Biscarini, P. (1995). Training with a monofin. World Clinic Series, 27th Annual World Clinic September 1995. Transactions of the American Swimming Coaches Association, (1995): 14-21.
12. Bideau, B., Colobert, B., Fusco, N., Multon, F., & P. Delamarche (2002). How to compute monofin’s mechanical parameters? Laboratoire de physiologie et biomécanique, Université de Rennes 2. Rennes, France.

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This article was created by Alaric.