Comparative Efficiencies of Conventional and Super-Swimfin Designs

Abstract

One female and six male subjects were used to evaluate the effectiveness of four modern “super-swimfin” designs when compared to a set of conventional fins. Oxygen consumption and heart rates were measured at a predetermined submaximal workload using a swimming ergometer. Times for kicking 22.9 m were also compared. The results demonstrated that significantly less oxygen was consumed during the trials in which the vented super-fins of large surface area were used than when the conventional fins were used. Significant V̇_O2differences were also noted between super-fins, with large surface area, inflexible, or venturi designs resulting in the consumption of more oxygen than the others. A statistically significant linear correlation (r = −.90) was computed when comparing oxygen consumption to fin surface area. Flexibility of the fins was noted to be directly related to the speed that could be attained (r = .90). It was concluded that only the super-fin designs that were vented and had a large surface area are more efficient than the conventional fins tested.