Sunday, July 02, 2006
Underwater Fin Swimming
I have a peculiar workout routine. I like to do underwater fin swimming and this being Alaska; I have to do it in a swimming pool! Right now, I am doing about 1,000 yards, three days a week. This level of effort is a fine complement to my 3,000+ yard my Masters Swim Club puts me through the other days of the week.
The first question I am usually asked when I mention this fitness activity is “what exactly is that?” I usually reply “swimming underwater with fins, mask, and snorkel.” The usual rejoinder is kind of a half sarcastic “oh, you mean skin diving or snorkeling.” I tried explaining what I was doing to a scuba instructor the other day and just kind of gave up.
Underwater fin swimming is not snorkeling (although a snorkel can be used) because the object of the activity is to swim the length of the pool underwater. Nor is the activity properly classified as breath hold diving because “diving” to any depth for any distance is not really possible. So I call what I do “underwater fin swimming.” I had thought of calling it just “underwater swimming” but found out that the latter term is known as competitive swimming’s fifth stroke. If any of you have watched Olympic swim competition in the freestyle you recognize that in the last few Olympiads the swimmers seem to cover almost as much distance swimming underwater as they do on the surface. I could call it “fin swimming,” but for me the object is to not break the surface until I get to the opposite end of the pool. To do so I need the boost provided by fins, albeit small bladed fins, although there was a time in the not too distant past where I could do it unaided.
The venue where I swim is very nice, a 25-yard pool at the gym where I work out. The pool goes from 3 to 10 feet deep. The schedule allows for lap swimming a couple of days a week and at least two of the six lanes are always available for adult lap swimming. I have learned the various comings and goings of people and pretty much can predict when I can have a lane to myself or sometimes even have the pool to myself. I like having a lane to myself for a couple of different reasons. First, having a lane to myself helps protect my fellow swimmer. I sometimes swim with a Trainer monofin, which is a real kick (no pun intended). This fin has a sharp edge to the blade and has a warning label pasted on the fin warning the user to that effect. Second, it cuts down on the hassles I get from other swimmers. I do swim a structured workout. I was once confronted by a woman swimmer who insisted that if I wanted to snorkel I should do so at the community pools because the lanes at the Club were reserved for people who swam real workouts. I was splitting a lane with another swimmer and we were getting along fine. I told her that I was swimming a structured workout, that she showed her ignorance by thinking that swimming with fins was not really swimming, and that it was rather presumptuous of her to assume that because I was not swimming her workout I was not swimming a workout.
I have had the pleasure of teaching fin swimming to youngsters at the Club, mostly to the basic skill level. The key is to make it fun. The experience is structured to reinforce skills and build new ones with an emphasis on fitness and safety. We do swim through the hoops, play underwater Frisbee golf and Ultimate Frisbee, introduce underwater hockey skills, and sometime have a surface fin swimming tug of war using a grudge belt. I recall the good nature surprise of two boys in the class when their younger sister won the tug of war.
The first question I am usually asked when I mention this fitness activity is “what exactly is that?” I usually reply “swimming underwater with fins, mask, and snorkel.” The usual rejoinder is kind of a half sarcastic “oh, you mean skin diving or snorkeling.” I tried explaining what I was doing to a scuba instructor the other day and just kind of gave up.
Underwater fin swimming is not snorkeling (although a snorkel can be used) because the object of the activity is to swim the length of the pool underwater. Nor is the activity properly classified as breath hold diving because “diving” to any depth for any distance is not really possible. So I call what I do “underwater fin swimming.” I had thought of calling it just “underwater swimming” but found out that the latter term is known as competitive swimming’s fifth stroke. If any of you have watched Olympic swim competition in the freestyle you recognize that in the last few Olympiads the swimmers seem to cover almost as much distance swimming underwater as they do on the surface. I could call it “fin swimming,” but for me the object is to not break the surface until I get to the opposite end of the pool. To do so I need the boost provided by fins, albeit small bladed fins, although there was a time in the not too distant past where I could do it unaided.
The venue where I swim is very nice, a 25-yard pool at the gym where I work out. The pool goes from 3 to 10 feet deep. The schedule allows for lap swimming a couple of days a week and at least two of the six lanes are always available for adult lap swimming. I have learned the various comings and goings of people and pretty much can predict when I can have a lane to myself or sometimes even have the pool to myself. I like having a lane to myself for a couple of different reasons. First, having a lane to myself helps protect my fellow swimmer. I sometimes swim with a Trainer monofin, which is a real kick (no pun intended). This fin has a sharp edge to the blade and has a warning label pasted on the fin warning the user to that effect. Second, it cuts down on the hassles I get from other swimmers. I do swim a structured workout. I was once confronted by a woman swimmer who insisted that if I wanted to snorkel I should do so at the community pools because the lanes at the Club were reserved for people who swam real workouts. I was splitting a lane with another swimmer and we were getting along fine. I told her that I was swimming a structured workout, that she showed her ignorance by thinking that swimming with fins was not really swimming, and that it was rather presumptuous of her to assume that because I was not swimming her workout I was not swimming a workout.
I have had the pleasure of teaching fin swimming to youngsters at the Club, mostly to the basic skill level. The key is to make it fun. The experience is structured to reinforce skills and build new ones with an emphasis on fitness and safety. We do swim through the hoops, play underwater Frisbee golf and Ultimate Frisbee, introduce underwater hockey skills, and sometime have a surface fin swimming tug of war using a grudge belt. I recall the good nature surprise of two boys in the class when their younger sister won the tug of war.
# posted by covediver @ 12:51 PM 
