Immersion finswimming
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Finswimming is an
underwater sport Underwater sports is a group of competitive sports using one or a combination of the following underwater diving techniques - breath-hold, snorkelling or scuba, usually including the use of equipment such as diving masks and fins. These sports ...
consisting of four techniques involving swimming with the use of fins either on the water's surface using a snorkel with either
monofins A monofin is a type of swimfin typically used in underwater sports such as finswimming, free-diving and underwater orienteering. It consists of a single or linked control surface (fluid dynamics), surfaces attached to both of the diver's feet, ...
or bifins or underwater with monofin either by holding one's breath or using open circuit
scuba diving Scuba diving is a mode of underwater diving whereby divers use breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface air supply. The name "scuba", an acronym for "Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus", was coined by Chris ...
equipment. Events exist over distances similar to swimming competitions for both
swimming pool A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, paddling pool, or simply pool, is a structure designed to hold water to enable Human swimming, swimming or other leisure activities. Pools can be built into the ground (in-ground pools) or built ...
and open water venues. Competition at world and continental level is organised by the
Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques (CMAS) is an international federation that represents underwater activities in underwater sport and underwater sciences, and oversees an international system of recreational snorkel and scuba ...
(CMAS). The sport's first world championship was held in 1976. It also has been featured at the
World Games The World Games are an international multi-sport event comprising sports and sporting disciplines that are not contested in the Olympic Games. They are usually held every four years, one year after a Summer Olympic Games, over the course of 11 d ...
as a trend sport since 1981 and was demonstrated at the
2015 European Games The 2015 European Games, also known as Baku 2015 or Baku 2015 European Games ( az, Bakı 2015 Avropa Oyunları), were the inaugural edition of the European Games, an international multi-sport event for athletes representing the National Olympic ...
in June 2015.


Rules and description of the sport

Competitors are described within the International Rules as 'swimmers' rather than as finswimmers or
divers Diver or divers may refer to: *Diving (sport), the sport of performing acrobatics while jumping or falling into water *Practitioner of underwater diving, including: **scuba diving, **freediving, **surface-supplied diving, **saturation diving, a ...
.


Classes of competition

Competition is divided into two classes: swimming pool and long distance (also called open water). A swimming pool must be 50 m long by 21 m wide and 1.8 m deep, i.e. an
Olympic-size swimming pool An Olympic-size swimming pool conforms to regulated dimensions that are large enough for international competition. This type of swimming pool is used in the Olympic Games, where the race course is in length, typically referred to as "long cour ...
(also known as a long course pool) is suitable for the holding of swimming races for either the
Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...
and a FINA world championships. The International Rules do not permit the use of 25m length pools (known as
short course In swimming, the term short course (abbreviated SC) is used to identify a pool that is in length. The term is also often included in meet names when conducted in a short course pool. "Short course" is the second type of pool configuration current ...
) although these are used in regional and national competition. Long distance sites include both the sea and natural water bodies such as freshwater rivers and lakes. Site selection criteria include 'low current and tides' and water quality 'appropriate for swimming' as certified by a local authority. The site, when in use for competition, will be marked by buoys, patrolled by safety
boat A boat is a watercraft of a large range of types and sizes, but generally smaller than a ship, which is distinguished by its larger size, shape, cargo or passenger capacity, or its ability to carry boats. Small boats are typically found on inl ...
s and will have observation points (or additional boats) for judges to oversee any turns present in the course.


Techniques


Surface finswimming

Surface finswimming (also known by its acronym, SF) is swimming on the surface of the water using mask, snorkel, and monofins. SF races are held for distances of 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1500, 4 × 50 mix relays (2 men's, 2 women's), 4 × 100 relays and 4 × 200 relays (meters) in swimming pools and over various long distances in the open water environment. Swimmers must remain on the surface of the water at all times for the duration of the race except when starting or make a turns at the end of a swimming pool where an immersion over a distance of 15m is permitted.


Apnoea finswimming

Apnoea finswimming (also known by its acronym, AP, and as apnoea or apnea) is underwater swimming in a swimming pool using a mask, monofin and holding one's breath. AP races are held for the distance of 50m. A swimmer's face must be immersed for the duration of the race otherwise he/she risks disqualification. AP races are not conducted in open water for 'safety and security reasons'.


Immersion finswimming with breathing apparatus

Immersion finswimming with breathing apparatus (also known by its acronym, IM, and as immersion) is underwater swimming using mask, monofin and underwater breathing apparatus conducted in a swimming pool. While there are no requirements on how a breathing apparatus is carried, it cannot be exchanged or abandoned during a race. IM races are held for distances of 100 and 400 m. A swimmer's face must be immersed for the duration of the race or risk disqualification. IM races are not conducted in open water for 'safety and security reasons'. Historically, IM swims were conducted in open water up to distances of 1000m.


Bi-fins

Bi-fins (also known by its acronym, BF or as 'stereo-fins') is swimming on the surface of the water with mask, snorkel and a pair of fins using a crawl style. BF races are held for distances of 50, 100, 200, 400 and 4 × 100 mix relays (2 men's, 2 women's) in swimming pools and over various long distances in the open water environment such as 4 km and 6 km. It is reported that BF was introduced in 2006 to provide the opportunity for competition by swimmers who cannot afford to purchase a set of monofins. Swimmers must remain on the surface of the water at all times for the duration of the race except when starting or make a turns at the end of a swimming pool where an immersion of a distance of 15m is permitted.


Equipment

Monofin Finswimming which is often compared to sports swimming differs from that sport in the use of
masks A mask is an object normally worn on the face, typically for protection, disguise, performance, or entertainment and often they have been employed for rituals and rights. Masks have been used since antiquity for both ceremonial and practi ...
, fins, snorkels and underwater breathing apparatus. This reflects the sport's origins in the underwater diving techniques of snorkelling,
breath-hold diving Freediving, free-diving, free diving, breath-hold diving, or skin diving is a form of underwater diving that relies on breath-holding until resurfacing rather than the use of breathing apparatus such as scuba gear. Besides the limits of breath-h ...
and open circuit scuba diving. Apart from requiring the use of a mask for protection of the eyes and for the ability to see underwater, the international rules have no requirements regarding selection. Centre-mounted snorkels (also known as front snorkels) are the only type approved for use subject to meeting minimum and maximum requirements in tube length and internal diameter. Fins are also regulated by international rules. Monofins have a maximum size which can be checked by the use of a template while bi-fins must be one of the brands certified (i.e.
homologated Homologation (Greek ''homologeo'', ὁμολογέω, "to agree") is the granting of approval by an official authority. This may be a court of law, a government department, or an academic or professional body, any of which would normally work f ...
) by CMAS. Underwater breathing apparatus is restricted to open circuit scuba using compressed atmospheric air as the breathing gas. The use of oxygen enriched mixtures is forbidden.
Cylinders A cylinder (from ) has traditionally been a three-dimensional solid, one of the most basic of curvilinear geometric shapes. In elementary geometry, it is considered a prism with a circle as its base. A cylinder may also be defined as an infini ...
are limited by maximum cylinder pressure rating of 200 bar and a minimum cylinder capacity of 0.4 litres. While there are no requirements for regulators, swimmers appear to be free to modify these to remove any unnecessary parts. Garments such as swimsuits,
swim cap A swimming cap, swim cap or bathing cap, is a tightly fitted, skin-tight garment, commonly made from silicone, latex or lycra, worn on the head by recreational and competitive swimmers. Swim caps are worn for various reasons: they can be worn to ...
s and
wetsuits A wetsuit is a garment worn to provide thermal protection while wet. It is usually made of foamed neoprene, and is worn by surfers, divers, windsurfers, canoeists, and others engaged in water sports and other activities in or on water. Its p ...
, and the use of logos printed on these garments and the equipment is also subject to the requirements of the international rules.


Age groupings and associated restrictions

The following age groupings and associated restrictions for both men and women are mandated by the International Rules.


Origins and history

The sport developed in Europe following the ready availability of the first rubber fins during the 1930s. Luigi Ferraro, Italian diving pioneer, is reported as organising the first fin-swimming competition in the sea during 1951 followed by a ocean swim in 1955. The first competition in the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
was held during 1958. The first European Championship which was a multi sport event involving both finswimming and underwater orienteering was held under the title of the First European Championship of Subaquatics Technical at Angera,
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
in August 1967. The specific finswimming events were races over the distances of 40m and 1000m which are reported as using either surface swimming techniques or respectively apnoea and immersion techniques. In 1969, the first European Finswimming Championship to be separate of underwater orienteering was held in
Locarno , neighboring_municipalities= Ascona, Avegno, Cadenazzo, Cugnasco, Gerra (Verzasca), Gambarogno, Gordola, Lavertezzo, Losone, Minusio, Muralto, Orselina, Tegna, Tenero-Contra , twintowns =* Gagra, Georgia * Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic ...
,
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
. The first World Championships were held in
Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...
,
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
during 1976 followed by the inclusion of the sport in the inaugural
World Games The World Games are an international multi-sport event comprising sports and sporting disciplines that are not contested in the Olympic Games. They are usually held every four years, one year after a Summer Olympic Games, over the course of 11 d ...
in
Santa Clara, California Santa Clara (; Spanish for " Saint Clare") is a city in Santa Clara County, California. The city's population was 127,647 at the 2020 census, making it the eighth-most populous city in the Bay Area. Located in the southern Bay Area, the cit ...
, USA during 1981. In 1988, the first World Long Distance Championship was held in
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,
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
followed in 1989 by the first World Junior Championship in Dunaújváros,
Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
. The arrival of the monofin in the early 1970s lead to the breaking of all world records by the end of the decade due to the improved performance possible when used in lieu of bi-fins. In 2007, the first Bi Fin races using CMAS homologated fins were held.


Sporting appeal and training


Appeal

The main appeal of finswimming is reported by some as being the speed that a swimmer can reach. The world record for the men's 50 m freestyle (long course) in sports swimming (see
World records in swimming The world records in swimming are ratified by FINA, the international governing body of swimming. Records can be set in long course (50 metres) or short course (25 metres) swimming pools. FINA recognizes world records in the following events fo ...
), is 20.91 seconds (by César Cielo of
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
). In finswimming it is 13.70 seconds (for 50 m apnoea by Pavel Kabanov of
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
) (see World records in finswimming). This is a 50% increase in speed over sports swimming. One of the great appeals of finswimming is that finswimmers do not need to be good sports swimmers. Indeed, there is some evidence that top flight sports swimmers may make poorer finswimmers than well-trained finswimmers (see below).


Training

Unlike most sports swimming training programmes, finswimming training tends to be far more specific and more like systems used for track running in
athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competiti ...
. In addition, finswimming training tends to have more dry-side work, including a huge amount of core stability (as core strength),
plyometrics Plyometrics, also known as jump training or plyos, are exercises in which muscles exert maximum force in short intervals of time, with the goal of increasing power (speed-strength). This training focuses on learning to move from a muscle extensi ...
and
weight training Weight training is a common type of strength training for developing the strength, size of skeletal muscles and maintenance of strength.Keogh, Justin W, and Paul W Winwood. “Report for: The Epidemiology of Injuries Across the Weight-Traini ...
. It has been recorded that sports swimmers tend to approach finswimming with preconceptions on technique, which can limit their success.


Governing body

The governing body is the CMAS Finswimming Commission. Its role includes the upgrading of the rules of competition when required, keeping of records for CMAS championships, the World Games and these of national federations where these match or exceed records achieved at international level, and the maintenance of the CMAS World Ranking which is a listing of the best performing senior and junior men and women from both the most recent
Finswimming World Championships The Finswimming World Championships is the peak international event for the underwater sports, underwater sport of finswimming. These are conducted on behalf of the sport's governing body, Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques (CM ...
and the rounds of the World Cup. It also assists the CMAS Board of Directors and others organising competitions organised under the auspices of CMAS. As of June 2015, national federations in the following countries and territories have affiliated with the Commission:
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United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...
,
Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
and
Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
.


Competition at international level


CMAS competitions

As of 2007, CMAS directly oversees the following four competitions at international level: the World Championship, Continental Championships, the World Cup and the CMAS Junior Trophy.


World Championship

The World Championship is held every two years in odd-numbered years for senior swimmers starting with the year 2007 and in even-numbered years for junior swimmers starting with the year 2008. Pool competition held over five days while open water competition is held over a maximum of three days.


World Cup

This is an annual event which was first held in 2006 and consists of a minimum of three rounds including a final all known as meetings which are attended by swimmers from clubs affiliated to a CMAS national federation. Races are held in both swimming pool and open water sites for individuals and clubs in the age groupings of senior and junior for both male and female.


CMAS Junior Trophy

This is an annual swimming pool-based event for junior national teams for both male and female swimmers.


Continental championships

Continental championships which are conducted in an identical manner to the world championships require a minimum of five countries from a continental body such as
Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
,
America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
,
Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...
,
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
and
Oceania Oceania (, , ) is a region, geographical region that includes Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Spanning the Eastern Hemisphere, Eastern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres, Oceania is estimated to have a land area of ...
as defined by the
International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...
(IOC). The Continental championships are held every two years in odd-numbered years for senior swimmers starting with the year 2008 and in even-numbered years for junior swimmers starting with the year 2007. The European Championships have run since 1967 and have been held 21 times. Asian Finswimming Championships is reported to have been held 13 times with the first being held in 1989 and the most being held during 2012 in
Da Nang Nang or DanangSee also Danang Dragons ( ; vi, Đà Nẵng, ) is a class-1 municipality and the fifth-largest city in Vietnam by municipal population. It lies on the coast of the East Sea of Vietnam at the mouth of the Hàn River, and is one ...
,
Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
.


Other CMAS-aligned events

There have been three Pan-American Championships, starting in 1993, with the last being held in 2001 in Cali, Colombia. There have also been five "Arab Zone" Championships, the last was held in 2003 (in
Beirut, Lebanon Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint of ...
).


World Games

Finswimming has featured at the
World Games The World Games are an international multi-sport event comprising sports and sporting disciplines that are not contested in the Olympic Games. They are usually held every four years, one year after a Summer Olympic Games, over the course of 11 d ...
as a trend sport since the inaugural games held during 1981. Participation is reserved for the best swimmers from the CMAS World Ranking and the best relay teams as selected by the CMAS Finswimming Commission.


Other multi-sport events

Finswimming has appeared at multi-sport events such as the following: Asian Indoor Games, Bolivarian Games, Southeast Asian Games, World Corporate Games from 1998 to 1992, and the
World Scholar-Athlete Games The World Scholar-Athlete Games or WSAG was an event organized by the Institute for International Sport at the University of Rhode Island The University of Rhode Island (URI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in K ...
. The sport was also demonstrated at the 27th Summer Universiade in July 2013 and at the
2015 European Games The 2015 European Games, also known as Baku 2015 or Baku 2015 European Games ( az, Bakı 2015 Avropa Oyunları), were the inaugural edition of the European Games, an international multi-sport event for athletes representing the National Olympic ...
in June 2015.


Olympic Games

As of 2020, no finswimming competition or demonstration has been held at an
Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...
. CMAS which is recognised by the IOC as the international sports federation for underwater sports was so recognised in 1986 solely on the basis of finswimming. In 1999, finswimming was reported as being considered for inclusion in the
2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...
in
Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
,
Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
. In 2002, the IOC considered underwater sports which includes finswimming as one of the sports to be added to the programme of the
2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...
in
Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
,
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
, but decided to decline admission to it and eight other sports on the basis of:
Statistics reviewed on federation affiliation, nations competing in major events and broadcast and press coverage of major events for most requested sports did not indicate a higher level of global participation and interest than sports currently in the Programme, and therefore could not be considered to bring additional value.


See also


Competitions

* * * * * * * *


Finswimming by country

* * *


Competitors and organisations

* * * * * * * *


Records

* * * * *


References


External links


CMAS Finswimming Commission homepageCMAS Finswimming Championships ArchiveFinswimming on the History of CMAS websiteCMAS World Cup home pageThe World Games Finswimming pageFinswimming World Rankings 2013
{{DEFAULTSORT:Finswimming Underwater sports