The PowerSwim is a diver powered propulsion comprising two pairs of high aspect ratio hydrofoils in a device somewhat like two pairs of long thin airplane wings, one pair at each end of an axis. The axis is fastened to a

scuba diver 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 ...

's shins by straps round the legs. The longer pair of wings (about wide or a bit less) is at the hips and the shorter pair is at the ankles. The wings rotate to a limited angle on axles near their front edges, and thus on upstroke and downstroke they propel water backwards. It is claimed that the length of the front wing lets it operate outside the cone of

wake Wake or The Wake may refer to: Culture *Wake (ceremony), a ritual which takes place during some funeral ceremonies *Wakes week, an English holiday tradition * Parish Wake, another name of the Welsh ', the fairs held on the local parish's patron s ...

that starts at the diver's shoulders. It is claimed to let a

or swim much faster (250%) than with swimfins for the same amount of bodily effort, if used correctly, and being not motorized, it makes no motor noise to be heard by hostile hydrophones, but noise would occur if the front wings are allowed to hit the diver's hips at end of upstroke. It works somewhat like a

penguin Penguins (order (biology), order List of Sphenisciformes by population, Sphenisciformes , family (biology), family Spheniscidae ) are a group of Water bird, aquatic flightless birds. They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere: on ...

's or turtle's front flippers. Its estimated cost is less than $500. The diver uses it by moving his legs up and down together, letting the knees bend and straighten. It was developed by DARPA in 2007.

Aqueon

Aqueon is or was a similar device to PowerSwim. California Institute of Technology graduate Calvin "Cal" Gongwer began work on improvements to human propulsion through water in the 1950s and established Innerspace Corporation, an aquatic propulsion company which specialized in

submersible A submersible is a small watercraft designed to operate underwater. The term "submersible" is often used to differentiate from other underwater vessels known as submarines, in that a submarine is a fully self-sufficient craft, capable of ind ...

thrusters at the time. In 1968, he met Australian inventor Philip Dulhunty and they collaborated on the design of the dual-winged "Aqueon" in 1968 and produced prototypes in Tasmanian oak. The diver held onto it by trapping it between his shins placed in two -shaped attachments. It was claimed to provide three times as much thrust as conventional swimming fins and up to six times as much power, and that from a stationary start, a swimmer covered 25 yards in 8.4 seconds using Aqueon, and that with an Aqueon a swimmer covered 1500 yards with

scuba equipment 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 Chri ...

in 24 minutes; the fastest time covered by the same diver with scuba equipment and fins was 44 minutes. The Aqueon was reportedly examined at length and during multiple "pool parties" at the Gongwer residence by DARPA scientists before they created the PowerSwim.

References

External links

Aqueon
by Innerspace Corporation - information on this 50+ year old idea
Recent photos, videos and information about the Aqueon
(forum) * Underwater diver propulsion equipment {{swimming-stub

Aqueon

References

Further reading

External links