Finswimming | EPFL Graph Search

Are you an EPFL student looking for a semester project?

Work with us on data science and visualisation projects, and deploy your project as an app on top of GraphSearch.

Finswimming is an underwater sport consisting of four techniques involving swimming with the use of fins either on the water's surface using a snorkel with either monofins or bifins or underwater with monofin either by holding one's breath or using open circuit scuba diving equipment. Events exist over distances similar to swimming competitions for both swimming pool and open water venues. Competition at world and continental level is organised by the Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques (CMAS). The sport's first world championship was held in 1976. It also has been featured at the World Games as a trend sport since 1981 and was demonstrated at the 2015 European Games in June 2015. Competitors are described within the International Rules as 'swimmers' rather than as finswimmers or divers. 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 (also known as a long course pool) is suitable for the holding of swimming races for either the Olympic Games and a FINA world championships. The International Rules do not permit the use of 25m length pools (known as short course) 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 boats and will have observation points (or additional boats) for judges to oversee any turns present in the course. 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.

About this result

This page is automatically generated and may contain information that is not correct, complete, up-to-date, or relevant to your search query. The same applies to every other page on this website. Please make sure to verify the information with EPFL's official sources.

Related publications (5)

Related people (4)

Related units (2)

Related concepts (4)

SmartSwim: A novel approach to swimming analysis and coaching assistance based on wearable inertial sensors

Mahdi Hamidi Rad

As one of the three most popular sports in the Summer Olympics, competitive swimming has always been an attractive subject of study for sports scientists. The intricate nature of the swimmer's movements and the variety of techniques have led coaches to req ...

EPFL2022

Swimming phase-based performance evaluation using a single IMU in front crawl

Kamiar Aminian, Farzin Dadashi, Mahdi Hamidi Rad, Vincent Gremeaux

The purpose of this study was to assess the potential of using a sacrum-worn inertial measurement unit (IMU) for performance evaluation in each swimming phase (wall push-off, glide, stroke preparation, and swimming) of national-level swimmers in front craw ...

University of Canberra2021

, , ,

Inertial measurement units (IMU) are proven as efficient tools for swimming analysis by overcoming the limits of video-based systems application in aquatic environments. However, coaches still believe in the lack of a reliable and easy-to-use analysis syst ...

FRONTIERS MEDIA SA2021

Swimming (sport)

Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic sports, with varied distance events in butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle, and individual medley. In addition to these individual events, four swimmers can take part in either a freestyle or medley relay.

Snorkeling

Snorkeling (British and Commonwealth English spelling: snorkelling) is the practice of swimming on or through a body of water while equipped with a diving mask, a shaped breathing tube called a snorkel, and usually swimfins. In cooler waters, a wetsuit may also be worn. The use of this equipment allows the snorkeler to observe underwater attractions for extended periods with relatively little effort and to breathe while face-down at the surface. Snorkeling is a popular recreational activity, particularly at tropical resort locations.

Swimming

Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that results in directional motion. Humans can hold their breath underwater and undertake rudimentary locomotive swimming within weeks of birth, as a survival response. Swimming is consistently among the top public recreational activities, and in some countries, swimming lessons are a compulsory part of the educational curriculum.