Swim fins are used for water sports and exercise, increasing speed and leg muscle strength. Leonardo da Vinci and Giovanni Borelli were early inventors, while Benjamin Franklin created wooden foot paddles. Louis de Corlier designed the first rubber fins, improved by Owen Churchill who started Churchill Swim Fins. Today, fins are available in various colors and designs and remain an essential component of water rescue equipment.
Swim fins are used in bodysurfing, scuba diving, and snorkeling. Additionally, swim fins can be used as part of a pool exercise program. Fins propel the body through the water faster than the feet, increase flexibility in the ankles, and help build strength in the leg muscles.
Perhaps the first European to consider swimming fins was Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519). Da Vinci was a genius who painted masterpieces like Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. This artist and architect was also a prolific inventor, coming up with battle tanks, submarines, and flying machines. Buried in his handiwork are early versions of swim fins.
The Italian Giovanni Alphonso Borelli (1608-1679) was the next person to play with swimming fins. Borelli was a mathematician and physicist. His most famous work, The Movement of Animals, was published after his death. History also remembers Borelli as the first to consider the possibility of people swimming in water using a “rebreather,” which allows swimmers to stay underwater for extended periods of time.
American statesman and inventor Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) loved to swim. As a child, Franklin developed foot paddles made of wood. In addition, Franklin created hand-held oars, which he said made his wrists tired.
The French naval commander Louis de Corlier was also an inventor. He designed the first rubber fins in the 1930s. These fins had been patented in eight countries by 1933. De Corlier designed these fins to be life-saving equipment. In fact, he called them “life-saving propellers.”
Yachting Owen Churchill (1896-1985) was a gold medalist in the 8-meter yacht race at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics. During the 1930s, Churchill took a trip to Tahiti where he watched Tahitians make fins primitive swimming. After Churchill bought De Corlier’s patent rights, Churchill improved on De Corlier’s design and produced “new” swim fins. Churchill started his own company in 1938, which was called Churchill Swim Fins. His finners hooked up with the United States Navy during World War II.
Today, swim fins are available in a variety of colors, materials, and designs. People wear swim fins for exercise or for their favorite water sports. Fins continue to be an essential component of water rescue equipment. Early swim fin inventors would be surprised at how their ideas have evolved over time and at the variety of activities for which people wear fins.
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