Smith Aerospace DOL-Fin Orca Mk-2 Owner's Manual

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DOL-Fin Orca Mk-2

Owner's Manual (Rev. 1)

 Safety

Page 2

 Parts & Assembly

Page 3

 Pre-Dive Checkout

Page 7

 Use & Operation

Page 7

 Care & Maintenance

Page 14

 Warranty

Page 16

Smith Aerospace Corp:

PO Box 130, Sahuarita AZ. 85629-130 USA.

http://www.smithaerospace.us

(520) 399-1741

Smith Aerospace Corp. 2014

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Safety:

Before using the DOL-Fin, read this owner's manual.

Always dive with a dive buddy qualified to perform a diver rescue in the case of an emergency,

and be qualified yourself to perform a rescue for your dive buddy if needed. For your safety and

the safety of your dive buddy you should receive dive training from a recognized training

organization for the level and complexity of the dives you are planning. Significant and life

threatening risks exist for freedivers and scuba divers that require training to understand how to

mitigate those risks. Remember, industry safety standards for diving still apply when using a

DOL-Fin for swimming propulsion and it is important to have a viable plan for dealing with

equipment failures or medical emergencies of any kind at any time during a dive.

The DOL-Fin is not life saving equipment. When learning to use the DOL-Fin, swimmers should

train in confined water with lifeguard supervision. For your own safety, only venture into open

water after you have mastered use of the DOL-Fin. Swimming with the DOL-Fin in open water

or in any unsupervised conditions is done entirely at the swimmer's own risk.

Before each use, always perform a Pre-Dive Checkout (page 7) of the DOL-Fin equipment to

verify the structural and mechanical integrity of the unit to the swimmer's own safety and risk

standards. Even easy dives can become dangerous when equipment unexpectedly fails. Never

attempt to stand with both feet engaged into the DOL-Fin as you will be unstable which can cause

you to fall over and can lead to injury. Be careful when using your DOL-Fin around others, as

the fin can injure others if you hit or jab them with it. Make sure you leave appropriate safety

clearances between yourself and others in the water so that it does not contact anyone else while

you are swimming. Do not use your DOL-Fin without the fin tips installed. Use caution when

handling the DOL-Fin that you do not pinch your fingers in the action of the hydrofoil.

The DOL-Fin is a unique and EXPERIMENTAL piece of swimming equipment. Venturing into

the water with unfamiliar equipment can result in injury or death. Understanding and being

competent with the operation of the DOL-Fin is crucial for its safe use. Reading this manual can

assist a user of the DOL-Fin to become competent. However, it is the sole responsibility of the

swimmer to determine whether or not they are competent to use any particular diving/swimming

equipment, including a DOL-Fin, and to evaluate safety and mitigate risk.

Swimming is hazardous in and of itself which can result in serious injury including drowning.

Users of the DOL-Fin should be good swimmers who are comfortable in the water, and not prone

to panic. Swimming with fins can be physically demanding. Therefore, users of the DOL-Fin

should be physically fit. If a potential user has any doubt about their fitness level, he/she should

consult medical advice before venturing into open water.

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Summary of Contents for Smith Aerospace DOL-Fin Orca Mk-2

Page 1 DOL-Fin Orca Mk-2 Safety: Before using the DOL-Fin, read this owner’s manual. Owner’s Manual (Rev. 1) Always dive with a dive buddy qualified to perform a diver rescue in the case of an emergency, and be qualified yourself to perform a rescue for your dive buddy if needed. For your safety and the safety of your dive buddy you should receive dive training from a recognized training organization for the level and complexity of the dives you are planning.
Page 2 Once adjusted, screw the Foot Plate into the Internal Float. This action locks the Foot a. Fairing Top Straps into position on the Foot Plate. YouTube video “DOL-Fin Orca Mk-2 Monofin - b. Fairing Bottom Foot Strap Tutorial” shows this entire assembly process: http://youtu.be/U7iPuo9tnmg...
Page 3 Fin Mounting: Hardware: The High Aspect Ratio Fin uses a custom non-symmetrical hydrofoil section. This fin has Eight screws (of which 4 come pre-assembled) fasten a sandwich of components together a top and a bottom as defined in Figure 2 which shows an end profile of the fin’s cross to form the DOL-Fin’s hydrofoil suspension system.
Page 4 The entire suspension system and fin assembly can be moved aft to the second set of holes The Orca2 monofin is designed to be used with dive socks. To provide the maximum in the Orca Bracket if more length is desired to give the fin a little more leverage to the fin. level of energy transfer to the monofin, the straps do not have any padding attached to them and instead rely on padding worn on the foot to eliminate chaffing of the straps on Pre-Dive Checkout:...
Page 5 longer bottom guide to a preferred length to make a new custom top suspension guide. A FIG 4 disk sander works well for this. Just make sure to trim them square and with even lengths. The length of the top suspension guides is largely a biometric fit to match the flexibility of a person’s ankles.
Page 6 Control: Controlling Fin Twist and Side-Slipping A common problem many people have when first using the DOL-Fin is avoiding fin twist Diver Steering and Roll Control and side-slip when stroking the fin. Don’t get discouraged. It is a little like learning to Roll-trim buoyancy is a process by which a swimmer can control their roll orientation in ride a bicycle.
Page 7 However, the DOL-Fin is put on and Replacement parts for your DOL-Fin can be ordered from Smith Aerospace Corp. removed while floating in a crowched position in the water with your feet pulled up of the bottom.
Page 8 Once the strings are looped through the bungees and fin tip holes also fails. New fin tips and bungee systems can be ordered from Smith Aerospace Corp. and zip tied in place, the pencil can be removed and the fin tips inserted into the foil ends.